Here is a sneak peak at the next piper article to come out in June. As of today, we are hopeful staff will be in place by June 1st.
Grass Clippings
June 2016
Brian J. Stiehler, CGCS
Looking back on this past spring,
it certainly wasn’t the easiest of my career thus far. We had an abnormal amount of projects to wrap
up including the croquet facility, bunkers and the normal clean up that comes
after every winter full of ice, wind and snow.
On top of that, the federal government delayed the approval of our
returning seasonal staff from Mexico.
These are 6-7 men who have been with us for 3 years; they are well
trained and understand the expectations that come with working at Highlands
CC. Most of the time, we kept the core
group working overtime and supplemented that with temporary local staff which
created its own set of challenges. There
were days they couldn’t come to work, they didn’t like the physical nature of
the work or the simply weren’t in the shape to do that type of work. The physicality of our business is not for
everyone. If you don’t like getting up
at 5:00am and walking what might equate to 10 miles/day, this business isn’t
for you. Finding local help is difficult
and the reason the H2-B visa program was established. If a company proves that to local pool of job candidates can’t
meet the needs of the positions, you are allowed to bring foreign workers in to
fill those roles. They come to the US
under strict guidelines, are 100% legal and must return to their home country
in a set amount of time, usually 10 months.
While we immediately think of agriculture and a Hispanic workforce, similar
visas are common in other industries as well.
Tech jobs, for example, often recruit help in other parts of the world
like Asia.
Temporary help is rarely
efficient and at times, even dangerous.
We devote a lot of time to training staff on use of equipment,
understanding the game of golf and understanding how to best serve members. There is a lot of “local knowledge” that comes
from knowing the property itself. When
temporary help is brought in, none of these folks understand this and it isn’t
worth the resources performing extensive training because within the month, they
will be gone. We pair these folks up
with the core group in order to maintain a safe and productive work environment. They are not allowed to use any heavy equipment
or dangerous equipment like chainsaws.
You can imagine how these limitations make us far less productive than having our normal staff. However, it’s something we have no control
over and we are forced to do the best we can.
The question that I am left
with every year and continues to challenge me is, “How do we build a stable
workforce that puts us in the best position to succeed year after year?” I think it would be difficult to find a business
leader that doesn’t ponder that question.
In the golf business and specifically at HCC, I don’t have the luxury of
hiring an additional 6-7 full time staff.
While that would eliminate the issue for the most part, it has
fiscal consequences. Heath insurance,
payroll taxes, workers comp and all of the other nuances of hiring would throw the budget in a tail
spin. It comes back to figuring out a
way to hire part time/ seasonal staff that requires a host of job requirements
unlike most positions. It’s a young person’s
business, 98% male and again, requires the employee to work in an array of
weather conditions (most far from desirable) and get up early…before the roosters
wake up. Looking at the towns of
Highlands and Franklin, you can probably understand we eliminated most of the folks in that pool of
candidates. Retirees are not an option either as they physically
can’t do this type of work. Highlands CC
is a bit more of a challenge simply because we have a tremendous amount of “hand
work” compared to most golf courses.
Weedeating, flymowing and pushmowing are all things we do far more than
the typical high end country club.
While I don’t have the
answer, it is something we continue to study. In the meantime, it certainly makes me proud
of the workforce we do have. When you
see these gentlemen on the golf course, know they went above and beyond this
year to get the golf course ready for you.
It’s a hard working cohesive group that I take great pride in and honored to be
part of it. I hope you will take the
time to thank them. I can assure you
what we pulled off this winter and spring is nothing short of a miracle and
something most golf course maintenance teams simply wouldn’t have done. I say often that this staff is not one for
making excuses and many times we are the victim of our own success. We continue to push and grind, doing whatever
it takes to be where we need to be. In the
end, it’s always worth it!
We are geared up for an
excellent 88th season at Highlands CC and I hope your time here is
special to you and your family. Please
know we are here to make your experience on the golf course most memorable!
