Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Staff Shortage

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Posted by Brandon Willis (Member # 2345) on 02-13-2006, 09:14 PM:

I have not posted for a while but I need everyone's advice on an issue. My theatre is currently in the middle of the worst staff shortage we have had in the 4 years that I have been working there. We have had zero luck with retaining employees in the past 6 months. For the most part, the employees we've hired in the past few months have been completely unreliable and are gone just as soon as they were hired. Our staffing is so low that we have a couple of employees who have worked at least one double shift a week for the past month.

Most of this has to do with the time committment of working in a theatre. We are always up front with informing applicants of our operating hours. However, once they start, they invariably try to change their availabilities. We have just instituted a much more stringent policy with regard to availabilities. New hires who change their availability immediately upon starting work are considered to have provided false information on their employment applications and are terminated. The reasoning behind this is that the availability they listed on their application is not their actual availability. Veteran employees who change their availabilities to something that does not conform to our operating hours are simply left off the schedule.

These policies sound great on paper, but our current staffing situation makes it next to impossible to put them into practice. 99 percent of the time, we desperately need these employees so we have to schedule them anyway.

So that's just a little background on the situation. Other than that, the main problem is that the people who are applying for jobs at the theatre these days just aren't of the same caliber they were as recently as a year ago. There are also fewer of them. With other, higher paying jobs available nearby, where you won't have to clean up vomit in the bathroom and work past midnight scrubbing out a popcorn popper, decent applicants are few and far between. Not even free movies seems to be enough of a draw anymore.

My question to everyone is: What can we do to recruit more reliable, hard working employees? What has worked for others? What hasn't? How can we attract more applicants to the theatre? I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-13-2006, 10:05 PM:

What's the atmosphere of the theatre like - hard headed, "chain" management team, horrible working conditions, wage levels lesser than the surrounding entry level businesses, et.al.?

Is the place run down, looks dirty and tired, bad neighborhood with crime problems - overall atmosphere of the locale itself?

What kind of incentives are there for the employees to keep them on? Is it just a game to play with a stupid "earning points" for "kiddie prizes", or is there monetary values for merit and gain?

Any "teamwork" programs where all the employees can have the opportunity to feel that they are a part of the company, or are they just treated as if they're like "a tool" to be used?

Big problem is that theatre work is mainly an evening and weekend occupation that worms into their social lives and it takes quite a bunch of special people who will either accept this as part of their job career history, or it's just play and gas money..and most of the time it's that latter that causes the problems to the owners.

..some ideas for you. - Good luck on finding the solutions for a successful operation. -Monte

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 02-13-2006, 10:53 PM:

Sounds kinda like... I don't know... Anarchy? [uhoh]

I have no words of wisdom to offer, but your predicament does make me wonder about the work environment at your theater. As far as new-hires who aren't available for the hours they said they were, I'd probably fire them too. You're running a business.

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 02-13-2006, 11:37 PM:

This has worked in the past...

You could contact the local high school(s) and ask some of the guidance counselors if they could pass the word along to high school students that may be looking for a part time job.
Not all high school students turn out to be bad employees. Some of them can be pretty reliable when you find the right ones.

At the very least, you might be able to put up or pass out a Now Hiring flyer. Emphasize the positives: Free Movies, Flexible Hours, chance of advancement, etc.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 02-14-2006, 12:20 AM:

Our solution to the very same problem was to pay a little more money and hire OLDER people.

Our boxoffice lady, in her mid-40's has been at the theatre every night since the night we opened. Our parking attendants have been all over the age of 30. We tried high school kids in the kitchen, but opted to replace them with older adults all in their 30's-40's. We still have high school girls up front on the concessions sales line, but find for the most part they occasionally need some babysitting. I don't discriminate by age when hiring, but I do try to hire the most qualified applicant who I think will, in my opinion, give me the most loyal service, and be dependable and honest. Lie to me once and you no longer work for me.

What kills me is the applicants who list all of their pre-planned activities like band camp, church camp, cheerleading camp, needing off every Friday night for football games, and they'd like Saturday off to be with their boyfriends, and then they ask me WHY they can't have more hours?

