Looking to add 400 new workers for the approaching season, the Palm Beach, Fla. resort has been holding weekly hiring events at the local Center for Performing Arts since February and averaging 20 hires a week. Beyond competitive compensation and traditional benefits, the property has enjoyed a 98% acceptance rate from applicants by offering paid parental leave for adoption and birth, as well as mental health and first-aid programming, cross-training to provide more paths for advancement, and extending opportunities to use the resort’s facilities, according to Denise Bober, Senior Vice President of Human Resources.
For large employers in the Palm Beach, Fla. area, such as The Breakers Palm Beach, ongoing recruitment of new employees has become a higher priority as a new season approaches, reported the Palm Beach Daily News.
The Breakers, one of Palm Beach County’s largest private employers, has 1,900 employees and is looking to grow to 2,300, the Daily News reported. Since February, the resort property that has a membership component has held weekly hiring events at the local Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
The effort to recruit qualified applicants has paid off, Denise Bober, The Breakers’ Senior Vice President of Human Resources, told the Daily News, with an average of 20 hires each week.
Even with that success, the Daily News reported, The Breakers continues to look for more workers. In late August, it had 118 job openings advertised on its website, with the highest number in food and beverage, with 29 positions.
“Long before the labor shortage and COVID-19, The Breakers exceeded industry standards in compensation, benefits, and in particular with its exceptional organizational culture that offers quality of life to its employees [and] also extends to their families,” Bober said. “During these uncertain times as candidates reflect on their options, they are more selective and seeking fulfilling employment that allows for work-life balance.”
The worker shortage has been amplified by pent-up demand for travel that has propelled business to peak levels., Bober told the Daily News. In addition, South Florida and the Palm Beaches region have drawn an exponential influx of new residents and travelers. With new and established businesses expanding, employee demand is greater than supply, Bober said.
“Our phased reopening of services, coupled with elevated health- and safety-related areas such as security, housekeeping and stewarding, further increased the number of full and part-time opportunities by approximately 50%,” Bober said. “This compounds the existing labor shortage.”
The Breakers experiences a 98% acceptance rate from applicants, Bober said, with team-member referrals standing as the property’s number-one recruiting source. Employees receive referral fees, which vary.
Beyond competitive compensation and traditional benefits, Breakers’ employees are given opportunities to use the resort’s facilities, and get paid parental leave for adoption and birth, mental health and first-aid programming, and cross training, offering more paths for advancement, Bober noted.
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