Archived Content: This section of the website serves as an archive of the various initiatives as well as human resource information that go2 provided to both employers and job seekers on how to prepare for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Your business may normally run like a fine Swiss chronometer, but all it takes is a major event like the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to throw it out of sync. How? Imagine security restrictions and manpower shortages just for starters.
A combination of many factors could cause you major headaches, depending on your operating needs. It’s impossible to predict exactly the extent to which the Games will have an impact on local businesses, but a good way to prepare for adverse effects is to take a close look at what you already do.
Assess your operations
Staffing requirements are driven by operational requirements. Therefore, the first question you need to answer is what are you going to do differently during the Games? Are you going to extend your hours, stay open 24/7, offer new products or services, or anything else that will help you capitalize on the Games. As well, you need to determine what the requirements of your suppliers or services related to your business.
The next question to ask is how will the Games impact your operational plan? Try to anticipate how each element of your business could be affected by the Games. For example, there will be restrictions on certain transportation routes, and VANOC strongly advises local residents to leave their cars at home wherever possible. If your employees drive to work, are they prepared to take alternative routes, find ride matches (perhaps by consulting ride-share.com) or use different modes of transportation? Can you help them by adjusting their shifts hours or providing them with bus passes? TravelSmart2010.ca, a website run by TransLink, is one source that can help you build your transportation plan.
Dealing with deliveries
Consult with your couriers and other providers to ensure that their service to you will remain unimpeded. Because of security and other restrictions, deliveries in some areas of Whistler will only be accepted between midnight and 6:00 a.m. The City of Vancouver is recommending that all deliveries occur between midnight and noon but preferably before 6:00 a.m. How will you receive such supplies at these hours? Will you need to have staff scheduled at these times?
Also, will your parking facilities remain accessible during the Games? Current parking restrictions will be extended to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in key downtown Vancouver areas, and in Whistler public parking will be significantly reduced.
Shortages and delays
No matter how well coordinated, the Games always create shortages. The quandary remains, what exactly will the shortages be this time? Some experts worry that the huge influx of media and other visitors transmitting large video files may put a strain on available bandwidth and cause delays or time-outs. Consult with your systems analyst and cell phone provider to forestall such problems.
Know your new customers
With visitors from across the world about to converge in Vancouver, do you know who your customers will be during the Games? Identifying this new clientele is crucial, because it could require you to bring in staff with multiple language skills or perhaps extend your hours of business.
Remember, the Games will generate around-the-clock activity in many areas of Greater Vancouver, and guests to the city will be inclined to make the most of their time here. Making yourself available to them, as well as making them feel at home, will boost your business.
But more questions arise. If you decide to extend your operating hours, can you ensure your staff their safe passage home? Consulting with your workforce will provide the solutions, such as doubling up during a night-time walk to a bus stop or providing security in your building.
Scheduling and shifts
Whether or not you decide it’s beneficial to stay open longer hours during the Games, consider which shift schedules would work best for your business and your employees. Some businesses are going with six-hour shifts instead of 10- or 12-hour shifts, which they believe will make it much easier to fill a position if someone quits or falls ill. Others are creating longer shifts and/or making overtime available to their employees.
Managing emotions
Traditionally, the lifecycle of Olympic/Paralympic events affects service-industry employees emotionally. The start of the Games inspires excitement and high morale, gradually followed by fatigue, and finally a resurgence of energy as the Games wind down. This emotional roller coaster must be factored into your operational assessment, and you should plan in advance for staff absences or illness.
Staff recruitment
If you decide you need more staff, where will they come from? VANOC and its suppliers plan to recruit as many as 55,000 staff and volunteers, thus straining your ability to tap local talent. Therefore, a comprehensive recruitment plan will be necessary. Mobile youth from across Canada, or international youth with working holiday visas is one way to obtain temporary help; using go2’s resume database and posting 2010 jobs on go2's job board can help you tap into these labour pools.
Note: If your temporary help comes from out of town, ensure beforehand that they have access to lodgings, since housing, especially in Whistler, will be extremely tight during the Games. Some businesses have set up cots in their back rooms in the event unforeseen difficulties arise.
Training your new staff
Your new workers will benefit from customer service training such as that provided by WorldHost® Training Services, a series of dynamic and interactive customer service workshops to support people working in service industries. WorldHost® is widely available, click here for more information.
If you are serving food or alcohol, you will need to know your legal requirements for Serving It Right and FOODSAFE. Serving It Right is a self-study program, which can be taken online, by mail or in person. More information is at www.servingitright.com
The FOODSAFE by Correspondence course is a simple alternative to the FOODSAFE classroom course and is ideal for busy people who require a convenient way to study and take the exam. Information about all FOODSAFE course options can be found at www.foodsafe.ca
Retaining all staff
Because of the numerous temporary job opportunities generated by the Games, you’ll need to spend a good deal of time and energy keeping both your temporary help and permanent staff engaged and happy. For example, allow all of your workers to have time to enjoy the Games and attend events. Many employers are offering retention bonuses and many other non-cash incentives and recognition programs, such as providing a television at the workplace so they can watch some of the competitions. Consult with your staff and ask them all what they want to get out of the Games and accommodate them as much as you can in your staffing model.
Emergency preparedness
Last but hardly least, consider the following. It’s feasible that the H1N1 virus or the seasonal flu may peak during the Games. Combine this with snowstorms and transit stretched to capacity, and you have a recipe for massive work absenteeism. Therefore, you should strongly consider building redundancy into your workforce. Don’t be cheap. Don’t be lean. If disaster strikes, over-preparedness and overstaffing will pay off in spades.
For more employer resources on staff planning for the 2010 Winter Games, click here to visit the Tourism & 2010 section.