In the most tight labor market ever, it is important to retain and engage younger employees. Mallory Bjekich Wachowski, a former retail operation manager at DesRochers Backyard Pools and Spas with more than 15 years’ experience, and Maggie Wood a current retail manager for Hansen’s Pool & Spa, Kenosha in Wisconsin, both have a wealth of insight when it comes managing millennials and Generation Z – the next generation of employees that are “working to survive” and not “living to work.” AQUA recently spoke with them about the challenges in engaging this vital workforce.
1. Hiring Employees
Referrals, social media, advertisements and/or face-to-face recruitment are all options to reach out to potential employees. However, it is much harder to find a good employee that will work hard, learn and remain with your business for more than a few months.
Referrals are the top source of pool and hot tub workers, according to AQUA’s State of the Industry Surveys. Bjeckich Wachowski also started there, before she honed her approach.
Bjeckich Wachowski says, “When I started out, I relied mainly on referrals from employees. This worked well for the most part.” “I used Indeed but it’s time-consuming to go through all the resumes. Facebook was another good place to look for people, particularly the millennials who grew up with that app. Instagram is a good place to look, but it’s important to be proactive in your search and recruitment. LinkedIn is another popular platform, but I have only used it to find out more about someone’s background, and not for hiring purposes.
Jane Merritt is my business partner and she recruits a lot in local businesses. She will try to recruit a person who provides exceptional service when she is out shopping. This is a shotgun tactic. It’s important to let your customers know you are looking for help. This is especially true during the summer months. Telling them that it’s an excellent job for college students can be a good way to find people.
It is not as simple as it may sound for managers to prioritize recruitment, but it’s crucial. It is important to keep it in the forefront of your mind if you want to achieve the goal of having a team of highly-qualified employees.
One of the best pieces advice I have received over the years was to always hire. You should always hire a good fit, even if it is not the busy season. It’s an investment in your company’s long-term future.
2. MANAGING EMPLORERS
It is the nature of pool- and spa-related businesses that they require a concentrated effort at certain times. This includes opening and closing times, but also summer swimming season. At these times all hands are required to be on deck and ready for battle. Attendance is a must for employees.
Bjeckich Wachowski calls these weeks “blackout dates” and ensures that employees know they must work these busy weeks before even being hired. It is important to set these expectations at the beginning of the employment relationship.
In this age, it is equally important to connect with each individual and guide their career in the company. Bjeckich Wachowski says that it’s crucial to show genuine interest in your employees and their strengths, as well as to create opportunities for them to maximize their talent. It’s important to be aware of the skills that your employees possess. For instance, I promoted an employee to assistant manager because she was great at taking care of people. I knew she would not only enjoy it but also be very good at it. The move worked out well because she wanted to ensure that everyone was doing what they were supposed to, which is what a manager does.
Was she good at planning? No. That’s when I helped out. “As a manager, it’s important to find people who have complementary skills and fill in the gaps. This will help your company grow.”
Communication is the most important component of management today, not only of operational and policy details. Managers are expected to show their humanity and to be interested in the employees.
Bjeckich Wachowski: “I am a strong advocate of one-onone communication.” I have an open door policy. If you have a problem, I will drop everything and help you. If I noticed that someone was having a bad day, I would text them to tell them tomorrow will be better. I also told them to take a breath. The next day, I could bring their favorite coffee to work because I knew that small acts of kindness mattered to me.
“As a supervisor, you must invest in their professional and personal development. Let them take a course. Help them if they’re a seasonal worker who is working toward a new career. Do not gatekeep your employees. Instead, encourage them to achieve their goals. “If your employees are happy and working hard towards something that they care about personally, they will work harder for you. You don’t even have to ask them to.”
3. RETENTION OF EMPLOYEES
Employee retention is the payoff of good daily management. Without it, a business will descend into chaos. Employee retention strategies have many aspects, but avoiding burnout is one of the most important in this post-pandemic age.
Bjeckich Wachowski believes that work-life balance is the key. This idea is embraced by both millennials as well as Generation Z.
Bjeckich Wachowski says, “At the end of my retail operations management career, I was able to tell when one of my employees had burnout. “I know this because I’ve experienced burnout myself many times. As a pool and spa professional, I am also an overachiever. I understand that it can be difficult to stop working but I also realize how overworking can impact your mental and physical health. Pouring from an empty glass is like pouring water into a depleted cup.
“I’ve been working 70-hour work weeks for weeks and I’m exhausted.
Some of my younger staff, however, knew when to say “Hey, I’m taking a day off to catch up on life.”
In this industry, people in power find it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life equilibrium. You want your business to succeed, so as a manager or owner you will put in all the time you can to reach this goal.
Maggie Wood, retail director at Hansen’s Pool & Spa tries to remember this when she formulates her vacation policy.
She says, “Our full-time employees will usually keep the same days off/on throughout the year.” This helps to create predictability in an industry that is notoriously unpredictable. In the spring of 2020, I decided to close on Sundays in order to give my team a day off. We have decided to keep this practice, because it allows my staff to spend more time with family and friends without worrying about the store. We also tried a yoga morning to prevent burnout. A local yoga teacher came in to do a restorative session with our staff. We will definitely do it again.”
When you are forced to say goodbye
In some way, turnover will happen, whether due to natural forces, poor fit, or management failure. In these cases, it is important to find out the reasons why an employee left.
Some of the most common reasons why employees leave a company are a desire for a higher salary, more benefits, unhappiness with their work-life balance or poor relationships in the company. Other reasons include a desire to move or change careers, or to find a better place to live. While some of these problems can be resolved through good management, others cannot, learning from mistakes will help a manager improve a company’s employee retention rate and compete for today’s precious and elusive workers.
The article was first published in AQUA Magazine, the leading resource for pool and spa retailers, builders, and service professionals. All industry professionals can subscribe to the print edition of AQUA Magazine for free. Subscribe by clicking here.
