Staffing Struggles – Attractions are Struggling to Scale Staff as Demand Surges
Fall is coming and as attractions ramp up, some are scrambling to find employees. We discuss why that is, how attractions are adding incentives, and what training will look like in the new normal.
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Introduction
As should be no surprise, attractions are now struggling to ramp up their staff. The Associated Press reports “The problem is twofold: The annual influx of seasonal foreign workers has stalled in places because of the pandemic. Businesses have also struggled to attract U.S. workers, even as many have redoubled their efforts to hire locally amid high unemployment.”
The article goes on to give two examples: “In New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the Christmas-themed amusement park Santa’s Village is promising college students free housing and utilities.’ And “In California’s Sonoma Valley, business leaders in the famous winemaking region are exploring the idea of pooling employees, among other workforce initiatives.”
A Quick Rundown of Places Hiring:
- Genting SkyWorlds in Malaysia seeks 1,500 new workers.
- Great Wolf Resorts has almost 2,000 job openings available at 16 of its locations.
- 900 jobs available at Pennsylvania parks for 2021 season.
- Dutch Wonderland in Pennsylvania hiring 200 employees.
- Walt Disney World begins mass hiring again for its Florida theme parks at $14 per hour.
- It’s not just entry level workers – Meow Wolf is hiring for various positions.
After Hiring, Training Is the Next Hurdle.
Already IAAPA has jumped to fill the training void with IAAPA’s First Steps to “Prepare your first-time team members with industry specific online training.”
But things aren’t the same as they were and your leadership must take a stand on what type of discussion is allowed. Just look at how “A third of Basecamp’s workers [resigned] after a ban on talking politics.”
The Goal Posts are Moving Again
Recorded training will only take you so far in this New Normal, because situations are constantly shifting as we learn more. For example, “Current Research Surrounding Social Distancing (April 2021) From IAAPA and UCF” indicates that “three feet of physical distancing with face coverings is more effective at reducing aerosol/droplet exposure than six feet without face coverings.”
This news is already shifting the rules in some areas. “Orange County (Florida) has announced that “all settings” are allowed to move forward with reducing the social distancing from six feet to three feet — including theme parks.”
Attractions Magazine reported that “Many of the Cedar Fair parks preparing to reopen will not require temperature checks ahead of entry, or the wearing of masks in outdoor areas unless maintaining six feet of physical distancing isn’t possible.”
Travel Remains a Tangled Mess
Just as we have hope with opening up attractions to domestic travel, travel around the world remains a tangled mess.
Japan has caved and “plans to introduce “vaccine passports” to make it easier for people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 to travel internationally,” but “it is not expected that the scheme will be used domestically, for example to regulate entry into restaurants or sports events.”
Meanwhile, SCMP reports that “Hong Kong has been holding talks with Macau on forming a travel bubble between the two cities but there are obstacles to overcome… the main challenge was how to prevent Hongkongers dodging Covid-19 rules by crossing into mainland China once they were in Macau, which has already resumed quarantine-free travel in both directions with other cities in the south of the country.”
Overall Takeaways:
- We warned you!
- Don’t overlook your creative team when planning hiring.
- Haunts and other seasonal attractions will need to bid higher to attract entry level positions ($15 in Orlando).
- Get on the same page RE Diversity, inclusion, and politics as new staff comes in.
- Prepare to change your training as COVID guidelines change.