I think the days of teenagers who wanted and respected a job are long gone. It seems to me the teenagers today don't NEED a job, and if they get one could care less if they actually showed up to work their shift. I find the older adults want the job, not because of the "free movie offer", but because they have a financial goal to achieve, whether it's earning a little money for the family budget, earning a little extra on the side for "vacation money", etc. Most, if not all of our older employees have a full time job as well. One of our ladies works at the theatre at nights during the summer and earns enough to help put her daughter through private school.

I honestly wish there was a legal way to make an employee finacially responsible for the damages they cause in lost sales because they didn't show up for work when scheduled. Not only does it result in a financial loss for me, but also makes a PR nightmare with long lines in the concession stand, long waits for food from the kitchen, etc.

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 142) on 02-14-2006, 06:06 AM:

Sounds like a nightmare Brandon. Try a different way of recruiting next time and perhaps a different type of person.

Barry, our situation at our drive-in is similar to you; whilst we do have younger employees, our age of staff ranges up to 60. We had a young staff member call and cancel a shift at 7.00pm on Saturday, we could not replace her that late and you guessed it, long lines for food. She is just 15 and certainly needs babysitting when she is on.

We mostly have a very solid crew and employ over 30 people. Some of our best staff are 16 and 17, it is important finding and retaining the right staff. Every time you train a new employee it costs time and money. Once you have them you need to keep training them and improving them.

David

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 02-14-2006, 07:14 AM:

Brandon's theatre is fairly recent place, pleasant, not run down, not a dump, low crime, lots of parking.

Where I work is in town, parking is hell on the weekends, fairly low crime, lots of street people. Our staff is 15, one turnover in the last year. The work atmosphere is very laid back and congenial. All recent hires have come on recommendation of present staff. That works well because they already know whether the new person is any good.

The most interesting item that eliminates many prospective employees is that they want to work in a theatre but won't work nights or weekends! All our workers are over 21. The high schoolers want to play, and just seem too stupid to come out of the rain

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-14-2006, 12:57 PM:

We have 6 teenagers working here and we don't have any problems with any of them, they're all good kids. We are willing to work around their various school schedules, so that helps us keep them. We also have a list of former employees who have gone away to college -- if we ever need extra help we can usually find one of them who's home for the weekend.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-14-2006, 01:23 PM:

I can see it with Mike's operation - for he simply has got what it's called, and that is the "tact" to keep his employees,to keep in contact, et.al.

He runs his business where the employees are his family and he's the "father."

That is usually the key for success, is to find the "tact" for a good operation, and then use it to the advantage. Unfortunately, it doesn't come easy to some, especially if they don't know what "tact" is.

I could almost say this: if you don't have the "tact", you're in the wrong business, especially dealing with a lot of employees, if you're trying to get that business to go forward.

..how close am I...?

-Monte

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 02-14-2006, 01:39 PM:

One thing I've lived by and stands. That is for employees to realise it too.
When working in the entertainment business, you cannot be entertained. Fortunately or unfortunately that is the truth. You do not get the privileges other people get because you are offering them that privilege so how the heck can you get it! Give me a gorgeous woman and a V5 next to her, I'll have dumped the woman for the V5!!!
D

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-14-2006, 03:44 PM:

quote: Demetris Thoupis
I'll have dumped the woman for the V5...

.....really.....(?!?!) [uhoh]

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 02-14-2006, 05:40 PM:

quote:
I'll have dumped the woman for the V5!!!

Sounds like you need a vacation. [sex]

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 02-14-2006, 11:04 PM:

Brandon, I agree about hiring from recommendations for current staff. Any time I have ran help wanted ads, every deadbeat alive crawls from the woodwork. But asking current employees almost always works out.
And it is tougher these days. Most kids don't need the job, they are handed everything by mom and dad.

Posted by Bill Carter (Member # 156) on 02-15-2006, 10:13 AM:

Although I've generally been very lucky in hanging on to some great folks, this kind of shortage does seem to run in cycles. We've been very thin on decent applicants who can work the necessary schedules lately as well.

