11/16/2018

For many new seasonal team members it may be the first time you are receiving this survey so I will provide a little more info. We send this out every two weeks to all team members so that we can understand how the team is feeling about their job and to get feedback on how our company can improve.

We try to respond to as many comments as we can, unfortunately during the winter when we have over 1000 team members we cannot respond to all comments every survey but we will try to themes that we see in the comments. Comments and scores go out to Managers and Directors after each survey and the management team helps to form responses to comments as well as take action from them.

This is an anonymous survey so unless a team member tells us we do not know who is making what comment. Below are comments and responses from the last survey. Have an awesome Thanksgiving and think snow!

Q: “More promotion about cooper spur online I believe would help us bring in more business.”

A: Any specific ideas on what that promotion should look like and where it should be? We would love to get feedback and ideas on that.

Q: “Please please please, for the love of every snowflake that falls this season, don’t come to work sick. And, if you do it, don’t touch anybody. Don’t shake hands, don’t hug, just say “I’m sick” and try to keep the germs on yourself. That is all.”

A: Agreed and thank you for saying it.

Q: “it’s exciting to see fresh snow a couple of times. Please drive safe everyone, give yourself a little extra time.”

A: Great reminder there have been some slick mornings already, especially on the Cooper Spur access road.

Q: “It can be a detriment to allowing certain anonymous comments – a suggestion is one thing – criticism lacks integrity and gumption if not shared with the right individuals”

A: Thank you for sharing. Having the survey be anonymous I believe makes people more comfortable sharing but does often leave us wishing we had more information on the situation so we could do something about it. Or, have a conversation to gain clarity on the suggestion.

Q: “We have to stop the false fire alarms in the north and south lodges. they happen so often, no one takes them seriously. if there was a real fire/emergency we would all stay put. please do something about this!”

A: The false fire alarms are a tough issue. Please do treat each one as if it was a real alarm and make a plan to get out. DPS and Facilities will work quickly to get false alarms turned off. Unfortunately at this time we do not have a way to prevent the false alarms.

Q: “food available for pre season employees”

A: It would be nice to have for sure. Just like other departments, the Culinary Team has a lot of work that needs to get done in the fall to be prepared for opening and unfortunately does not have the capacity to get that work done while also providing food on a regular basis.

Q: “Things are great for me! Maybe a fridge for food and bev employee lunches? Also please change this survey to read Learning Center instead of Ski School! Not very inclusive to our snowboarders.”

A: Good point, the survey will be getting an overhaul soon and I will update the name to Learning Center from Ski School. Unfortunately if I make the change now it will effect the reporting that is currently set up.

Q: “Possible offer quiet areas to work”

A: This time of year it should be possible to find some quite space if you discuss options with your manager. Unfortunately, once the winter hits we have to do the best we can with what we have given our lodge constraints.

Q: “I couldn’t agree more with the comment about us biting off more than we can chew every year. With the new branding, changing the name of ski school, starting dynamic pricing and changing our mission statement again it seems like we are indecisive when it comes to our mission statement and it’s demoralizing to feel like we are already behind when we haven’t even opened. Now is time to take stock of what we want and make the rest a priority for next season. We haven’t even opened and I am feeling overwhelmed. Also, the mission statement says “community” but it has never been addressed what community you are talking about. Is it Hood River, Portland, Welches, the skiing and snowboarding community? Can you please explain who you are referring to when you say community?”

Q: “I very much agree with the comment made in the last survey about being overwhelmed by all the new initiatives and everyone’s, “late to the table” big ideas. I truly believe that we have a great team here and if we patiently and systematically plan our growth we will not have to risk compromising our core values of integrity and wellness.”

A: The most recent two team surveys have contained comments about too much change – the pace, volume and questioning how certain recent changes were decided or rolled out. The past several seasons we have strived to create alignment for our team and clarity for our purpose. Our desire to learn and grow is creating momentum and propelling us forward to accomplish great things. We have also become much more transparent in our communications with our leadership about how we are aligning systems and processes to accomplish our goals. For some, this may seem overwhelming – that’s understandable as there is a lot of information being shared in preparation for the season. But companies whose leadership “underwhelms” don’t bring about change or create opportunities for their team. You cannot improve without change. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. Change is consistent and we strive to consider the resources needed to make change.

Mt. Hood Meadows is transitioning – we are growing and we are changing. This is essential to become the more diverse, year ‘round operating organization’ we need to become to provide opportunities for our team beyond the winter recreating season. Did you notice that we no longer call ourselves Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort? We are making these changes with purpose – the name “Ski School” or even “Snow Sports Services” limited us to the winter season. Meadows Learning Center is transcending and creates opportunities for all seasons. Dynamic Pricing is necessary for us to better manage and improve our overall guest experience. These are all initiatives whose time has come and we must implement in order to create success for this season and beyond.

That brings us to our mission statement “Enriching the lives of our team, guests and community.” The mission is aligned with our “perpetual stoke” model of placing team first so they can provide meaningful work which provides daily motivation and purpose, energizing the guest experience – no matter the conditions or season. Community is included for the greater good – and is all inclusive. Our company and our team make tremendous contributions to the communities we serve and we live in. Many of us serve on committees, boards and advisory groups within our local communities to foster community relations. Community also includes our partners, sponsors, vendors and public officials. We purposely chose “community” rather than “shareholder” or even “stakeholder.” We feel this mission is more powerful to allow team members to align their meaningful work to the communities they identify with and wish to serve. This change is not taken lightly. “Enriching Lives” has been discussed for the last two seasons and rolled out with caution to avoid being an edict rather than an organic next step in our growth for the next 50 years.

Finally – we should all feel somewhat overwhelmed. If not, then we aren’t setting the bar high enough and challenging ourselves to learn and grow. If you are having challenges aligning your meaningful work with our mission, please talk to your manager, director or V.P. and I am happy to discuss as well. If the issue is you haven’t been provided the resources or training you desire, that should be addressed. Thank you to those that have expressed their feelings so we can discuss it, and we invite you to continue the discussion in a productive, team building way.