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3.1
SECTION 3: MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES
The role of motivationIf you employ staff or use volunteers, the performance of
your business is totally dependent on their performance.
Their motivation (or lack of it) has an substantial impact
on their performance, and on the performance of your
business. The ability to motivate your workforce is
therefore a key ingredient in your ability to manage peopleeffectively and in the future success of your business.
Motivating employees and volunteers is essential to
ensure that your business:
l gets the best from everyone working in the business
l achieves required results through the work of both
individuals and teams
l establishes and maintains high standards of
performance on a consistent basis
l avoids low employee morale
l achieves high staff retention rates
l provides first class customer service on a consistent
basis.
Needs and motivesUnderstanding what your employees (and any volunteers)
need and what motivates them is crucial to your ability topersuade them to act.
A need is an inner striving or urge to do or achieve
something, such as a urge to have something to eat or to
accomplish something worthwhile. A need can be
regarded as a biological or physiological requirement.
Maslows hierarchy of needsThe researcher Maslow identified five motivating
factors in his hierarchy of needs and considered that,
as each need was satisfied, others emerge.
These needs are:
1. Physiological: thirst, hunger, sleep.2. Safety: protection from danger, security.
3. Social: acceptance, belonging, friendship, love,
social life.
4. Self-esteem: recognition, self-respect,
achievement, status.
5. Self-actualisation: personal development,
accomplishment, growth.
A motive is an inner drive or desire that moves a person
to do something. Motives can be conscious, semi-
conscious or unconscious.
Needs and motives often function in the same way, and
the words are often used interchangeably. Motives can be
mixed, with several centred around a primary motive. An
employee can, of course, have many motivational needs
varying in importance.
The key to effective motivation is the ability of an owner or
manager to identify the true needs of the employee in the
absence of preconceived assumptions, and to act upon
these needs appropriately to the general satisfaction of
the whole workforce. Your task is therefore to detect these
needs and take appropriate action.
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3.2
Different people are motivated by different things. It is
estimated that 50% of a persons motivation comes from
within themselves, and 50% from the environment in
which they work.
What motivates people at work?Pay and other benefits do, of course, motivate people at
work most employees have to earn a living. However,
there are a number of other key motivating factors for
people at work, including:
l achievement: successfully completing tasks, finding
solutions to problems, seeing the results of work,improved results
l recognition: being noticed, appreciation, praise,
thanks, rewards, incentives
l development opportunities: opportunities to acquire
new knowledge, skills or qualifications, training
l advancement: promotion, enhanced status at work
l responsibility: being given new or additional
responsibilities for tasks or people, job enrichment
l the work itself: what is involved in the actual job
l working conditions: space, temperature, lighting,
working environment
l respect: being respected as an individual, trust.
Motivating your workforceThere are a variety of ways of motivating members of
your team, and successful techniques will varyconsiderably between different types and sizes of
business.
What is appropriate for a family or micro business with
two or three employees will probably be very different
from what would work well in a company employing 100+
people.
Demotivating factors at work1. Lack of clarity in objectives, policies or
procedures.2. Inaccessible or incompetent manager.
3. Being treated in a way that is perceived as
unfair, unreasonable or discriminatory.
4. Poor relations with colleagues, including
supervisor/manager.
5. Uncompetitive compensation package, including
salary, pension and other financially related
benefits.
6. Lack of status in the organisation.7. Fear of redundancy or an unwelcome change in
a job role or rewards.
8. Adverse impact of job on personal life, such as
stress or the need to work unsocial hours.
9. Poor working conditions.
10. Volume of work that cannot be undertaken to a
satisfactory standard in the time available with
the available resources.
The following are, however, likely to be key points for all
tourism organisations, whatever their size or sector of the
industry.
