Happiness /energy starts with the leaders. If they are cranky/moody, etc then it transfers to the team. If the leaders could start with not just positive vibes also being appreciative. Many of us have other jobs, sometimes multiple jobs and even though I love teaching, it is still a sacrifice from my family and something as simple as a thank you goes a long way.
I would also add, I was pretty disappointed on the number of full timers who kept refusing evening lessons. What was worse was they would refuse to take a lesson while in ear shot of guests. My recommendation would be not to have full timers have a "right to refuse". They should get the lesson. If they are too tired or don't want to teach since they taught earlier then they should not be at lineup. I do not see how good customer service involves someone saying, "no I don't want to teach even though I am at lineup".
This is a note I should have added sooner: when assigning lockers, it is very difficult to have a skier share with a snowboarder as the gear does not store neatly. I was also bummed that doing 24 shifts still meant I had to share lockers. I do need to add, my locker roommate broke my shelves, broke a goggle lens and tore my organizer. They refused to replace it and our HR said that it is not Meadows responsibility. So unfortunately I had a bad experience. I did not ask Meadows to replace my broken items, but the rudeness I got and I was treated like I was the problem when I was trying to get help was very discouraging.
As a solution I would like to request a methodical approach: newest team members share lockers first year, from there it goes by years of service, certs, # of shifts.
For text messaging/reporting hrs worked- I propose a software update. If we implement a website for those who have called in; let's ensure they don't get the "nasty" you are unapproved missed messages even though they called in. I know there is more that goes into this and it is a process issue and technical solution. There are a few options. One- build a custom app/program for Meadows that goes along with time tracking/logging. Or two, buy the software that is out there being used and rebrand for Meadows. I am happy to chat further on either of these options. I think if we have a good SQL database to store the data(you can use Azure or Cloud space if we don't have an in house system. ) The time, overhead and accuracy of data you would gain by implementing a few things could really enhance not only the administrative side, but could also partner with implementing a customer side to make a fun Interactive experience. With an anticipation of more people being on the mountain next year, adding ways to social engineer where we want crowds by creating tasks/hunts/medals is my recommendation on crowd handling.
Thank you for the great suggestions - many of these are on my mind too!
I wholeheartedly hope you received a "thank you" from me. If not, then I'm sorry I missed expressing my gratitude to you personally. I know what it's like to give it your all in each and every lesson, and a simple expression of gratitude for your effort and service goes a long way. I will continue to share this perspective with the rest of the MLC leadership team, because I know we all appreciate the efforts great instructors put forth everyday and in every lesson. As for appearing "cranky" - it happens from time to time and I appreciate you mentioning this, as a cranky supervisor or manager can bring down the morale of the whole team.
I agree that refusing to take a lesson within earshot of guests is not a good guest experience situation. If you are scheduled and at lineup the expectation is that you are there to work - whether you are a full or part time instructor. The reason we offer lessons to our full time instructors first is that this is their primary source of income; many of them arrive very early, stay late and do much more than just teach lessons. For example, at the afternoon lineup, if a full time instructor has adjusted their schedule to stay late to pretech equipment in the rental center for tomorrow's lessons, and having some down time between now and then would be better, that would be a situation where I would inquire if the full time instructor needs the lesson for income or would they prefer I offer the lesson to someone else. Also, if a full time instructor helped us with setup at 7:30am, then helped greet, boot fit and pre-tech in the CLC, then taught CLC first time littles in the morning, then I might inquire how they are doing and if the opportunity presented itself, to allow them to offer a teaching opportunity some another instructor who is scheduled that day and really needs/wants to teach that day. This is not to punish the part time instructors whatsoever, but to be supportive of the whole team. Our motto is, "Everybody shovels," so if it's busy everyone will be working. If we have an abundance of staff, then we have some leeway. I do agree we can do a better job of communicating this expectation in both circumstances to our entire instructor team - thank again for mentioning it.
The lockers for instructors is one of the highest team member benefits expressed to us verbally, in surveys and in the team member check in. The locker situation we hope will be getting better with the new lodge which has already broken ground. In fact I have been tasked with optimizing the layout of the new team member locker room / break room / MLC office space where we will be repurposing existing space in the South Lodge basement. With our already confined space and with our growing team, there are many departments that have 3 or 4 to a locker. I agree that locker partners should treat one another's personal gear with care and respect and I am sorry to hear that some of your personal items were broken. I am also sorry to hear you felt you were treated rudely when you shared your situation - when something goes wrong being treated rudely is never optimum. I do think that having a more transparent locker assignment protocol would be good; I will setup clearer locker assignment protocols going forward and make sure our entire team knows the protocols.
As for schedule change requests: with a staff of 300+ team members and more than 900 Schedule Change Requests, more than 750 Calling in Sick submissions and close to 130 No Call No Shows this season it is a daunting tasks to keep up with the volume of schedule revisions. Many instructors probably don't realize the impact when they call in, no show or request a schedule change; it truly affects our ability to accommodate the number of guests who want to take lessons and join us on Mt. Hood. Our lessons sales are tied to the number of instructors scheduled, so when someone calls in or requests a schedule change even a few days before their scheduled shift, it impacts us greatly. We need to do a better job of communicating this to our team - that when you submit your schedule commitment, you are committing to these days/dates - so please choose wisely, add these dates to your calendar and let us know weeks (not days) in advance if you need to change your schedule. The good news is Mt Hood Meadows is deploying a new resort-wide system for on-boarding as well as time an attendance with Josey Rice being heavily involved with the implementation team because the MLC has the largest number of team members and the most specific scheduling scenarios. We hope this will improve scheduling in general this upcoming season.
So many great suggestions and a score of 8 nonetheless - thank you for taking the time to share these ideas. I strive to have our department and the entire team at Mt. Hood Meadows to be on a continuous improvement cycle, and this starts with listening to our team, and taking action.
Yours in snowsports,
Tyler
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Tyler Barnes
Learning Center Operations & Training Manager
tyler.barnes@skihood.com
O: (503) 337-2222 ext.1276
It has all been good. Thank you for another great year.
Sad to see Jake leaving! Thanks for everything Jake. I think you've been an excellent leader and I've appreciated working with you!
Agreed, Jake will be missed.
-Jeremy Riss
THANKS for a fabulous season. The MHM Team is the best one I’ve ever had the pleasure to be a part of!
I'm so glad you had a great experience this year!
-Jeremy Riss
Is their anyway to get our benefit information for sick time and vacation time for this period on our pay stubs? Not just year to date! we have lots of issues with sick time and vacation time not adding up for the last few years. and it would be really nice if we could get our accrual rates fixed before we switch companies. some of us have been dealing with this for years