Summer has ended. You have anywhere from 300 to 1,000 guests showing up in a few months. You have tried to speak to each guest individually. You are feeling good about their arrival. However, you have a few nagging questions. Will they show up? What will they be like? How can I make their stay memorable? Will they stay for the whole season?

Yes, we’re talking about your employees. Should you think of them as guests? By all means. You want them to stay, right? That means you have to treat them like guests. After all, your employees, managers and supervisors will either bring you joy or frustration over the next several months.

Is it possible to hire employees and managers to work with your resort and stick it out through the ups and downs for the full season? It is if you prepare them for the party ahead.


Preparation for Success
Preparation means training. We are inundated with training topics to be covered by law and corporate regulations. We must inform employees about department policies and procedures. We can easily become numb to the topics that are required. But training must also address the skills and talents each employee will need.

Since skills develop over time, your training must take place throughout the season as well. Through the years I have seen the same approach time and again: Train in November and we are done. Ah, if only life were that simple!

The truth is, training has to be continuous, or at least take place regularly, to be really effective. Employees can’t possibly retain everything you tell them the first time. They need to start with the basic skills and build upon them throughout the season. Plus, your managers, supervisors, and line-level employees get tired of the day-to-day stuff in the ski world. They need a refresher or two.


Be All That You Can Be
I like to think of training programs the way the military does. When a group of recruits arrives at boot camp they dive in, full force. They begin an intense training program to get themselves in shape for the days ahead. But their preparation does not end there. They continue their training program throughout their service, though not quite as intensely as boot camp.

Our seasonal staff needs similar ongoing training. They arrive excited, motivated, curious, and ready. Focus on the most immediate and essential skills and functions first, and add the rest later.

Training is a wonderful way to retain your employees. It captures their attention and provides them with new knowledge and skills to take with them down the road ahead. But you must communicate this to your staff! Tell them, “yes, we are going to provide excellent customer service and leadership training to you in November. However, we will not stop there. During the season we will keep you fresh and motivated and provide monthly ‘mini-trainings’ to keep you in ‘seasonal shape.’”

Training says, “We care about you. We are committed to you. We want you to succeed––and we look forward to a successful season.”


Generational Thinking
This is especially important when dealing with the younger generations. There are four generations working side by side, and the differences among them are one of the greatest challenges facing managers and supervisors.

Let’s look at two generations that desire training (yes, people do want it), Generation X (born 1967 – 1981) and the Millennials (born 1982 – 2002). Many of your seasonal staff belong to these two generations. Studies reveal that Gen X and the Millennials are looking for a company that will invest enough time in them so they can develop new skills that can transfer to their careers ahead, whether those careers are with you or not. (Let’s face it, employees do not stay with a company like they did in the good old days. Our goal is to keep the good ones for as long as we can.)

Gen Xers typically want balance in the workplace; they work to live, not live to work. And they prefer to work alone. They want to know what needs to be done, and by when; then they want the freedom to complete the task as they see fit. They want feedback relatively quickly, but they are very independent and self-directed.

Millennials, on the other hand, love to collaborate. They learn easily from mentors as a result. They want to understand the value of their work, and they expect instantaneous feedback. They need to know why a policy or rule exists; you can’t just tell them the policies without giving meaning to them. They multi-task well, so challenge them and keep them busy—they can handle it.


Training Details
Who does the training? Anyone that can relate to all the generations and understand what it means to train to different learning styles. That means mixing a variety of training techniques: lecturing, group practice, hands-on demonstrations, etc. This is key to a successful training workshop.

Give your managers and supervisors the tools to build upon the basic training on customer service, leadership, safety, etc., by implementing follow-up ‘mini-trainings’ throughout the season. The goal is to keep their training alive each day, each week, each month. For example, when the supervisors meet with their staff before the day begins—suggest they ask their staff, “who exceeded a guest’s expectation this past week?” This technique takes about five minutes, and is worth every second. Employees want to feel good about their job and know that what they are doing is making a difference.

Now it’s November, and your guests are due to arrive. They come from all walks of life—different ages, different cultural backgrounds, and different work styles. They came to your resort to have fun, meet new people, and succeed. So be prepared to give them the experience of a lifetime. They will pay you back over the season—and in some cases, for many seasons to come.


Dina Capillaro can be reached at www.funtrainingsolutions.com.