Funworld June 2010

HOW HERSHEY ENTERTAINMENT OVERHAULED ITS RECRUITMENT PROGRAM IN SEARCH OF ‘THE BEST OF THE BEST’

by Jeremy Schoolfield

At 9 a.m. on a brisk but sunny mid-March morning, the “East Coast Waterworks” play structure in Hersheypark’s Boardwalk area stands empty. It’s a busy time elsewhere in the park, though, as crews prep for the 2010 season: Trains are returning to their tracks this week, and nearby the “Tidal Surge” flume is getting a noisy power wash.

A few minutes later, people start trickling into the vicinity, as this morning every full-time Hersheypark employee is invited to take part in a magazine photo shoot. The idea is to squeeze as many of them into the frame as possible. A dozen would work; 50 would be nice; a hundred … fantastic. Taking time out of their days is completely voluntary, however— no worries if you’re too busy.

By 9:25 a.m., that trickle is a flood. The dry concrete in front of “Waterworks” fills so fast people scurry up into the structure so everyone has a chance to be seen. A few Hershey staffers help with crowd control while several costumed characters wander into the fray.

The merchandise department brings out a rack of more than 300 windbreakers so everyone will be in “uniform” for the photo. As the camera snaps and the flashbulbs pop, there’s nothing but empty hangers and a few stray jackets left. Essentially the entire Hersheypark work force stopped what it was doing for a half hour on a Tuesday and came out for a huge family picture. It’s learned afterward there were way more volunteers wanting to dress up as candy characters than there were costumes.

The flock drifts apart as quickly as it assembled, as employees go back to their power washing, painting, and public relating. In their wake they leave an impression: This is what working at Hersheypark is all about; a teamfocused spirit of service, togetherness, and willingness to pitch in wherever needed, even if it means waving their arms in the air in front of a photographer.

This is also the exact quality Hershey Entertainment & Resorts is looking for in its 4,500 seasonal workers. How many times has the story been told of the ride operator or ticket taker or street sweeper who went on to make a career in the attractions industry? Hershey wants “the best of the best” to fill those entry-level positions, and that’s why the company recently overhauled its seasonal recruitment program. Dubbed simply “interview sessions,” this new method—a 2009 IAAPA Spirit of Excellence Award winner (recognizing excellence in HR-related programs)—is sending employee retention rates and guest satisfaction surveys through the roof.

The ‘TEAM Screen’: Foundation for Success
The human resources (HR) team at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts hasn’t forgotten what a first-job interview feels like: the nerves, the disorientation … possible outright fear. It’s a right of passage for teenagers, when they have to step away from mommy and daddy’s protective embrace and stand on their own.

When applicants walk into the Hersheypark employee cafeteria for their interviews, they’re greeted with a friendly “hello,” a smile, and a handshake—the first of many ways the “Sweetest Place on Earth” tries to make a stressful situation as comfortable as possible. “We want them to know it’s a fun place,” says Karen Grant, HR manager for Hershey Entertainment Complex, the central Pennsylvania attraction hotbed owned by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts that includes Hersheypark, a stadium, sports arenas, and a zoo. “Because if they don’t want to come here, they’re not going to put passion into serving the guests.”

It’s not all grins and Hershey Kisses, though. As applicants take their seats to the left of the greeters’ table, their family members are whisked to the other side of the room to avoid “those helicopter parents that … I’ve been,” admits Director of Human Resources Michelle Saich.

The applicants may not know it, but the interview session is already under way; this break from the nest is the first critical step in the next hour of their lives. “Your parents won’t be around while you’re at work, and we want to see how you handle yourselves,” the HR team is subliminally telling their potential employees.

The first step of the interview session is the “TEAM Screen,” a basic assessment sheet developed for this new recruitment program that grades applicants on core elements of what it means to be a Hershey employee:

Transportation and availability
Experience
Appearance standards
Model communication behaviors

Of these, “Model communication behaviors” is by far the most important to Hershey and is weighted more than the other three categories. An applicant may be well groomed and available seven days a week, Saich says, but “if they’re sitting with their arms crossed and giving one-word answers, that’s not what we’re looking for.” They want someone who can connect with guests. Saich says “social media” isn’t actually all that social; kids are now more conversationally awkward than before they were tweeting and keeping the entire world up to date via their Facebook pages.

“This is the first step in helping new employees learn how to properly serve our guests and our community,” Saich says. The entire process reinforces Hershey’s “Selfless Spirit of Service,” and model behaviors such as own, anticipate, delight, and inspire.

The word “screener” is key. These applicants aren’t applying for a specific job yet, and they’re not talking to their potential bosses; this is merely a baseline assessment so Hershey can weed out those who don’t align with the core principles of the brand. This first step is all about efficiency and decisive action and shouldn’t take more than five minutes.

“You can tell right away. Just start talking to them,” Saich says. “If they’re nervous with us, I don’t want them nervous with the guests. If they’re smiling at you and light up when they talk, it makes the conversation much easier.”

Screeners are taught to pick up on nonverbal clues, too: Did the applicant follow directions—spelled out in the interview confirmation e-mail—and wear appropriate attire (khakis and a collared shirt)? Is she wearing conservative jewelry, as requested? Did he bring a resume?

