Funworld July 2011

Even the most dedicated employee can be found daydreaming from time to time. Isolated incidents may seem harmless on their own but can add up without proper intervention. In turn this can cause unwanted drops in productivity and, even worse, lapses in operational excellence.

Keeping family entertainment center (FEC) staff motivated proves to be a monumentally important task, and one experts say does not necessarily need to cost wads of money.

First Off, Hire Well
Amy Madson, director of operations for Cool-de-sac’s two Florida locations, admits she sometimes struggles to find good team members, saying, “We all make some choices that we know we shouldn’t have.”

To help find the best employees, Madson includes a job trial in the hiring process for potential activity hosts.

“Since we are a children’s center targeting ages 0 to 12, we want to find people who engage children in play and learning activities,” she says. “Yes, they can answer all the questions right and have a perfect smile, but if they don’t physically get down on the kids’ level and actually interact and engage with them during that trial—thanks, but no thanks.”

Mentor New Team Members
Partner new staff with a manager or a veteran employee, offers Scott Diener, chief executive officer of Scooter’s Jungle Franchise Company, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California. Mentors will really get to know the rookies and form an early bond. “We want them to know that we care. We’re on their team. We know they’re not going to stay at Scooter’s Jungle for 20 years, but while they’re here, let’s make the best of it.”

Get Creative
Olivier Rebiere allows staff with an artistic flair to paint and decorate the party areas or new attractions. To further highlight their work, they take pictures and post them on their website, says Rebiere, managing partner of Aventura Parc, near Bucharest, Romania.

Plan Appreciation Days
“Here at Bounce-A-Palooza we attack the problem, not the person,” explains Ava Arechavala, head of operations at the Eureka, California, facility.

Each quarter the FEC plans an employee appreciation day, she says. Sometimes managers hold a potluck on-site where each staff member can invite five friends. Other times, Bounce-A-Palooza has taken the entire staff out for bowling, breakfast, or dinner.

Additionally, Arechavala chooses an employee of the month, who receives a $20 gift card as well as his or her photo hung up for all guests to see. “We try very hard to hand out ‘attaboy’ and ‘job well done’ on a regular basis,” she says. “We say thank you to staff almost daily.”

Go to the Movies
“First-run movie night” quickly became a staff favorite, says Leslie Hutcheson, an FEC veteran from Toronto. She would partner with the local theater by trading passes. Hutcheson and her team would have the theater to themselves, and they would bring in their own snacks to make the motivator even more cost-effective. Before the flick started, the departments would compete against each other in a trivia contest, adding to the fun.

Give Strong Marks
A dry-erase calendar can be a simple but effective tool to motivate employees, says Scott Drummond, president of PartyCenterSoftware.com, based in Sacramento, California, and a former FEC president. Managers grade employees from “A” through “F” on their day’s performance, with the mark appearing on the board.

“It’s amazing how they don’t want to let down the other employees,” he says, adding that the staffer with the most A’s in the month receives a prize.

Be Observant
Pay attention to staff strengths and weaknesses, stresses Eric Weigand, a 15-year FEC veteran from St. Joseph, Missouri. “What you hired them for initially may not be their strongest suit,” he says. “If you find their skills better aligned with another set of tasks, move them accordingly. You may end up with both a more efficient and happier employee.”

Empower Staff
After the opening procedures briefing each day, Rebiere and his staff stick around for another 20 minutes for a laid-back free-form discussion on the park.

“There are no barriers,” he notes. “We encourage ideas. We say to our teammates that we cannot think of everything, and sometimes they give us some great feedback.” “A suggestion program encourages staff to be ‘part of the solution,’” Diener agrees. When employees come forward with ideas, he will generally make the forward thinker the project leader: “If you get buy-in, it’s so much easier to implement that project.”

Reward Service
Madson issues Cool-de-sac logoed hoodies to staff for one year of service and logoed messenger bags to employees there for two years. The nominal cost makes the gesture a no-brainer.

“We believe that a $30 price tag is nothing, and it brings a lot of goodwill that carries into the next year,” she says. “We do have a line item in our budget for these things as we believe in the value of the programs.”

Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.