Harrah’s chips away at job vacancies

y eHarrah’s chips away n e rat job vacancies k

Billboard signs all along U.S. 74, like this one just outside of Waynesville, advertise Harrah’s financial incentives for

new hires. Holly Kays photo

-Higher pay, bonuses t -and work-life flexibility w dkey strategies gBY HOLLY KAYS eSTAFF WRITER f eN ow carrying double the vacancies it had in the summer of 2019, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos is feeling the effects 0of a labor shortage that’s challenging busitnesses nationwide — but the situation has improved significantly in recent months. 0 “We have openings across the board for nsure, but we see challenges with housekeepers, security officers, stewarding, cleaning mspecialists, those front-of-house positions rthat have a very big job in front of them, keeping our facility clean and sanitized,” said sRegional Vice President of Human Resources yLeeann Bridges. l Harrah’s currently has more than 600 eopen positions, and while about 100 are relatned to an expansion to the Cherokee facility set yto open this fall, there are about 400 open dpositions for existing operations in Cherokee and 140 at the Valley River Casino & Hotel in

Murphy. During the summer of 2019,

Cherokee carried about 200 open positions and Valley River had 60-70 — about half the current number. To make up for the dearth of employees, some departments are working six days per week — especially during holidays — and

Harrah’s is trying to schedule part-time staff for as many hours as they can while still classifying them as part-time. “With our outlets and such we are able to run on a regular schedule,” Bridges said.

“With our restaurants we did have to pull back a little bit initially going into Memorial

Day, but we’ve been able to open those back up to what we would typically have.” In April and May, said Bridges, more than 700 positions were open in Cherokee and 170 in Valley River. While the Cherokee positions did include some recruiting for the expansion, the casino is actually hiring more expansion-related positions now than it was then.

In the spring, Harrah’s was mainly hiring for managerial positions, while it’s now looking for more front-of-house workers.

In May, Harrah’s announced a pair of new hiring policies designed to help with the recruitment problem. It raised wages for all positions and boosted the starting pay rate for non-tipped positions to $15 per hour. In addition, Harrah’s began offering hiring bonuses ranging from $500 to $3,000.

“We’re slowly seeing the positive results of those initiatives, and I think it’s going to take us a little bit longer to get to where we need to be than in years past,” said Bridges.

The labor shortage is a problem industrywide, and there are multiple reasons for it, she said.

“The easy answer, maybe the most obvious is the unemployment supplement,” she said. “Is that impacting? Yes, absolutely it is impacting, but we are seeing a lot of people who have simply chosen to switch careers. COVID certainly put a spin on the whole work-life balance, and I think that people have responded to that in some cases. I think that we have folks who are still nervous about being in a guest-facing, highly public, lots of volume (position). So, I really do feel it’s a combination of many different things.”

It will take more than just better pay to fill all those positions, she said. The world has changed, and casino leadership must be willing to think out of the box and consider “what can we do to make working here more flexible and more available to folks.”

The casino’s ability to successfully meet that challenge will have significant consequences for both the tribe that owns it and the region as a whole. Casino revenues make up about half the tribal budget and pay out thousands of dollars each year in per capita checks to tribal members. The casino’s economic ripple effects are huge, and the business employs about 5% of workers in the farwestern counties.

After the expansion in Cherokee opens this fall, the casino will turn its attention to Murphy. Tribal Council just approved a $275 million master plan to expand that facility, so the need for workers is likely only to increase as time goes on.

Haywood Community College is holding Peak Week July 12 through July 16.

This week is dedicated to helping both new and returning students get registered for the upcoming fall semester. Students are encouraged to complete the HCC application and the free application for student aid (FAFSA) prior to attending Peak Week; however, assistance will be available onsite as well.

During Peak Week, students will get assistance with the admissions application, residency verification, advising, class registration and applying for available scholarships and other forms of financial aid. In addition, there will be tours of campus and other resources available. All students, whether new or returning, are encouraged to participate.

Students completing the steps for class registration at Peak Week will also be entered to win prizes, including a laptop. Peak Week will be located in the 1500 (Hemlock) building on campus. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The financial aid office will be open until 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 14, to assist students with their FAFSA application.

Fall semester classes begin August 16. For more information or for those who want to attend HCC and cannot participate in Peak Week, email hcc-advising@hay-

SCC offering free tuition

Through a one-time program, Southwestern Community College will not charge tuition or fees to students for the 2021-22 academic year.

The “SCC Promise” initiative provides new students as well as those who’ve already enrolled with free tuition and fees this fall if they fulfill the following criteria: complete the 2021-22 free application for federal student aid (FAFSA); enroll in a minimum of six credit hours; and complete the SCC Promise application.

Students who’ve already enrolled for fall just need to go to www.SouthwesternCC.edu/FREE and fill out the “SCC Promise” application.

Free tuition and college fees are for North Carolina residents for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 only. This is a “last-option” financial assistance program that provides tuition after all other federal and state funds have been applied. SCC will utilize various funding sources.

Anyone interested in more short-term training through SCC’s Career Academies can also get free tuition this fall through the GEER fund. More info at www.SouthwesternCC.edu/GEER.