1. Be motivated yourself.
2. Recruit and select highly motivated people.
3. Set challenging but realistic targets.
4. Have high expectations.5. Enable people to see progress.
6. Treat everyone as an individual.
7. Create a motivating environment.
8. Support and encourage the team.
9. Give recognition for good performance.
10. Provide fair rewards and incentives.
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3.3
Assessing your motivational skillsAssess your motivational skills by responding to each of the following statements and circling the response closest
to your experience, and then adding up your total score.
Key: 1 Never 2 Occasionally 3 Frequently 4 Always
1. I am well motivated.
2. I seek a balance between firm control and giving people independence.
3. I treat employees and volunteers as individuals.
4. I am honest with employees and keep them informed.
5. I make an effort to improve my motivational skills.
6. I give reasons for my decisions and actions.7. I have high expectations of my team.
8. I try to create a no-blame culture.
9. I involve employees in decisions.
10. I organise work so that one person can complete a whole task.
11. I thank people for good performance.
12. I consult before making changes to systems and procedures.
13. I set challenging but realistic targets.
14. I try to ensure that work is enjoyable for employees.
15. I ensure that work conditions are satisfactory.16. I congratulate the team when targets are met.
17. I keep everyone informed of progress.
18. I avoid accusations of favouritism.
19. I support and encourage individuals as well as teams.
20. I interview people who resign to find out why they are leaving.
21. I provide constructive feedback on performance.
22. I am positive about the role of my team.
23. I seek consensus and encourage others to do the same.
24. I look for opportunities to add variety to jobs.
25. I take motivation into account when recruiting.
25-49 You have generally poor motivational skills and your actions are likely to be demotivating your employees.
Review your behaviour and look for new ways to motivate your team.
50-79 You have generally good motivational skills. Look for opportunities to overcome motivational weaknesses.
80-100 You have excellent motivational skills. Take care not to become complacent.
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3.5
Setting challenging targetsWould you tell me please, which way I ought to go? said
Alice. That depends a good deal on where you want to
get to. said the cat.Lewis Carroll
If employees dont know what they should be doing at
work, or to what standards they are expected to perform,
it is hard to be motivated and effective. It is easy for them
to spend too much time on unimportant aspects of their
role, and to neglect vital tasks. It is also difficult for staff to
perform well if they do not understand why something has
to be done, or cannot see where tasks that they areundertaking fit into the larger picture of business
operations.
It is the role of the manager or owner to ensure that
everyone:
l can identify the objectives of the organisation
l understands their role and how it fits into the larger
pattern of business operations
l appreciates the standards to which tasks should beperformed
l has agreed objectives or targets to meet.
Employees are more likely to be well motivated if they
understand why tasks have to be undertaken and have an
good appreciation of how the organisation wishes the
tasks to be performed.
Clear and effective internal communication is vital. Share
your views on what the organisation or department istrying to achieve, and discuss with individuals or teams
how their role can help. Ensure that everyone, including
part-time and casual staff, is aware of the required
performance standards.
Whenever possible, give employees an opportunity to
contribute to the setting of objectives and targets, as this
can increase commitment to achieving them very
considerably.
Remember the concept of SMART targets. They should
be:l specific
l measurable
l achievable
l realistic
l time bound.
Aiming highMost people at work are keen to deliver what is expected
of them, and are likely to be better motivated if they feel
that they are succeeding in meeting expectations. So
more is likely to be achieved if you have high
expectations of your team, and of individuals within it.
If you let present performance standards become the
benchmark for success, then your team will never achieve
its full potential.
If you set the team a challenge and explain that you are
confident that they can rise to meet it, there is a high
likelihood of success. Giving the impression that an
individual or group is likely to fail can become a self-
fulfiling prophecy.
Always focus your expectations on goals that are of
significant business benefit. For example, on sales
achieved rather than on telephone calls made to potential
customers.
Your expectations do, of course, have to be realistic.
Communicating unreasonably high expectations that
employees are very unlikely to meet even if they make a
considerable effort will probably be demoralising.
