Small businesses and entrepreneurs are doing amazing things to provide opportunities in this city, which makes it more appealing to young professionals looking to find work and stay here rather than move to a more fruitful city.
Unfortunately, this can’t be said for all businesses in Shreveport-Bossier. As a native resident and young entrepreneur, I have conflicting emotions when it comes to staying or leaving. I personally have seen a less desirable side of my city as a place to work since I came home with a BFA in 2011. Many places barely offer more than $25,000 per year for design and web development work, whereas in another city a similar job promises double, sometimes triple that amount (depending on skill level).
As a resident, I could argue that this city is alive, inspiring, and a great place to live; with awesome venues to shop, eat, drink, and play. So to reconcile this divide within myself, I proposed an idea to my friends that we create an anonymous poll of the city to highlight ethical, honest businesses according to how they treat their employees and their clients or customers. The idea received an amazing amount of support, as well as uncovered some deep-seated opinions on current employee-employer relationships in this city.
I want to know, Shreveport! I don’t care who makes it happen, or how long it takes. I want to know who treats their employees well. The Fairness & Equality Ordinance was a great place to start attracting talent to the city. Here’s a secret though: the talent is already here. It is being cultivated, thanks to local education programs, but is leaving in droves. I don’t want another young, talented individual to get fed up with the hunt and leave town for a more transparent and ethical business in a bigger city. I know far too many people who are extremely talented and incredibly intelligent who are well on their way to making a difference in this city, and they need a reason to stay here. Over half of my peers from college, who have talent which could compete on a global level have already left. Often the only choice is to leave because the other option is to put themselves at financial risk or to abandon their life’s work to turn to an alternative career path (such as insurance sales, real estate, or some sort of government/administrative office role). In light of these issues, let’s try to encourage our own turf to flourish and sustain new, fulfilling jobs.
I want to know which companies are paying their employees fairly, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, religious views (or lack thereof), political views, etc. I want to know the companies who reward their workers when they take on management roles in times of growth. I want to know of companies that perform 110 percent for their clients, from an employee perspective. I want to know the businesses that truly have an open-door policy, where an employee’s opinions and suggestions are taken to heart and not returned with punishment or termination. This needs to be a blind study with no avenue for “buying” a better ranking through advertising incentives. What level of excellence is possible in Shreveport-Bossier for someone who really wants to make a difference? If we are limiting professional development, how can we raise the bar for ourselves? After all, finding and admitting that there is a problem is the first step to facilitating a solution.
This is only a budding project, but your input is important! I would love to hear your thoughts on how we can make this happen. If you would like to be involved, contact me through Twitter, Facebook, or email. Let’s make the hunt for a rewarding job easier for those who are trying to be the best they can be at what they do, for those who want to be a cornerstone in what makes SBC great.
Heather Evans can be reached via Twitter @heavens_rose, through Facebook at facebook.com/HeatherRoseEvans, or by email: designer@heatherroseevans.com.