I think it has a lot to do with your local economy, and the availability of "mid-level" kinds of corporate and manufacturing jobs. I mean stuff that isn't necessarily a "career position", but a notch or so above flipping burgers.

One example, whenever there is a spike in the availability of clerical temp work here, which pays $10+ an hour, I see far fewer prime applicants in my place. On the other hand, 3-4 years ago when Minnesota's job market was in terrible shape, I literally had guys with Masters degrees applying for $7 an hour counter jobs because they'd lost their middle management corporate gig.

I think you're just feeling short-term fluctuations in the local job market.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 02-15-2006, 10:44 AM:

quote: Barry Floyd
It seems to me the teenagers today don't NEED a job, and if they get one could care less if they actually showed up to work their shift.

Barry's nailed it... we see this frequently as well.

Many of the kids who come out here are either told by their parents to get a job for the experience, or required to do so to pay for electives, such as cell phone overages, etc. It's much less often that we have applicants that come out here because they WANT or NEED to work.

As is the case with most theatres I've been around, we have a core group of employees that, for one reason or another, LIKE working here. We concentrate on those people, and they serve as an example for the new ones that come in.

However, as Barry says, the ethic isn't there any more (for the most part). On the other hand, my daughter and I enjoy the occasions when we need to fill in at the counter or in the kitchen... and I think it's good for the staff to note that their bosses can pretty much step into anyone's shoes, should the situation require.

A friend of mine, who also has a drive-in, hires food service workers from the local school district. They're paid more than most theatres would shell out for concession workers, but he NEVER has to go behind the counter, and they already know how to run a food line. It does cure the problem of worrying about whether his staff will even show up... but they do come with a higher price tag, and their main job at the school pretty much sets his closing date each year.

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 02-15-2006, 11:45 AM:

To add to what BC said about guys with Masters degrees, we've had some education-major graduates apply here too, with one that got hired PT. There's a tough industry for sure.

Availability changeups are annoying. Mostly, they're the ones working other jobs back-to-back with the theatre. They get hired, show up solid for a week & then try to discretely start morphing their hours. You've just got to remain firm on scheduling & hold your people accountable. Make it clear that if they don't want to or can't work their respective shifts, there are people that can & will work in their place.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 02-15-2006, 12:17 PM:

I think you are all dancing around the basic issue. Pay more = Better people.

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 02-15-2006, 01:47 PM:

I'm lucky, I don't have much turnover. But I talk to lots of other business owners that do. They are paying better than average, but most of the people today simply don't want to work.
They've had everything handed to them on a silver platter by mommy and daddy, and they think the world works the same way.
Heck, the McDonalds around here are paying $8.00 an hour and up with good benefits, and they can't get workers. I know $8.00 is not a good living wage, but that's a pretty stinkin good wage for a 16 yr old.

Posted by Cory Isemann (Member # 2517) on 02-15-2006, 02:40 PM:

quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
Pay more = Better people.

Duh!

It's impossible though when you have no say at all in the matter with the higher-ups.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-15-2006, 03:38 PM:

..and the higher ups have no respect what so ever with entry level employees....they even complain in having to pay such a price, especially when some neighboring state's minimum wages are higher than the others and the company has theatres in these states with the higher minimum wage settings.

. Now, that's a whirlwind to get under control...

Posted by Robert Burtcher (Member # 3227) on 02-16-2006, 12:53 AM:

quote: Brad Allen
Heck, the McDonalds around here are paying $8.00 an hour and up with good benefits, and they can't get workers. I know $8.00 is not a good living wage, but that's a pretty stinkin good wage for a 16 yr old.

Makes me wish I lived there! $8.00 is FAR more livable than the wages we get here in Oklahoma. Hello federal minimum wage.

My previous employer, AMC's Quail Springs Mall 24, was ALWAYS in a staff crunch. The turnover rate there was insane, and they never took the "Now Hiring" sign down in the 14 months I worked as floor staff for them. It's no wonder they can't keep people though... They throw people into an extremely busy and confusing concession stand, expect them to know how to do everything right off the bat, and the wage? $5.50/hr.

quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
Pay more = Better people

I couldn't agree more. It'd also help current employees care more about the job they do.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 02-16-2006, 08:58 AM:

quote: Brad Allen
I know $8.00 is not a good living wage, but that's a pretty stinkin good wage for a 16 yr old.