“I can even tell just by how they shake my hand,” says Shelley Mastrella, manager of talent acquisition for Hershey Entertainment.

Other Departments See the Value of New Process
When Hershey’s HR staffers implemented this new recruitment program heading into the 2008 season, they received a fair amount of pushback from other departments; managers felt they were losing control over hiring the employees they needed. “Were they on board at first? Some, but not all,” Saich says. “They see the benefits now.”

Hershey Entertainment no longer posts specific jobs online; instead, applicants merely put in for a generic “Team Member” position and are asked ahead of time about their vocational interests, skill sets, etc. Once a screener approves an applicant, the potential employee immediately moves on to interview with a department manager who most aligns with the applicant’s skills and/or desires. Says Grant: “We don’t necessarily find the best food-and-beverage clerk versus a ride operator; we’re looking for who can service our guests and do any of those positions.”

If the manager finds the applicant acceptable, the person is given a job on the spot. Previously, managers handled the entire hiring process start to finish, meaning it was up to them to sift the good candidates from the bad, schedule meetings, etc.; now “they’re investing quality time in every interview,” Mastrella says.

The results speak for themselves, says Grant: The process minimizes the number of interviews managers need to conduct, and they can hire 20 people in one day as opposed to two weeks. Not only have the other departments bought into the process, she says they’ve made suggestions on how to “raise the bar” and make it a “well-oiled machine.” That’s where the idea for overweighting the communication skills came from, for example.

‘We’re Hiring Their Parents’
Parents aren’t exiled from the entire process. Far from it. “We’re not just hiring the employees; we’re hiring their parents,” says Lori Buffington, director of learning and leadership development for Hershey Entertainment.

If an applicant gets a job, the families reunite at the “Hired Table” and parents receive a Parent’s Guide. This 16- page pamphlet offers information on everything from payroll to Child Labor Laws to employee incentives. There’s even a blurb with directions to the dedicated parents’ drop-off area at the park. Both parent and child then move immediately to a 15-minute video orientation. “It’s a way to reinforce those policies that are near and dear to us, and it’s so the parents know where their children are; that it’s safe here,” Saich says.

Bringing the parents back into the process at this point also pays dividends down the line in case any disciplinary issues occur. Parents and kids alike know where Hershey stands on workplace behavior, and these initial meetings help open lines of communication in times of trouble. “They have our phone number right from the start, so it allows the parents to be more proactive,” Mastrella says.

‘One-Stop Shopping’ Also Includes On-Site Medical Exams
The key to this whole endeavor, Saich says, is “one-stop shopping”: Applicants—and, perhaps more important, their parents—make a single trip to the park and know whether or not they have a job that very day. This includes the basic medical examination employees under 18 must undergo, as required by Pennsylvania child labor laws.

Hershey started offering these health screenings as part of the hiring process heading into the 2009 season, and Saich says “that’s been a huge win for everyone.” Hershey partners with a local health care provider to conduct the exams; the entertainment company merely clears a room and the partner does the rest, including setting the price (about $40). For Hershey, this means new employees are funneled into the system much faster, speeding up schedules for orientation, training, and getting them out into the park.

New employees aren’t required to take the on-site physical if they’d rather go to their own doctors, but Saich says many parents go for it because it means one less appointment to make, one less day off from work, and generally one less hassle in getting their children employed.

When all is said and done, new hires who came in with maybe a resume and butterflies in their stomachs leave the Hershey complex knowing what their jobs are, what their next steps are (orientation, etc.), what’s expected of them when they’re on the clock, and the medical paperwork that allows them to start right away. All that in less than an hour and a half!

Retention Rate Up 10 Percent Under New Program
This is the third year for Hershey Entertainment’s revamped recruitment program, and “we’re seeing the rewards in betterquality applicants,” Saich says. Also, once those people are hired, they’re sticking around.

At the end of every season, Hershey asks about 2,800 of its 4,500 total seasonal employees to return the following season—if screeners are looking for “the best of the best,” then these are the best of the best of the best. Of those 2,800, 2,300 came back to work at Hershey in 2010, a retention rate of 82 percent. That’s up almost 10 percent from 2008, and the HR team says this “phenomenal” success is directly related to the “TEAM Screen.” It becomes a selffulfilling prophecy when harvesting the next year’s crop of applicants. As more of the “best of the best” come back each season, that leaves fewer openings to fill and thus increases competition for those positions. As the recruitment program progresses, TEAM screeners can be more and more discerning in whom they pass on to the departments. This, of course, carries over into the park and resorts.

“Our guest satisfaction scores are up. There are more compliments for our employees than complaints,” Saich says. “It’s a lot of work, but we are really making a difference in the applicants and also the guest experience. That’s what we’re really here for.”

This is the first of a two-part series on Hershey Entertainment & Resorts’ human resources department. In July, FUNWORLD will examine how the company’s award-winning orientation program reinforces the hiring process and sets a new employee on the path to success.

Contact Senior Editor Jeremy Schoolfield at jschoolfield@IAAPA.org.