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3.6
Identifying progressJust as it is important for employees to know what they
are trying to achieve, it is helpful for them to know what
progress they are making towards achieving a target orperforming to the standards required.
Feedback on progress (or even on the reasons for slow
progress or lack of it) can help to spur people on to
greater efforts or concentrate their minds on what still
needs to be achieved.
Its easy to worry that your team will slow down if you say
that good progress is being made or that everything is
going well, or that they will be disheartened if you
communicate a lack of progress. However, research has
shown that employees perform best if they receive
feedback on progress. Maintaining motivation depends on
informing (and preferably inspiring) your team.
Make sure that you praise good progress in a sincere way
that generates a positive response in the individual or
team. Dont forget that knowing you have succeeded at
something is a powerful motivator and a great source ofpersonal satisfaction and self-esteem. Knowing that they
are making progress can also make individuals and teams
more enthusiastic.
Dont be tempted to make grudging remarks or imply you
are surprised that they have managed to achieve
something. This will only undermine their efforts and is
likely to cause resentment.
Care, of course, needs to be taken when communicating
bad news, particularly if individuals or teams have tried
hard.
Be prepared to discuss the reasons for failure and to
make sure that everyone learns from them. Taking a
sympathetic and constructive attitude to failure can
motivate and encourage staff. In essence, you create a
no-blame culture. If you choose to punish failure and
motivate by fear, you are not likely to succeed in the
longer term. However, make it clear that your tolerance of
poor performance and mistakes is limited.
It can be necessary to remotivate the team by boosting
their self-confidence, clarifying the objectives and the
value of their work, and expressing optimism about their
ability to move forward. Always try to end on a positive
note.
If no progress is being made or things are going badly, it
is also important to review your own role and yourmotivation.
Treating everyone as anindividualYou do not just employ a team, you employ a collection of
individuals, with unique skills, knowledge, personalities
and motivations. So getting the best from a team meansgetting the best from every individual.
It is important to find out what motivates each individual,
and not to rely on general assumptions. This is complex
as there can be considerable differences between
individuals and between what motivates a person at
varying stages of their career.
For example, job security may be very important for some
staff, while others may be more concerned about
management development opportunities.
Remember that what motivates your staff may also be
very different from what motivates you.
Start by assessing the individuals in your team. Try to find
out enough about them to define their motivations (without
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3.7
being unnecessarily intrusive). Approach new members of
the team without preconceptions.
Remember that different people want their manager to
play different roles. For example, some may be seekingreassurance about their performance, others may not. It
is, however, necessary to ensure that everyone is treated
in a fair, consistent and non-discriminatory way.
Try to ensure that you strike a reasonable balance
between talking to teams or groups as a whole and to
individual employees or volunteers. You can then use a
appropriate management style for that particular person,
rather than one judged to appeal to the team as a whole.
Dont act in a way that could result in you being accused
of favouritism. It demotivates those who feel they are
unfavoured and can make the favourites unpopular with
their colleagues.
Appraisal schemes can, of course, provide an excellent
opportunity to focus on individual needs and expectations,
to recognise achievement and plan career development.
Obtaining feedback on an ongoing basis is also importantand can ensure that any required action is taken quickly.
Creating a motivatingenvironmentCertain working environments can boost the motivation of
employees and boost the morale of a team, others can
demotivate and demoralise.
Start by making sure that the physical environment in
which people have to work is satisfactory. It is nearly
impossible to work effectively if you are:
l frightened about your personal safety or the safety of
your personal possessions
l cold
Making it funJust as a leisure tourism experience should be
enjoyable, so should working in the tourism, leisure
and hospitality industry.
Employees want to:
l enjoy their jobs
l have fun at work
l have interesting and satisfying jobs
l have good working relationships with their
colleagues.
So always look for opportunities to make work fun
and enjoyable. Dont take things so seriously that you
cannot enjoy a joke, or develop a boring working
environment.