Clearly not, or these kids would value their jobs more.

Just as when I was young, kids today value their time as well as their income, and value being respected and rewarded when they do a good job. Just as then, some will compromise salary because they really enjoy the job, but most will decide that the salary does not justify the time they are putting in and eventually leave. That does not mean that there are better paying unskilled jobs, it means that for what they are being paid, they would rather be elswhere.

Theatre owners, like any business owner, need to weigh the high turnover in relation to their bottom line. Most have decided that they are making more with high turnover than paying more. Those of us on the front lines may disagree, but it is usually not our choice or our dollars.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 02-16-2006, 09:37 PM:

Well then, does anyone want to poke this old dog again?

What IS a reasonable wage for, say, a high school junior or senior... maybe even a first year college student, living at home, possibly driving a parent's car, maybe paying half the insurance cost, probably paying no food or rent? I'm talking entry-level here.

With the differences in economies between the West coast and someplace like Indiana, how do you arrive at a reasonable norm, and what would that be?

Our minwage just went up to $7.65, not counting what the employer pays in SS, and state accident insurance and unemployment taxes.

Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 02-16-2006, 10:09 PM:

Minimum wage laws help those who have jobs at the expense of those who don't.

In countries that have not had any minimum wages (Hong Kong and Switzerland for example), the unemployment rate is typically 1 to 3 percent, much lower then countries that have such laws.

As they say in economics...there is no free lunch.

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 02-17-2006, 04:14 PM:

In the case of a small cinema, where a concession worker may actually have something to do for 45 minutes per movie set, $7.65 is redicoulous. Minimum wage laws only drive up prices, and help drive small biz out of biz.

My point was, Most, well ok not most, but lots of folks that apply in cinemas and fast food, could give a rats ass what your paying, they simply don't want to work. They have been raised to expect a free lunch, and that's what they want. They want to get paid, but "ME, have to work to get paid". "How dare you". "I'll sit over here on the stool, and you hand me a check each week, ok?"

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 02-17-2006, 06:59 PM:

Barring a major discrepancy between the theatre's wages and the market's wages - I would say this issue is more to do with the declining work ethic than pay.

Posted by Robert D. LaValley (Member # 1867) on 02-18-2006, 12:29 AM:

You do get what you pay for but also you can get more out of people if you treat them with alittle respect. Also you have to realise what type of employee's you have on staff and use their talents accordingly. The biggest mistakes that I see happen is that when management makes the environment an "us against them" type of thing. If you treat a minimum wage worker like a lower class citizen that is all the level of work you will get out of them if any work at all. But if you actually treat them like a human being and take into concideration they might not be doing this job as a career but they still have bills to pay or gas to pay for etc. I think alot of the turn-over problems is not in what you pay but how you manage your building and staff. If you just go around acting like you deserve to be respected just because you have a title or that you have BS'ed your way to lasting a few years in the business without getting fired is not the way to get people to work for you. I am not saying you have to be everyone's friend, or be a friend for that matter. You just have to get to the point where there is mutual respect. A good way to do that is help regular staff members with daily duties instead of sitting in the office playing solitarie on the computer. Or even a please or thank you would be good. I dont think many of todays high schoolers really want to bust their ass at their job becuase they have alot more on their plates with school and just trying to have a life while they can. They see that mcdonalds is paying better then the theatre and would quickly just say "f this!" then trying to stick it out, and thats even with the fact the theatre is the easiest job you can have. I dont believe that just becuase you end up making a dollar or two more then a regular staff member or end up wearing a suit entitles you to acting like your better then anyone else. There's this thing called team work. it's an interesting concept.
Raises and overtime make things more attractive to an employee but in the end if they feel like they are worth something to a company they will work harder for you. If you micro manage the crap out of a staff you will have a high turn over with un happy staff members that equal unhappy customers. I cant tell you how many times I would get irritated if I walked into a place and could see that everyone was putting on a fake smile. I'd much rather walk into a place where I could see everyone that is truely at least in a semi decent mood.
No one has to love their job as a minimum wage worker but I dont see any rule saying they have to hate it either. I'm not a fan of a million rules and getting a staff so when a manager walks in they all freak out. I think everyone would benifit the more you incorporate your staff in your goal of making money with your location and have some sort of appriciation for their efforts. You'd really be surprised just how many people actually would care if the business did well if they truely were involved in it and not just "used" for lack of better phrase. If you have employees just there to get a paycheck then just use them as that. But if you notice that you have employees that want to learn more, and do more becuase they are leaning towards sticking around for longer then a month then you want to not turn a blind eye to them and maybe see if they have friends with the same attitude you would want to add to your staff too.
I've gotten people to be managers for 5.50 an hour, so trust me how you treat people does make it so you can make money in the end and everyone ends up feeling happy like they accomplished something.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-18-2006, 01:53 AM:

