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Doing it the American way
Park managements in the USA are using creative perks and a ‘we care’ policy to retain employees.By Harshad Gor The amusement park industry in the USA is dead serious about retaining good employees. The primary weapon is financial incentives, but the news (good or bad) is that these days money does not wield as much influence as it used to. Today, there are many outfits that cannot match pay scales with the best, but still retain good staff. So what do they offer? The first is opportunities for advancement. Like in every other profession, employees are anxious to know just what value they can add to themselves and how far they can rise. Flexibility in scheduling. Many parks maintain an informal pool of talent and operate on the basis of an assignment availability schedule. This is particularly potent in the case of small parks. The great motivator in this profession is the opportunity to meet people, make new friends, and have fun, as well as make money. Amusement facilities could have a virtual monopoly on providing a fun work environment and a good place to meet people. But most park jobs are serious work requiring strict safety and customer service standards. In comparison, competitors like retailers or software outfits do not have the same stringent grooming standards and drug testing policies. A major strength, which this industry can leverage to retain talent, is those perks that do not affect profitability. Free rides that are available at most parks, as well as trade-outs with restaurants, theatres, and other venues, make for a great lure. Employee appreciation, when handled creatively, is a powerful weapon. It can be just a novel way of distributing perks, where points are handed out as tokens of appreciation. Points can then be exchanged for the freebies. Titles are also a tool. Park employees vie for titles such as "fun technicians" which they can wear on their sleeve or in more conspicuous places. Personnel managers feel good when their efforts are recognised and they are given the title of "retention experts". Extra attention to employees is increasingly getting results for companies. Appreciation, companies are realising, must go much beyond seeing employees as just employees. As an industry person puts it, "Employees who are going to stay are the ones who feel that you care about them. That means doing something that goes beyond 'Here's more money,' and translates into 'Here, I'm going to give you more time.' This is the generation of no-parent homes." Ultimately, an employee's quote sums it up. "Working in an amusement park, you can't get rich off that. But it's the people that I work with. Every place I've worked is focused on keeping employees happy, helping them as people, and supporting me and my goals. You feel valued." Nothing can retain employees like that can.
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