Where appropriate, encourage employees to interact
socially as this can build team cohesion and boost
morale.
Dont forget that staff parties and other social events
can help to motivate employees and recognise their
efforts.
l too hot
l struggling to work in poor light
l working in very cramped conditions
l using poorly sited equipment or sitting in an
uncomfortable chair for an extended period of timel thirsty
l hungry.
So make sure that:
l health, safety and security measures are appropriate
to your business circumstances and that employees
believe that they are working in a safe environment
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3.8
Job enrichmentThe composition of jobs and the amount of variety
they contain has a major impact on motivation. Few
people enjoy a very routine, monotonous role. The
level of interest in a job depends on the content of
the work, its complexity, and the sense of
achievement generated by successful completion.
So think hard about how you design jobs and allocate
tasks among different employees. Look for job
enrichment opportunities that add variety and
responsibility to front-line roles. These are likely to
stimulate enthusiasm and will enable individuals to
develop new skills to benefit the organisation as a
whole.
It is often preferable to make one individual
responsible for the whole of a task, rather thandividing different elements among a number of
people who cannot see the whole picture.
Encourage people to use their initiative to improve
efficiency, and allow as much flexibility as possible in
letting individuals decide how to perform a task.
l employees have a secure location in which to store
their personal possessions, such as a locker
l indoor temperatures are reasonable and that those
working outdoors are equipped with appropriate
outdoor clothing and footwear for the weatherconditions
l lighting is adequate for the tasks being undertaken
l equipment and furniture is appropriate and located in
a position that does not create problems
l employees are given breaks at appropriate intervals,
even during very busy periods.
Dont forget the old adage your staff will treat
customers like you treat them.
The way that you treat employees can also create a
motivating environment.l Try to avoid creating a restrictive environment with too
many or unnecessary controls or rules.
l Enable employees to contribute to decision making,
especially when the decision has a significant impact
on their job.
l Consult carefully before implementing any major
changes.
Supporting and encouragingyour teamThere are times when every team needs some support
and encouragement to produce their best, and it is the
role of the leader or manager to provide this.
Support can take the form of:
l providing information or advice
l encouraging open and constructive communication
and co-operation
l helping to resolve problems
l ensuring that appropriate resources are available
l helping out in busy periods or difficult situations
l taking action to remove bottlenecks and other barriers
to achievement of targets
l discussing potential changes at an early stage,
explaining why they are necessary and allowingindividuals to express their concerns.
Teams also need to be encouraged, especially during
peak periods and if any difficulties arise. Make sure that
everyone knows you appreciate their efforts and are
aware of the circumstances under which they working.
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3.9
Recognising good performanceAchievement is its own reward but it is never enough.
People also want recognition. Failing to recognise good
performance can make an individual feel unnoticed,unvalued and unrewarded. This can lead to a poor level
of motivation.
Recognition can be formal or informal, for an individual or
for a team as a whole. It can range from an informal thank
you, verbally or in writing, for a small task or some extra
help to Employee of the month or annual award
schemes. Some tourism organisations encourage
customers to nominate staff for awards or specialrecognition.
Never forget that praise can be an incredible motivator.
However, praise used in inappropriate circumstances can
simply re-inforce poor performance.
There are three key occasions to give praise:
l when work meets a standard for the first time, such as
when a new employee completes an unfamiliar task
correctlyl when work exceeds an agreed standard. Praising
those who shine encourages them to continue
l when work is satisfactory over a period of time. Solid
performance every day is praiseworthy.
When praising an employee, make sure to be specific
about what aspects of performance impressed you and, if
appropriate, mention personal effort and comment on how
the achievement has helped the team or organisationsoverall performance. Respond to peoples success as
soon as possible.
Providing fair rewards andincentivesBoth financially-based and non-financial rewards and
incentives are available to help motivate people, anddifferent types of reward can have different impacts on the
motivation of individual employees and teams.
