MEMbEr PErsPEctivEs

afterglow spa has found many creative ways to work around a highly seasonal environment.

Afterglow Spa at Roche Harbor Resort is located on San Juan Island in Northwestern Washington. The remote island location can only be accessed by ferry, boat or small plane. Despite these challenges, San Juan Island has a bustling tourist economy, the only downside is that bustle is extremely seasonal.

Marketing afterglow spa to Potential Employees“ Our seasonal workers require employee housing, which is very limited,” explains Troy Casey, Spa Director at Afterglow Spa.

“ Many of the short-term housing options that were available on our island only 10 years ago have turned into lucrative VRBO or Airbnb rentals.”

Working to overcome this, Roche Harbor Resort is accommodating employees by investing in adding 16 additional rooms for employee housing instead of additional hotel rooms.

Also, Casey has implemented a referral bonus system that incentivizes employees to bring on additional workers who are there to stay.

“ We pay a $ 250 referral bonus for every hired employee who stays through the end of the season,” Casey says.“ This amount is increased to $ 500 if the seasonal employee finds housing outside of our employee village. We also offer lodging and spa treatments for referrals from non-employees.”

To create additional buzz about working at Afterglow Spa, Casey partners with other resorts that have opposite busy seasons. Since Afterglow’ s busy season is summer, Casey looks to partner with spas at ski resorts in places like Utah to share employees. This idea is a win-win for both resorts, who have access to additional help when needed, and employees, who are able to travel and keep working yearround.

Casey also makes sure that Afterglow Spa is very active in Roche Harbor’ s onsite job fairs. This year, Casey and her team will also be visiting colleges in Washington and Oregon to expand their potential employee market.

“ The Spa Manager and I regularly visit massage schools, cosmetology schools and job fairs in Seattle and surrounding communities,” Casey notes.“ We keep in

26 PULSE ■ March / April 2018