Mr. Gretchen and I took our fur children up to
Whistler for the long weekend. Labor Day weekend is our wedding anniversary, and although we were married on a warm and sunny beach, we choose to mark each anniversary in the great white north … even if Whistler is more of a mountain biker’s and hiker’s paradise during the summer months.
As fall approaches, Whistler – one of North America’s top ski resorts – begins gearing up for the winter season ahead. The town’s workforce is seasonal, and as a result, their recruiting focus is extremely cyclical. This fall, Whistler’s businesses will hire over 3000 non-resident workers to staff the 2006-2007 ski season. That’s a lot of people to hire before the slopes open in November.
In years past, hiring demand wasn’t quite as high, but it seems Whistler had an easier time of recruiting their seasonal workforce. Resort pay was equitable to other industries, and affordable housing – while I’m sure not abundant – was more available. Plus, since Whistler is playing host to several events during the next Winter Olympics, the resort’s popularity – and need for supplemental workers – has only increased.
But now it seems Whistler is facing a full out talent shortage. This was big news in the village this past weekend. Other industries are competing more aggressively for talent. Affordable, longer-term housing is making way for higher-end vacation rentals. And a new generation of talent is changing the way local employers approach their recruiting strategies.
The town’s Pique Newsmagazine ran a story this week called “Meet the new recruits: It's not just a shortage of workers that Whistler is facing, but a new generation with new expectations.” It’s funny because you could just easily replace the talk of resort talent for technical talent. "Long gone are the days when business owners could choose from a big stack of resumes of oh so well groomed and mannered twenty-somethings looking to live the dream of stock options ... I mean ... ski bumming in Whistler."
I’ve read a lot about (and encountered first-hand) the challenges employers face with Gen-Y (those born beginning ~ 1982) now entering the workforce, but I thought this article did a good job of explaining the generational differences between traditional hiring practices and younger workers' expectations:
Here’s what to expect from your twenty-something new hires: A clash of cultures. Consider the context of their upbringing. This generation is the most watched-over in history. Think "Baby on Board" bumper stickers. Most millennials have never ridden a bike without a helmet or in a car without a seat belt . . .
. . . They’ve also been shaped by technology and marketing. They were raised in a time when information takes seconds to circulate thanks to the Internet, mobile phones and video games, which are pervasive in their culture and offer instant success with no real skill . . .
. . . As a result of this fanatical doting by parents and business, employers can expect the culture clash to play out based on the expectations of their new staff. The Millennium Generation wants their work experience to be participative not exclusive, they expect a lot of feedback on a daily basis, and to have access to and dialogue with, ownership and senior management, and they expect their ideas to be adopted immediately.
Generational differences do certainly present a challenge in the recruiting field, and as tourism and tech are two fields that represent a lot of "big business" (a dislike of the stereotypical GenYer) who tends to target younger workers through recruiting efforts, it will be interesting to see what new strategies continue to arise over the next few years. Perhaps those of us interested in recruiting technical talent should watch and study the strategies in resort towns like Whistler. The problem space isn't that different, and the change in perspective could be refreshing.
And hey, if Whistler needs any help shaping future recruiting strategies, I could be tempted to leave this techie lifestyle for some après-ski living. ;-)
gretchen