In the last week, the calls I've been receiving from members wanting staff to work after hours has been immense. Please allow me to take a minute to explain the situation and background.
Our staff is comprised of about 18 people and of them, only about 4 are able and willing to work after hours. The H2B visa staff are not allowed to work after hours because it violates the terms of their visa. Therefore, these 4 individuals that want to work on the side, are in high demand.
These guys are not allowed to use the clubs tools. Additional wear and tear on things like mowers and chainsaws isn't fair to the Club because we don't get reimbursed for that. Paul and Kevin keep chainsaws sharp and gassed/oiled. It's frustrating to come in a grab a chainsaw only to find the fuel tank is empty and the chain is dull because it was unknowingly used the night before.
These guys are not covered under the Club's liability insurance policy. When they clock out, they are on their own. You as the homeowner, assume all the risk.
It can become incredibly time consuming for me to try to line up workers for a member. If something happens to the employee and they decide to go home after work rather than work a side job, it comes back on me. In no way do I want to supervise jobs outside the golf course. That puts me in a no win situation and I simply will not do it. Often times, it's extremely time consuming just trying to find someone who can work in the time frame the member wants. The added stress of working on this detracts from the job I should be doing...making the golf course the best it can be.
Side work for those staff members who want it, can be very valuable and it is looked at as a benefit. The most successful cases are when the member and staff person develop their own relationship and can communicate as needed, leaving me and the club out of it.
Please consider these points next time you are looking for help around the house The Highlands CC Community Owners Association is willing and able to help as are one of the many landscape contractors in Highlands. In the long run, I think you would be more happy with the service and reliability of using a professional outfit who does this for a living.