Industry Predictions: Changes in Club Staffing

While nobody knows what the future may hold, club professionals have a unique perspective from within the industry. In a new monthly feature in Club + Resort Business, we asked club insiders to look into their crystal balls and answer a pressing question.

What changes do you see in club staffing over the next five years?

Training and retention will be a priority over recruiting and hiring. As the opportunity for choice among employees and job prospects grow, we have to create environments where people want to work and continue to work. We will need to train our employees to enjoy the job and perform at the highest level, and also find ways to retain these employees. Areas of retention focus could be benefits, 401k, culture, internal promotions, formal leadership development programs, recreation and wellness opportunities, meal programs, employees perks, employees parties, etc. The need to keep good employees will be more important than ever.

Robin Shelton, CCM, PGA Master Professional / General Manager
Newport Beach Country Club; Newport Beach, Calif.

In the next five years, I think we’ll see clubs moving toward flexible and specialized staffing. With members expecting more personalized experiences, clubs will likely shift to hiring a mix of full-time experts and part-time specialists, allowing for a more tailored approach. We’ll also see more automation, thanks to AI, handling the repetitive administrative stuff, which means staff can focus more on making members’ days special. On top of that, with everyone craving better work-life balance, offering flexible hours and chances for career growth will be a big win in keeping top talent happy and engaged. Professional development has recently been cited by our team as a fundamental value.

Robert D. Podley, CCM, CAM, General Manager / Chief Operating Officer
Colonial Country Club; Fort Myers, Fla.

I anticipate a few material changes to dawn upon the private club industry in the next five years:

1. Our industry prides itself on paying closer attention to work-life balance, and I expect the pendulum to continue to swing in that direction (less work, more balance, no replies or emails during that 48-hour ‘off’ period—truly off and unplugged). But be careful because like anything in life—fashion, politics, economics, trends—that pendulum might swing back in the other direction.
2. Because of the rise of the gig-economy and related jobs—Uber, Amazon driver, Lyft—I anticipate private clubs using temp agencies and per diem staff more. As time goes on, we will have less career club waiters with tenures in excess of 20-plus years and instead a fleet of staffers who do ‘a little of this and a little of that.’
3. Shorter tenure for C-suite employees. Less of ‘our GM has been here for 30 years.’

Kevin Daniel Lalumiere, CCM, General Manager / Chief Operating Officer
The Country Club of New Canaan; New Canaan, Conn.