Page 24 - GBC Spring 2023 Eng

“Finding ways to motivate people can come in many forms, but the one universal truth is that everyone wants recognition for a job well done. “
training program. It’s also not always easy to identify who should be doing the training, but if we can invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into the conditions of our greens and tees, then we can invest a couple thousand dollars into the quality and skills of our staff. Whether we create our own video library, or we find some third-party providers like GIG, a club’s training resources should be the best of the best from the industry, easily accessible for staff on their phone, quick to consume in bite size pieces, and mostly, fun to consume.
BE A MOTIVATOR
At the heart of many of the conversations about today’s labour shortage was the discussion around what people want, and in addition, what they don’t want. Gone are the days when we could yell in the kitchen and expect the team to rise to the challenge in fear of losing their jobs. Today if you yell in the kitchen, it better be because you dropped a pan on your foot!
Creating a safe and less stressed environment is extremely important, so much so that many more operators these days are committed to getting rid of toxic people, whether that be a fellow staff member or a customer. Many stories were shared about the upside to overall morale when an operator finally bit the bullet and took care of the angry elephant that has always been in the room.
Finding ways to motivate people can come in many forms, but the one universal truth is that everyone wants recognition for a job well done. You can give gas cards, birthday cards, wellness gift cards, free lunch coupons, rental bikes for staff, or even heated seats for vehicles, just make sure it also comes with a handshake while you look in their eyes and say something like, “I want to personally thank you for going above and beyond, I really appreciate all that you do”.
BE ‘THE’ EMPLOYER OF CHOICE IN YOUR MARKET
Just like managing slow play, becoming an employer of choice takes constant awareness of what’s happening at all times, and what problems might arise before they happen. It means that we are continually looking at ways to improve the employee experience because we know that the more engaged and happier our employees are, the better they will take care of each other, and our customers. They will take greater pride in how they edge the bunkers or clean the carts or make the soup.
Of course, we also still need to pay market rates for wages, and yes, we need to ensure we give them the proper tools to do their job, and clear direction, and good managers. But we must also engage them in our purpose, include them in our story, and get them excited to be on our bus.
When we define our ‘service culture’ we are making a commitment on how we will take care of our guests. When we commit to an ‘employee culture’ we make a pledge as to how we will take care of our people. In my closing keynote session my out of work Gen Z representative, who was actually my son with a job making his acting debut, loved how one table of operators expressed their promise to attract candidates, which was a commitment to provide ‘Feedback, Flexibility, and Fun’! Now who wouldn’t want to work there?
To ensure we attract the best people possible for our team, we must become a better storyteller, a better fisherperson, a better teacher, and a better motivator. To help us with that initiative, we might want to consider tackling an excellent exercise that was shared with the conference delegates by the opening keynote speaker, Scott Stratten. Scott’s motto of ‘Stop, Start, and Continue’ motivates us to ask the very valuable question, “what will you STOP doing, what you will you START doing, and what will you CONTINUE doing to become the employer of choice in your market in 2023?”
Congratulations (and thank you) for reading this article, because it means you have already started!
Golf Business Canada
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Golf Business Canada