CAI-NJ Apr. 2022

POOLS... from page 18.

honesty about these unusual times versus magical thinking about how things should be or used to go a long way. Realistic expectations result in faster and better solutions for everyone. Statements like “I don’t care how you do it but just get it done today!” are not constructive. Pool companies have seen a lot of success with com munities sharing our lifeguard recruiting assets with their communities. Pool companies should be working to make the application and training process as smooth as possible to maximize the effectiveness of recruiting efforts. LOVE YOUR LIFEGUARDS Drop the “sheesh … kids today…” mentality and accept that we are in new times with new challenges. In terms of attracting and retaining the best staff, a vibrant guard culture is essential to building a lifeguard team. Making lifeguard training easy to join and even free to candidates goes a long way in eliminating obstacles for certification. It is easy to criticize, but when is the last time you com plimented the lifeguards working your pool. A positive approach to the guards helps make your facility a place

business loves making “spring magic” and opening pools with big problems right on schedule, but times are different now. If you have a repair, you know needs to be done, get on it outside of the pool season if you can so that it doesn’t impact your resident’s season unexpectedly. Proactive repairs versus running to a point of failure can also help increase facility uptime. Consider modifying pool hours and dates to reduce the number of manhours to cover your pool. This will save the community money, optimize resources, and deliver a more consistent pool season. PARTNER WITH YOUR POOL PROFESSIONALS We are all living in the same wild world together, so it makes sense to work together for mutual success. How can you do this? Maintaining good faith and open communi cation throughout the season allows for better teamwork when the inevitable snags occur. Maintaining intellectual

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