Business Ops, post-COVID have presented a number of challenges. One of which is that of staffing.
Training of an employee, or the lack thereof, can make or break your guest experience. Many times, though, I feel that companies hire to fill holes rather than hire the “right” ones. Back in the late 90’s I led several student fundraisers at a park local to us. The deal was really good, bring volunteer “employees” to “work” a shift and the per hour payment would go back to the charity in the form of a donation. It was a genius program. Our group could net thousands in one day, receive tickets to go back as day guests… and the park receives applause for the program… and probably got better employees for the day. In our group we had professionals through the age of 60 and had a school superintendent, engineer, insurance agency owners, teachers, and I was a bank executive at the time, among other backgrounds. We were all enjoying a second run at being a young person in our 20’s working at a park. We swept the grounds, served food, cleaned tables, made funnel cakes, etc…
Once there we observed the full breadth of what happens when you hire to fill holes. My impression (in 1999) was that their guests would be better served if they had hired fewer employees, paid more, and trained them.
May sound like an over simplification, but training is essential. One of the reasons Disney, Universal, and others is so successful from a Guest Experience standpoint is that their employees receive extensive training before they ever become “guest-facing.” Successful companies have employees that know the company culture, understand the mission, and live it out between the lines; they’re bought into it, live it, breath it… if you cut their arm, they bleed it. In my “student group” leading days I made it a point to train anyone volunteering their time as a mentor or sound booth tech what our goal and mission was. Twenty-five years later it rolls right off my mind. Our mission was to: Reach, Connect, Discover, Grow, Honor (these were not mine… they were trained into me from Saddleback Church in CA) and I used it as a successful model in training other leaders.
Post-COVID, a positive Guest Experience could be a nightmare to produce. Staffing shortages have led parks and venues to hire and take what they can get. This will even out over time, but training your park’s mission, culture, and goals cannot take a backseat. There’s an old saying,
“CFO”: “What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us?” CEO: “ What happens if we don’t, and they stay?”
We’ve all encountered disaffected employees who are just there to collect the paycheck and go on. That will never change- but training, training again, and training some more should never be a second priority.
At a minimum, if your park has a motto, mission statement, etc… employees should be able to rattle it off without breaking a sweat. Disney has “4 Keys” and it is trained in everyone from parking attendants to C-Level Executives.
What is your goal and mission of your employees? Do they know it? Does your management know it? Do you know it? Post-COVID- your Guest Experience may be further compromised because your staff doesn’t understand “who” it is they are working for; and it may be because they’ve never been told.