quote: Robert D. LaValley
I've gotten people to be managers for 5.50 an hour, so trust me how you treat people does make it so you can make money in the end and everyone ends up feeling happy like they accomplished something.

...it's simply called "tact" - if you got a talent in using tact in your operation and really know how to deal with people of all ages and really have this inner skill of tactfullness, you can get people do practically anything - almost even for free since those people feel like they're doing a service, instead of a job. And the reward is they, themselves feeling good about what they do. That's what keeps employees around..almost forever.

But, there is a clause called 'being fair' and reward them with pay worthy of their qualification and earnings.

-Monte

Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 02-18-2006, 02:11 AM:

As said above several times, more pay can mean a better class of worker, but if that option is not open to you then you could get creative - work around and with what your staff are willing to offer in terms of hours. So its their schedule, not yours, they own it, and they are then responsible for doing what they comit to, not what you try to commit them to.

Posted by Robert D. LaValley (Member # 1867) on 02-18-2006, 02:18 AM:

quote: David Buckley
they are then responsible for doing what they comit to, not what you try to commit them to.

this is true. I have seen staff members run amuck do to requesting too many days off or only certain hours..etc.etc.. there is a give and take, the key is fairness and understanding whom you are dealing with.

quote: Monte L Fullmer
But, there is a clause called 'being fair' and reward them with pay worthy of their qualification and earnings.

-Monte

true. at the time of my managers at 5.50, minimum wage was 5.15 and I was running a two screen at the time so the title really only ment you ran projectors, had some keys, counted some money, and thats about it.. I had some turn over there but not nearly some that I have seen in certain locations. It really just depends on the management, the location of the building, and the actual quality of employee you can get from the comunity too. All in all thou, I really really really stress how you treat your staff is the key to a successful business. they make the impression on your customers and if you make them feel like they dont mean anything to you, your customers (regardless how much you say to your staff they pay their salary) wont mean anything to your staff.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-19-2006, 02:14 PM:

quote:
All in all though, I really really really stress how you treat your staff is the key to a successful business. They make the impression on your customers and if you make them feel like they dont mean anything to you, your customers (regardless how much you say to your staff they pay their salary) wont mean anything to your staff.

..and we can add to this one: " and, in short, your business will suffer at the end."

I've seen too many operations where a company has only one 'successful' individual and that is the owner. All of the other personnel - office and theatre operations - suffer with this one-sided operation. These individuals are just an "employee with a title" to this owner.

Since the employee has only this "working" title, that employee isn't allowed to have any pride or worth in his job title - it's just a job that must be done. These sort of businesses have a very high turnover rate when the employee want to perform a duty "as the title is meant to be" and the owner refuses such a recognition. Thus, the employee realizes that if one is going to make a career in any field, and it simply isn't there, they move on to "better and greener pastures." - no matter what the wage is. It's just the "feeling important to the company" that keeps employees on for the long haul.

This is where individual(s) operate a business as a "corporate" where all of the employees are accepted and trained, by giving them worth of being and an actual title to make that business successful.

Simply, people want to move "vertical", not "horizontal" in the workforce. They simply want to be something important - not held down to perform a simple task for the rest of their lives.

-Monte