Pay and benefits packages can include basic pay,
bonuses, commission payments, pension schemes, health
insurance and life assurance cover.
The overall level of pay and benefits determines an
employees purchasing power and (in combination with
other household members income) their standard of
living. Employees are rarely entirely satisfied with their
pay and small pay rises do little to enhance satisfaction.
Enhanced satisfaction (and perhaps enhanced motivation)
only occurs when a pay rise is given which surpasses
expectations.
Perhaps more importantly in terms of motivation, every
employee has an opinion on whether their pay is fair.
The employee who feels underpaid, either for the job itself
or in relation to others in the organisation or local area, is
likely to be demotivated. They perceive that their
contribution is not recognised or valued by the
organisation.
It is, of course, essential to ensure that you meet all legal
requirements relating to equal pay for men and women
(see section 6 for more information). It is also important to
ensure that pay is perceived as fair and reasonable.
You do not have to pay the highest rates in the area to
have well motivated employees, but it can be difficult to
attract and retain well motivated people if your pay and
benefits packages are viewed as unfair and
uncompetitive.
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3.10
Bonus schemesl Bonus schemes can play an important part in
motivating employees and achieving targets.However, they must be devised and implemented
in a way that ensures compliance with equal pay
legislation.
l Bonuses linked to clear targets for individual
performance encourages individual effort, but not
teamwork. Each person should have only one or
two immediate targets to aim for, such as those
related to sales performance. It is also possible to
offer a bonus for innovative ideas that boost
productivity.
l Bonuses linked to company profits can promote
teamwork, as long as individuals can see how
they can affect the figures. Team goals can
include sales, margins, costs or customer
satisfaction levels.
l Bonus targets should normally be set monthly, sothat results can be monitored immediately. You
can target a key area for one month only, to focus
on something that would otherwise be neglected.
l It is worth remembering that bonuses based on
short-term targets can damage long-term
profitability. For example, employees can focus
on sales and neglect customer service.
l Reducing basic pay in order to fund bonuses cando more harm than good.
l Bonuses do not need to be large to be effective
as a motivator. However, they do need to be
perceived as fair and reasonable if they are not to
demoralise employees.
Bonus and incentive schemes linked to individual and/or
team performance are far more likely to have a
motivational impact than basic pay rates.
Whether or not you are in a position to improve pay levels
or provide bonuses for employees, it is well worth
considering the motivational impact of other rewards and
incentives. These include the following.
l Time off
Extra days holiday, other time-off or opportunities for
unpaid leave, extra leave entitlement for long service.
l Privileges
Car parking spaces (especially in areas where parkingis difficult) or opportunities to use guest services.
l Small gifts or other tokens of appreciation
Flowers, chocolates, Christmas gifts, birthday cards or
other small gifts.
l Social events
Staff parties, away-days, visits to attractions or events,
restaurant meals or family events.
l Discounts
Discounts in retail or catering outlets for employees
and family members.
l Subsidised or free meals
Staff restaurants, free drinks, free or subsidised meals
on duty.
l Cars and equipment
Company cars, car financing schemes, laptopcomputers for home use.
l Incentive schemes
Reward schemes offering vouchers, experiences or
travel opportunities, either run in-house or through a
incentive company.
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3.11
Always make sure that any rewards and incentives are
available to employees in way that does not discriminate
against any members of staff. For example, think about
whether they can be achieved by part-time as well as full-
time employees.
Training and development opportunities can also make
employees feel valued and therefore be viewed as a
reward or incentive, leading to improved motivation.
An off-site management development programme is,
however, more likely to be viewed as an incentive than a
mandatory food hygiene training course or similar.
Developing your motivationskillsIf you consider that your motivational skills could be
improved, it could be worthwhile taking part in a
motivation training programme. Motivation training could
also help to develop the skills of team leaders,
supervisors and managers.
Learndirect offers courses entitled Motivationand
Motivating yourself and others. Further information is
available on their website: www.learndirect.co.uk.
