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Staff Expectations & Your Resort’s cases, made very bold wage decisions to make it happen.”
Communication Plan The resort strategized a mid-term plan for measuring,
Given the extremely challenging weather this season—likely evaluating, and dedicating resources, which meant finding
one of the worst ski seasons since the infamous drought in efficiencies alongside traditional funding tactics, Smith said.
1976—some ski areas may not even have any profits for pur- According to plan, in three years, the resort increased aver-
poses of receiving the favorable tax benefits under the new tax age employee wages by 16 percent (nearly 3 percent greater per
law. In other words, many areas will not be able to take advan- year than NSAA salary survey respondents).
tage of the deep cuts in corporate businesses taxes under this “This has helped to give us a leg up as a competitive
law, at least for the 2017-18 season. And that’s not a cop-out, employer, and we’ve become more efficient in the process,
that’s simply the cyclical nature of an industry so reliant on managing overall payroll costs to a fraction of increases allo-
Mother Nature. cated,” Smith said. “It’s amazing the level of efficiencies you
Even so, ski area workers will accept tax relief as a wind- can find to help self-fund wage improvements, and once the
fall for businesses to use in infrastructure and their sustainable tide is rolling, the momentum increases exponentially—mak-
futures. Knowing their employer is strengthening its enterprise ing us stronger with more sustainable labor costs. Our staff
is a hallmark to “employer of choice.” That said, balancing any appreciate the efforts to enhance their employment experience,
operational improvements and communicating human capital move both the new-hire and compressed staff rates, strengthen
advancements is key, tax bill or not. job security, and offer more career development.”
Are we at the tip of the iceberg of “give-backs,” with many Back at Sugar Bowl, the “holistic adjustment” to the
companies delaying announcements until they forecast clear resort’s compensation philosophy is paying off, said Greg
projections on savings? Hard to say. But, in addition to any cor- Dallas. “Our applicant-to-hire ratio is up, there’s rejuvenated
porate tax relief, resort employees may personally be awarded interest across the board—including our ability to attract tech-
from the bill and tax-bracket adjustment, and many are count- nical people like lift and vehicle mechanics—and we see the
ing on their employers to follow suit with at least some level of impact of hiring great people in our NPS scores,” he said.
reward or give clear direction on the company’s answer to com- Jay Peak’s Wright concurs, noting the resort has moved to
petitive wages. integrating the highest index of capital expenditure toward its
As resort employees witness increasing wages and employ- staff—in both the attraction of new ones and the retention of
ment opportunities all around them, your senior staff will want seasonal as well as full-time stars. “This is not done with wage
to create and disseminate specific talking points for managers so modifications alone but also with programming that leaves
they can help employees understand that tax relief (along with employees feeling valued and appreciated, while at the same
other compensation strategies) is on your radar. Realize that a time helping them plot a course for more responsibility and
vague statement like, “We haven’t thought about it because the advancement, should they want to develop a career with the
full impact won’t be known until the season’s results are in” is company,” Wright said. “Developing those opportunities—
likely to ring hollow; nor is it strategic or caring. with them—is at the heart of everything we do.”
As always, work environments are a key driver to job sat- Time will tell the extent to which these and other resort
isfaction. However, change presents options and they’re now efforts will help close wage imbalances, but this is a real con-
omnipresent. Careful attention may make all the difference dition impacting how we operate and react to ongoing chal-
in your ability to attract and, more importantly, retain tal- lenges. We can act with purpose and the knowledge that all
ent and the continuity of service they provide—which will actions matter, especially those that affect your most precious
become more and more in demand as the economy continues asset: your employees.
to improve.
Laura Moriarty, SPHR, SCP, is the former vice president of
Resort Successes human resources for Booth Creek Ski Holdings. Moriarty is a
New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort has evaluated, val- nationally known ski industry consultant, trainer, and facilita-
idated, committed to, and funded compensation improve- tor of compliance, management, leadership, and strategic con-
ments. “As reinvestment in our infrastructure, master plan, tent. Scott Smith is the former senior director of HR at Waterville
and revenue sources unfolded, we needed to consider our peo- Valley Resort, now president of Compass HR Designs—a con-
ple,” said Tim Smith, the resort’s president/GM. “Already sultancy firm specializing in corporate and public policy, total
having enterprise equity systems, we realized we needed to rewards, compliance, and regulatory affairs. Moriarty and Smith
recalibrate . . . to find ways to ensure we kept critical staff, are also co-founders of Resort HR Partners, a consultancy group
advanced our competitive wage positioning, and in some dedicated to the hospitality and resort industry.

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