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by Daryl Rothman, L.C.S.W.
Whenever I present to a group of camp counselors, teachers, directors,
and other educators, I tell them all — even the fifteen-year-old
counselor-in-training — that there is no job in the world more important
than theirs — and that theirs is the work of heroes. Perhaps some
of this is “shtick” designed to enhance the power of the message,
but that message would nonetheless fail to resonate if I were disingenuous.
What could be more critical, after all, than having the opportunity to
help shape the lives of youth? Since none of us should be in this field
for the money, it is imperative that we do not lose sight of the nobility
of our calling.
While getting rich is one thing, you certainly have to make a living
at the very least. Those of you charged with recruiting, hiring, training,
and — perhaps most challenging — retaining staff are well
aware of the difficulty of doing so in a profession in which compensation
is rarely commensurate with effort or impact. In developing a game plan,
it is helpful to consider what is more or less likely to attract, motivate,
and retain employees. If you can answer these questions, this may shed
some light on how to successfully recruit and retain other staff.
Consider the simple, but perhaps sometimes overlooked caveat —
your goal must not be merely to recruit and retain staff. As you are charged
with finding employees to whom you will entrust the welfare and education
of children, your mandate must instead transcend to recruiting and retaining
the very best staff. With the aforementioned
financial realities in mind, this can prove an even more arduous endeavor
than originally thought. So what to do? While there is no set blueprint
for success — the want-ads would otherwise be rendered obsolete
— you should record and hone and share those approaches that have
proven successful.
Never Hire From a Position of Weakness
One key pitfall to avoid — albeit it's difficult at times —
is hiring from a position of weakness. You probably have experienced the
crunch when the camp season or school year is fast approaching, and you
still have staff to hire. There is an applicant who really wants to work
— and though he didn’t interview terribly well and his references
weren’t too hot and you have a funny feeling about him — well,
you REALLY need staff, particularly males, and couldn’t you just
take the chance and hope everything works out? If you have ever succumbed
to desperation, you would likely attest that resisting temptation would
have been the wiser course of action. Better to continue to tough it out
for awhile and aim to procure the right staff, than to spend even more
time confronting greater problems down the road when your suspicions about
the appropriateness of your selection are confirmed.
Maintain a Position of Strength and Expectation
Maintaining a position of strength and expectation, rather than weakness
and desperation, is crucial to the process and extends beyond merely passing
on inappropriate candidates. Starting with the recruiting process, convey
key information, benefits, and expectations about your agency, camp, or
program. Doing so increases the likelihood of attracting sincerely interested
applicants — applicants whose abilities and experience correspond
to your needs. This process should continue in the interview stage. In
addition to garnering the standard information about each candidate, use
this time to continue to educate him or her about your school, center,
or camp; about your vision; and about what is expected of them. Pose scenarios
and questions to gauge the appropriateness of the potential match. This
communication process must not fade out after the interview — it
should, in fact, intensify once the hire has been made — serving
as the foundation of individual and group orientation and ongoing training.
A vision for vision’s sake can prove hokey and useless — returning
consistently and practically to a vision can keep a staff focused and
motivated.
A Good Sales Job
While groveling or hiring from a position of weakness is inappropriate,
you should do a good sales job when seeking to attract the best candidates.
In the early childhood, youth development, education, and camp arenas,
it is sometimes the case that candidates can earn equal or greater pay
working at fast food or other jobs — though they may pale in comparison
in their ability to offer intrinsic rewards.
Your task is then two-fold:
- Sell the many intrinsic rewards of the camp and youth development
industry.
- Detail the remuneration and benefits working at camp can offer.
Let’s assume that you can offer at least competitive compensation,
perhaps benefits, and even other perks — does your agency offer
ongoing training and/or continued education? If so, sell these perks and
benefits. Your agency, for example, might offer a general membership to
staff during their time of employment — enabling them to enjoy swimming,
racquetball, fitness equipment, and other perks they would otherwise have
to pay for elsewhere. Promote these added personal benefits to the intrinsic
value of working with youth.
Show Them You Care
Once you recruit, hire, and train good staff, don’t forget about
them. Just as it is easy for good teachers or counselors to neglect the
best-behaved children in their classroom or camp group, so too it is easy
to take for granted your best staff — who rarely bother you with
problems or complaints. Just as you exhort your staff to notice and reinforce
their “best” children, so too must you notice and reinforce
them. Failure to do so can lead to their departure.
There is usually nothing complicated about this process. Typically all
it takes is a simple “thank-you.” Be specific. Don’t
patronize staff with general and syrupy praise, such as, “You’re
the best.” If this is what you feel, articulate why. “I noticed
how you redirected Joey the other day, while keeping the group focused
on the activity. I know that wasn’t easy, and you should feel good
about it.” Tell the parents about the wonderful things your staff
does — write it up in a newsletter or on a bulletin board.
Treat Them as Professionals
One critical component is to demand that staff consider themselves professionals
— and to always treat them as such. Your staff are not just camp
counselors or day care workers — they are professionals in a field
that is critical in our society. Convey to staff that in addition to caring
for kids, their responsibilities include writing reports, meeting with
parents, developing curriculum and themes, dealing with difficult situations,
assisting with licensing or accreditation efforts, and much more. Raise
the bar of expectations and involvement — and higher performance
and satisfaction often follows. Have staff play integral roles in meetings
and trainings. Ask them to mentor new or younger staff. At the end of
the day, if you can infuse a healthy dose of communication, professionalism,
and respect into your recruitment and retention efforts, your job will
be all the more rewarding.
Originally published in the 2004 March/April
issue of Camping Magazine. |
