Open concept layouts have become popular for homes. Splendid Homes, Manitoba’s leading luxury custom home and commercial space builder and designer, knows that as well as any company.   

The family-owned company brings that open concept philosophy to their business as well, particularly to hiring employees and finding a fit for them in the organization. As a company that covers all aspects of the design and construction process, Splendid Homes Vice President & Head of Design Shima Talebi notes that they are able to give employees opportunities in a variety of areas.  

“We’ll hire someone and then see that they have skills that are better suited to another department. We’ll ask them about switching departments, and the majority of the time, the staff agree and appreciate that because they know that they’ll find better growth there.” 

The company even encourages new employees to try out different areas of the business. Talebi and her husband Alan co-own Splendid Homes, and both come from engineering backgrounds, so they’ve adopted a co-op-style initiative with some hires.   

“We have some of our new or less experienced hires go on a sort of rotation where they get to experience different departments, and they do different tasks,” said Talebi. “Then the department heads, and the individual themselves, can have a better understanding of the work that they are best suited for.”  

Finding an employer with a practice like that isn’t always easy, which is why Splendid Homes makes sure to use that element of their business as a recruitment tactic.   

“In our interviews, we give interviewees a bigger picture of what their goal could be if they stay longer,” explained Talebi. “We show them the growth path and where they can be if they continue with us. We express the co-op idea that we use, and we tell them what we offer.”  

The ability to find a fit in the organization was appealing to Palak Kashal, who has been with Splendid Homes for two years and currently serves as Interior Designer and Design Coordinator.   

“I was hired as an interior designer, but after I was hired, I realized that not only did I enjoy the interior design work, but I could also handle and manage coordination and the project management department. So I was promoted as Design Coordinator after six months.”  

Being allowed to explore the organization not only gets people on board, but keeps them with the company too. Pairing that with regular check-ins in the form of performance reviews every three months shows that Splendid Homes is as committed to building their team as they are to building beautiful custom homes and commercial spaces. The chance to grow, develop, and make decisions has been rewarding for Kashal.  

“I’ve loved having the freedom of decision, and my thoughts and opinions are always welcomed,” she noted. “When I’m working on specific projects, I can actually talk to clients and get to know their needs, and I can put that into the project.”  

That openness to finding the most successful role for employees at Splendid Homes is matched by an open-door mentality among their leaders – another key to retaining good employees.   

Hiring younger and less experienced workers has also proven to be a worthwhile recruiting practice for Splendid Homes.  

“You can hire someone with 10 years of experience, and of course they’ll dive into the job. If you hire someone who will be at that place in a few years, you have to invest a lot into that person,” said Talebi. “That’s a big load for managers to take on, but I personally believe that the right junior is the backbone of a company.”   

If you haven’t already gotten the sense, openness – to ideas, to discussion, to creating successful environments for employees – is the name of the game when it comes to employment practices for Talebi and Splendid Homes.   

“The workplace should be safe and friendly to keep people. You have to address any issues your employees might have. Your door should always be open, and don’t be afraid to bring issues up. And you have to allow people to make mistakes, and be open to new ideas.”