FEATURE ARTICLE

Building Better Employees

Nurturing your employees is essential in providing quality leisure programs and facilities for your citizens

BY Gary F. Balling, CLP AND JEFF M. FOUGEROUSSE, CLP

Employees are the most valued asset of our organization! The Morton Grove Park District personnel manual states it and the board gave it their stamp of approval. Likely, the story is the same for your agency. The point is this: to get quality services delivered, employees must be fulfilled, valued and treated with respect. In short, they must be happy. How is this best accomplished?

Longtime Morton Grove Park District employees Carol Gail and Pat Skonberg echo the importance of feeling valued and respected. They've seen many changes during their years of employment at the district. The personnel practices offered in this article might have helped retain these valued employees and could help you do the same for your district.

"I've always been treated with respect. I like to see the growth in the children I instruct. It's nice seeing the progression and knowing I played a part in that."
Carol Coil Preschool Coordinator (25-year employee)

Focus on People

Establish a style of management that is people oriented. Develop an environment of open communication by seeking compromise at all levels of the organization. Collaborating, negotiating and allowing creative ideas to flow are important ingredients in the workplace. People who are more accustomed to an autocratic system might take some time buying into the people-oriented process. Give them time. Before making changes, try to understand why certain traditions or procedures are in place. Then develop a plan with input from throughout the organization. For example, our park board committee structure, which is an informal process, allows for the exchange of ideas up and down the organizational chart.

"I appreciate the ability to make independent decisions here at the Morton Grove Park District. I feel valued, appreciated."
-Pat Skonberg
Gymnastics Instructor and Fitness Supervisor (18-year employee)

Communication

Making sure everyone is "in the know" is imperative in a people-oriented atmosphere, but quite a challenge for Morton Grove with 88 percent of its employees being part-time. A weekly report to the board keeps commissioners aware of current operations. Information such as Board Packets, Administrative Team Minutes and weekly reports to the board are routed throughout the system, which most employees appreciate but comes as a pleasant surprise to many new employees. Other ideas:

· Have all employees wear name tags. With many people working on a seasonal basis, nametags allow all employees to know each other on a first-name basis.

· Go beyond an open-door policy. When you sense help is needed, offer your assistance and then follow through. You WANT employees to say "I need help!"

· Be fair and consistent in administering personnel policies.

· Continuously report accomplishments of the district. We all want to work at a good place. It also helps build employee pride.

· Regularly visit programs, facilities and sites. Involve the park board by conducting tours.

· Be flexible with scheduling time off. Be a "family friendly" employer. Exceeding employee expectations is one way to show