Team:

 

I want to thank those that have participated in the Team Check-in Survey and especially those that took the time to elaborate.  This continues to be an effective forum to voice thoughts, opinions and concerns.  As our company and culture grows I feel the next evolution of this survey is to remove the anonymity from the process.  Feedback and sometimes criticism is how we grow as individuals and getting comfortable with constructive criticism is powerful.  How does everyone feel about removing the anonymous comments?  Maybe next season…

The Check-In survey from the last period is now live: https://team.skihood.com

 

There are many comments posted and responded to from this latest period, to view the latest comments set the filter start date to 1/10/19 and you will see only comments from the last survey period.

 

A couple of recent highlights to share from our company blog:

 

Mt Hood Meadows offers free midweek skiing to furloughed Federal employees

 

Mt. Hood Meadows urges representatives to end the government shutdown

 

We have received great feedback and a lot of “thank you(s)” from our community for these moves!

 

TEAM MEMBER COMMENT:

From my perspective, this week has been good! I have been feeling very supported and efficient at doing my job. What has been affecting me has been my colleagues- they have been feeling tired, worn down and overworked. They informed me that for a few weeks during the holiday season, they worked six days a week with only one off-day. Their mood affects me because when they are not provided enough time to be able to take care of their basic needs, they are not happy at work and are less motivated to do a quality job. More mistakes happen which causes all of us extra work to correct mistakes. The main reason why I have been successful in my position so far is having a schedule consisting of full-time hours with two consecutive days-off. When I am at work, I am focus on work. Off-days is time for taking care of basic needs. Having my basic needs met, like having time to do laundry, cook, sleep, etc. sets me up for success to be the best employee I can be. My colleagues need higher priority of also having a schedule where they too have enough time to take care of their basic needs. One day off a week is not enough time to take care of personal matters like doctors appointments, laundry, food, sleep, family/friends and other basic necessities. Even during most busy work days, employees do not get their legal ten minute break every four hours worked. We are great workers who do a good job when we have our basic needs met – like having a balanced work/life schedule. I understand staffing numbers can be difficult at mountain resorts. That is more reason to take care of the employees you currently do have. Thank you for your time reading this. I love working at Meadows and providing the community the best mountain experience. I especially love working among a team who cares to listen to each other (via this survey) and works towards setting each other up for success! Thank you!

MANAGEMENT RESPONSE:

All of the comments are appreciated; I would like to address the comment above which I relate to our wellness value.  Wellness is taking care of oneself so you can consistently be and feel your best.  I can certainly relate to working a 6+ day workweek; and I know that my effectiveness and focus starts to wane on day 6.  Because… “If you want to give 100% you have to be 100%”!

I also relate the below message to the Meadows/Cooper Spur overarching ‘Perpetual Stoke’ strategy (IE: a great team environment = great guest service = positive financial return = more investment into the team environment and thus perpetual stoke).

For several years now, we have emphasized ‘a great team experience’ (first part of the perpetual stoke) and I am confident that we have improved the team environment, some examples include, increased staffing levels, higher wages, more transportation options, better internal processes, wellness activities and more.  Managing the peak day demands to achieve a more sustainable work environment is another aspect we have addressed – and to some degree successfully.

Let me attempt to specifically address the comment of ‘allowing or providing teammates with more time off’ (paraphrasing).  At the individual and department level, everyone should be empowered to speak up when they need a break.  Yes, unfortunately, there are times of critical need given the seasonal surges in demand we experience – this is part of the business – and most businesses experience seasonality or high demand periods, but not typical of a mountain resort such as Meadows/Cooper Spur.  Within your individual teams, I encourage you to speak up and talk about who needs time off, who has an appointment they need to take or who’s turn is it for a ride break.  Ideally, we work as a team to share the heavy workloads.  We should all be taking the temperature on the department “wellness” to help identify when someone might need a break.  The simple offer to help has proven to be a morale boost IE: knowing that someone cares about you is motivating.

At the Company level, I realize there are opportunities to increase the wellness of our team members also.  The biggest area of opportunity I see is retention of team members that align (or aspiring to align) with our collective values and mission.  Those that are not aligned work against others personal wellness and make the task at hand that much harder.  Retention, as I see it, can be improved through hands on coaching and expectation setting, recognition of a job well done, more housing options, more flexible transportation options and higher wages.  These are the areas that your leadership team is focused on. It’s important to note there is progress in all facets, however, organizational wide changes take time.  It can be difficult to see the progress — similar to being able see the forest when you are in the trees.  Feedback from the team, such as the comment above, helps me to stay focused on this challenge.  I agree that happy and refreshed team members will allow our mission to “enrich lives” flourish!

Thank you for all of your effort and commitment!

Jake Bolland
Chief Operating Officer