April 2009 - Posts
The first and most basic step in lifeguard performance management is to ensure that lifeguards are supervised whenever they are in the stand. This does not mean that you need to be on the deck personally every minute of the day, but it does mean that you need to have a plan to make sure that lifeguards are monitored and held accountable for their performance at all times. Best practice is to have someone—yourself or another responsible manager or supervisor—on deck approximately every thirty minutes. This is commonly referred to as the “thirty-minute rule” for managers. There is no substitute for personal presence on the pool deck—“MBWA” (Managing by Walking Around)—but there are other ways to...
We all know how easy it is to have protocols—each aquatics office is full of books, binders, and filing cabinets full of policies, best practices, rules, and guidelines. The hard part is translating those policies and procedures into practices—getting the safety out of the books and on the pool deck. When the safety stays in the books—when there is a gap between our policies and our practices, between what we saying we are doing and what we are actually doing—accidents happen. Performance management closes the gap. Performance management means getting everything out of the limited staff resources you have. It makes sure you are getting everything that you are paying for. But getting the most...
In an effort to increase revenue and to expand programming, some YMCAs make the decision to provide aquatics services for residential homeowners—most commonly swim lessons and lifeguard services. Although these programs can bring in a few dollars and can have some benefit for the YMCA and the homeowner, the added risk and liability the YMCA incurs far outweighs the benefits. And how many dollars can the programs really bring in? After we add the cost of the swim instructor, the lifeguard, time and miles for transportation, set-up and supervision time for the aquatics director, the increase in revenue is minimal at best. And in return for the minimal revenue increase, the YMCA exposes itself to...