It's great news to confirm our 6 additional works through the H2B visa program were approved and will be starting work on April 3rd. If you recall, last year we did not get this additional help. I requested specific individuals this year, several who worked at HCC in the past.
The H2B program allows foreign workers to come to the US legally, on a temporary basis to fulfill jobs that American workers find undesirable. The federal government allocates 33,000 visas nationwide. Once this cap is met, no more workers are permitted to enter the country. In 2017, over 80,000 H2B visa applications were filed! This means 50,000 were denied! Fortunately, ours were not. There are many more nuances and details to this, that I won't get into. This year, Congress eliminated the "Returning Worker Exemption" aspect of the program. This means, in the past, any person who worked in the US during the last 3 years on the H2B program, could return and did not count towards the 33,000 number cap. In some cases, this was another 30,000 people, allowing 63,000 workers into the US on a given year. The 63,000 people were able to meet the demand for foreign workers much easier than only 33,000.
While there are many differing opinions on these types of programs, I can say through experience, they are very much needed in areas like Highlands, NC. A high cost of living, a low labor pool, a job that requires long hours in less than desirable conditions and require hard physical labor, make it difficult to fill these jobs. On top of that, the folks who live in Highlands that would be interested in a position like this, want full time, year round work...something we can't offer to all.
Labor continues to be a challenge and will be a challenge in years to come. Last year, when the H2B visas fell through, we relied heavily on college and high school students. While we got by, it didn't come without its fair share of challenges. The millennial generation is an interesting dynamic; these kids aren't often cut out for hard physical labor. In addition, the constant encouragement and attention they need is substantial. As a leader and manager, it certainly changed the way we operated on a daily basis. The reward system was completely different and many times, it was very frustrating because I was raised by a father who instilled in me the value of hard work done correctly. I think there are many work environments that will be well suited for millennials. However, golf course labor that requires hard work and the gift of being a self starter, may not be the best fit. Time will tell!