Useful publications on motivation include;
l Bringing Out the Best in People, Aubrey Daniels,
McGraw-Hill
l Effective Motivation, John Adair, Pan
l Essential Managers Manual, Robert Heller & Tim
Hindle, Dorling Kindersley
l How to Motivate Every Employee, Anne Bruce,
McGraw-Hill.
The website www.yourpeoplemanager.com includes some
useful articles on motivation. There is also an article on
how to motivate your staff on the People Management
section of www.caterer.com.
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MOTIVATING AN ATTRACTION TEAM
FOLLY FARM, BEGELLY, PEMBROKESHIRE
Family adventure
Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire is an all-weather, family
adventure park, which was started in 1988 as a farm-
based educational attraction. Today it is a Wales Tourist
Board Star Attraction and features:
G the Jolly Barn, where guests can meet a huge variety
of farm animals including many rare breeds, and a
Pet Centre
G a vintage funfair, the largest undercover fairground in
Europe, with a large collection of rides and stalls
G Ziggys Childrens Zoo, which is home to over 100
exotic animals from Arabian oryx and mountain bongo
to zebra
G a 700-seat theatre
G a go-kart racetrack
G catering facilities including Henrys Coffee Shop, the
Ploughmans Restaurant, a Burger Bar, a licensed bar,
the Dog and Duck, kiosks throughout the park and
picnic tables
G the on-site Folly Farm Shop and a shop on the High
Street in Tenby.
A sustainable attraction
The main objective of Folly Farm is to create a
sustainable company for future generations offering
employment opportunities for local people, with a
management attitude to business demands of total
flexibility.
Folly Farm is also dedicated to promoting the
conservation of our wildlife heritage, both locally and
globally.
This aim is incorporated into a conservation and
education strategy, whereby Folly Farm contributes to the
conservation of wildlife while also teaching guests about
animals and the environment.
Working at Folly FarmThe attraction employs up to 150 full and part-time
employees across the various departments. These
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include 50 core staff all-year around and 100 seasonal
employees, some of whom work from February to
October.
The company is committed to internal promotion wherever
possible. When a vacancy arises, the directors first look to
recruit from their existing workforce.
Other recruitment methods used include the company
website, the local press (and national/trade press for
managers) and Jobcentre Plus. Representatives of Folly
Farm attend job fairs and make presentations at local
secondary schools and at Pembrokeshire College, and
the attraction also participates in work experience
initiatives.
Motivating the Folly Farmworkforce
Folly Farm is an equal opportunities employer and has
achieved the Investors in People award. The company is
dedicated to developing the skills and potential of all
employees.
Training opportunities include NVQ qualifications in
catering, customer service and team leadership, and
Welcome Host customer service courses.
Training is discussed during every induction and
employees are encouraged to come forward and ask for
additional training at any time.
Folly Farm is very good at identifying the skills of peoplewithin the organisation and utilising them. Within 18
months, I progressed from General Supervisor to
Manager. Its a fun place to work and there is plenty to
keep you busy.
Paul Harries, Human Resources Manager
All employees have two days off a week, receive family
passes to the attraction and a discount on retail goods.
Flexible working arrangements are available for
example, some members of staff work at weekends,
others dont.
Making it fun
The directors of Folly Farm are keen not just to make the
attraction fun for guests, but also to make it a fun place to
work.
It's great fun every day, so I feel like Im getting paid to
have fun.
Sarah Parry, Entertainment Staff
There is a vibrant social life within the organisation,
co-ordinated by a staff-run social committee. Recent
social events have included beach parties, regular staff
nights out, football matches, end of season parties,
employee visits to other attractions in Pembrokeshire, and
department meals.
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Ive been working at Folly Farm since I was 18 and Ireally enjoy it here. I worked at Folly Farm during the
holidays while I was at university studying theatre design.
My job now incorporates all that I learned during my
degree, as Im involved in entertainment and park
theming. Im using my artistic skills every day. The best
part of the job is the people I work with and the social life.
