MEMBER PERSPECTIVES
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“ Applicants are curious about , and interested in , ways to take better care of their physical and mental wellbeing .”
— KELSEY BAATZ , Assistant Director of Spa , Sea Island Resort
ees currently underutilize the facility ’ s meditation labyrinth as a tool for mental rejuvenation and reflection , in part because they don ’ t have a strong idea of how to use the space . Baatz hopes to create an additional training on how to use the labyrinth effectively .“ With that ,” adds Baatz ,“ I believe the team will feel more comfortable in that space .”
LA CANTERA RESORT & SPA Though La Cantera Resort & Spa ’ s location in San Antonio , Texas , doesn ’ t pose the same rural recruitment issues faced by Nemacolin and Sea Island Resort , it still faces industry-wide labor challenges . Accordingly , prioritizing employee health and wellbeing is an important method by which they can minimize burnout , retain employees for longer and attract new employees .
La Cantera is in the midst of launching a new , full-scale associate wellness program for its entire resort staff of more than 600 employees . The drive to conceptualize and implement a robust program for employees ’ wellbeing comes from Laura Krohn , the resort ’ s director of wellness , recreation & retail . Krohn , who has a Master ’ s degree in public health , has a passion for wellness and has long held a goal of bridging medical science and public health science with spa . Accordingly , Krohn is taking a public-health approach to developing the associate wellness program . First , Krohn and other resort leaders will send out an anonymous survey . Then , they ’ ll have one-onone conversations with employees outside the employee cafeteria .“ We want our team to share with us what they would like to see before the leadership team develops and launches the program ,” says Krohn . The aim is to create a program that feels as though it has emerged from grassroots energy , rather than as a top-down initiative from spa leadership .
The Spa at Sea Island opens many of its facilities to its employees .
the benefits of Sea Island ’ s spa and fitness facilities . This pass serves two important functions . First , it improves employees ’ wellbeing and improves employee retention . Second , says Baatz ,“ without experiencing our services hands-on , it ’ s hard to answer guest questions ,” even if an employee has received verbiage from training sessions .
Baatz and the team at Sea Island market their constellation of self-care perks to potential employees , too . Typically , this comes up during interviews with job applicants , and Baatz has said that sharing these perks as part of the interview process has had an impact on their recruiting efforts . Like Hatcher at Nemacolin , Baatz believes the recruiting efficacy of self-care-oriented benefits stems from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic . Now more than ever , job applicants are “ curious about , and interested in , ways to take better care of their physical and mental wellbeing ,” notes Baatz .
That said , it is just as important to market your perks to your employees as it is to market them to potential employees , Baatz says . When Sea Island has previously launched new , wellness-oriented employee benefits , spa staff has often required a nudge in order to initially engage . To encourage staff to use the new benefits ,“ we created exciting communication boards and emails to entice them to take advantage ,” states Baatz .“ Once the team began to notice others utilizing them — and talking about how much they enjoyed the perk — those benefits really took off .” If there ’ s an employee benefit that you feel is underused , it ’ s essential to create and market a better framework for how employees can use that benefit . For example , Baatz feels that Sea Island ’ s spa employ- ( CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 )
12 PULSE n NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022