STAFFING CRISIS
Hottest topic at 2022’s Club Management World Conference Consultant and creative thinker Chris Duffy CCM shares his experiences at the World Conference, where the global staffing crisis was the clear winner in terms of causes for concern.
O
ne year ago, no-one would have believed that Tiger Woods would play the Masters. Two years ago, no-one would know the effect the Covid-19 pandemic would have taken on the club industry. Seven years ago, I didn’t know the influence the Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE) would have on my career. An influence that would lead to worldwide job opportunities, a renewed passion for learning and a unique tribe of club managers from around the world I can rely on for advice and guidance. In March 2022 I travelled to my fourth Club Management Association of America (CMAA) World Conference and Business Expo in San Diego, California to continue my education journey and to fulfil a seven-year journey to collect my Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation becoming one of only 65 CCM’s in Europe. In walking across the stage in front of 1400+ club industry peers and being recognised for my achievement, I found a deep sense of pride and fulfilment. Attending the World Conference offers not just high-quality club education but the opportunity to understand what is happening on a global level within our industry, reaching out and networking with leading club managers from around the world to ascertain how they see the industry, what direction its heading and what we can do to support its devel-
opment, or guide change where needed. The conference in San Diego was the first major club management conference post Covid-19. The general feeling within the industry was of joy and relief at being able to share experiences together with members, guests and our teams, but the fundamental undercurrent was of nervousness of what lies ahead in terms of recruitment and staffing. It has been well documented that the hospitality and travel sectors are currently suffering a staffing crisis. The trust to work in the hospitality industry is at an all-time low, and many who worked in the sector prior to Covid-19 have opened their eyes to new opportunities. Working from home became the new norm, the Internet became our favourite place to shop, home delivery became the standard and family and friends wanted to spend extended time together after so long apart. Club employees who were furloughed came back to work and found everything had changed; some decided not to return. The club team was smaller, but our members and guests were still as expectant as pre-Covid. The club from the outside still looked the same, but internally clubs had lost multiple libraries of knowledge as long serving employees pursued other careers or stepped into retirement. There are so many positives to working in the club industry, but losing an employee or friend from
the industry hurts the most. The daily joy and happiness we bring to our members and guests, those special moments we share with our teams, the personal opportunities to travel the world and to work in very special environments are just a few reasons I love the club industry – so why are we are facing a staffing crisis? During the conference the staffing crisis was recognised and discussed at length in both educational sessions and networking events. The feedback crystalised in to five keys areas: • Lack of relevant knowledge and experience of board members. • Lack of recognised, relevant data and information to support action. • Lack of support from recognised associations at the appropriate time. • Lack of understanding from members to increasing costs of operations. • Lack of competitive compensation and benefits for employees compared to other industries. Unfortunately, the above covers many of the issues we face as leaders in the club industry and until we can receive the relevant tools, education and data to convince club boards to start putting employees first, then the club industry is naturally on a downhill spiral.
CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 15
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