Rebecca Rees, Entertainment Supervisor
The directors approach to employee motivation and
development has resulted in very low staff turnover with
many seasonal employees returning to work at the
attraction each season.
It is vital for staff to believe in our product quality and
have the confidence and ability to deliver the Folly Farmexperience to all our guests to a level that exceeds their
expectations.
Chris Ebsworth, Director
Contact
Chris Ebsworth
DirectorFolly Farm
Begelly
Kilgetty
Pembrokeshire SA68 0XA
Tel: 01834 812731
Fax: 01834 813148
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.folly-farm.co.uk
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DEVELOPING A WELL MOTIVATED TEAM
CAERELWAN PARK, TALYBONT, GWYNEDD
A holiday in SnowdoniaParc Caerelwan has operated as a caravan park since
1932. It borders five miles of sandy beaches in the
Snowdonia National Park at Talybont near to Barmouth.
The park has received a Four Star Holiday Park grading
from the Wales Tourist Board. |t has approximately 100
high-quality static units in a carefully-tended landscaped
parkland, as well as touring pitches. They all feature
showers, colour television, videos and microwaves.
Park facilities include:
l indoor heated
swimming pool
l sauna
l steam room
l multi-gym
l games room
l on-site shop and off-
licence
l childrens play area
l laundry.
There is a strong emphasis at the park on meeting the
needs of family holidaymakers. Many visitors return year
after year, and some have chosen to purchase a holiday
home at Parc Caerelwan.
A sustainable attraction
The owners, Trevor and Val Smedley, started work ascamp housekeepers in 1977 and purchased the Parc
Caerelwan lease in 1991. They have since developed the
park, building a new laundry, solarium and multi-gym in
1991 and an indoor swimming pool in 1999.
They now employ seven full-time and 11 part-time staff.
These staff are employed on year-round contracts as job
security is viewed as a top priority by the owners.
The owners daughter is also involved in the business andis gradually taking over responsibility for more aspects of
operating the park.
Motivating the park workforceThe owners devote
considerable time and
energy to leading andmotivating their team.
They are committed to
llistening to the views
of all employees and
hold regular staff
meetings at the park.
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All staff have clear and accurate job descriptions, and the
owners explain the objectives of the park to the workforce.
Targets, such as the sales of new caravans, are also
communicated to the staff.
Trevor and Val Smedley believe that it is important to
deploy staff effectively to have the right people doing
the right jobs and consider that this aids both
motivation and performance.
They also think that it is crucial to trust their workforce,
and to encourage staff members to take on new
responsibilities.
If mistakes are made the owners stand by theiremployees and they have created a no-blame culture.
Training and developmentTraining is given a high priority, both to ensure that the
park conforms with all relevant legislation and to extend
the skills of both the owners and the workforce.
The Smedleys believe that it is essential for employees to
be provided with opportunities to acquire recognised
qualifications to back up experience gained by working at
the park. For example, the nationally-recognised British
Institute of Innkeeping National Certificate for Personal
Licence Holders.
Recent training linked to legislative requirements has
related to:
l health and safety, including swimming pool safety andfirst aid
l food hygiene
l portable appliance testing
l door management.
Other training has included:
l Welcome Hostand Managing your Welcomecustomer
service courses
l sales skills
l leadership and supervisory skillsl the Caravan Industry Training Organisation Park
Managementprogramme.
The range and quality of training at Parc Caerelwan has
helped to motivate the workforce and led to the park
winning the Wales Tourist Board Laura Ashley Training
Award in 1998. New skills have also helped the owners to
delegate more responsibilities to front-line employees.
ContactVal and Trevor Smedley
Proprietors
Parc Caerelwan
Talybont
Barmouth
Gwynedd LL43 2AX
Tel: 01341 247236
Fax: 01341 247711
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.porthmadog.co.uk/parc
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