Page 11 - GreenMaster Winter 2022

ENHANCE YOUR LABOUR POOL
Labour has turned into the CGSA’s most pressing concern. Finding new people to backfill a shortfall of quali- fied individuals at maintenance departments across the country means looking beyond traditional labour pool targets of the past. Factoring into the same narrative is a significant percentage of super- intendents in Canada falling in the 55 and over category. Applied together the time is ripe for some outside-the- box thinking.
“Golf can lag a little behind compared with the rest of the world, so altruistically going down a path with ED&I is the right thing to do,” says CGSA Executive Director, Jeff Calderwood.
“There’s an opportunity to go outside the basic profile of who typically works on maintenance staffs and broaden the profile of who you’re welcoming, especially if you have more candidates and more people to draw from. That can lead to better solutions on the labour front. Yes, we have to maintain the fundamental principle of hiring based upon merit, no question. However, by broadening the profile of eligible candidates to become more inclu- sive, a golf course can leverage those advantages while still reaching for the strong skills, experience and attitude necessary for a high performing staff team. The game’s labour shortfall is not going away in the short term. We simply can’t afford to wait around for that to change.”
Kobelsky agrees. He believes, first and foremost, that inspired golf experiences are powered by the quality of the turf.
“Having a strong turf team led by the super is integral to maintaining that turf quality but when labour shortages arise there’s potential for a higher stress on people to do their jobs and maintain that turf,” he explained. “If we can add some diversity, if we can add people of different backgrounds - different cultures, different religions, different sexual orientations, different genders - they all have unique life experiences and approach problems differently. If we can bring that together in some harmony the creative engine is phenomenal.”
As Bell and Kobelsky both alluded to, that point has merit across the entire game. A Gallup poll conducted earlier this spring indicates that organizations who have incorporated an ED&I strategy into their operation are 20 percent more productive than those that
A diverse and inclusive turf team is instrumental to creating a positive, productive work environment.
have not. While some might construe the pillars of diverse perspective, inclusive culture building and equit- able opportunity as “disruptive” to an industry that has walked a fine line between tradition and progress, there is tangible and increasing evidence to support ED&I as a smart and practical business strategy.
“It’s been proven over and over again,” Kobelsky said. “ED&I is the engine that powers creativity and performance. We believe that creat- ing better turf and working with members,greenschairsandindustry people while injecting diversity into the equation only enhances creativ- ity. The end result is a better golf experience.”
HOW TO MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS
That circles me back to the same question I had 18 months ago as GJAC president: How do you get started? What are some of the best practices to incorporate if you are only in the infancy stages with ED&I?
Although there are levels of trepidation surrounding the topic, Bell says there are a number of “foundation” pillars that can be implemented for a club or organiza- tion to ease its way into the space. That starts with what it wants to measure.
“There are a myriad of things one could assess. I recommend start- ing out with baseline data regarding the recruitment, retention and career advancement of your employees as it relates to things like gender/sex,
A familiar scene at many Canadian golf courses, with women working
to get the job done, as shown here at Woodside Golf Course in Alberta.
race/ethnicity, age or years of service,” Bell said. “This kind of data allows the organization to apply a quantitative lens to the employee experience and can drive the direc- tion of your ED&I program moving forward.”
Next, he says to consider how you plan to “listen” to employees, either through forums like focus groups or more traditional measures, like surveys. What those engage- ments do is add a narrative to the quantitative trends when a super- intendent looks at his team’s demographic data.
“Qualitative feedback can provide tremendous insight about the nuances of being a part of your organization and deepen the feeling of connection employees have to the organization and its leadership,” Bell said.
Something else to consider internally is the creation of a steering committee of employees committed to the topic of ED&I at a golf club.
“That should be comprised of senior leaders, managers and individ- ual contributors who collectively represent the demographic and function of your organization,” he added. “They should utilize the quali- tative and quantitative data you’ve gathered to create a broader vision, mission and strategy for your ED&I efforts.”
Specific to the turf team, Kobelsky says already stretched-for- time superintendents do not have to alter their playbook much to include ED&I in the huddle.
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