Get More From Less: Performance Management Series (Part 4 of 4)
The final step (in this outline—you may think of more steps, and please share if you do…) is to hold lifeguard accountable for both their positive and negative actions. We ask a lot of lifeguards; tough hours, a repetitive task, 100% vigilance, and, on top of it all the pressure of knowing that lives are at stake if they should fail in their assigned tasks. Lifeguards are professionals, and should be respected and treated as such when they perform as professionals. Likewise, the consequences for failing to live up to the high standard set for them should be equally stringent.
The best way to respect lifeguards as professionals is to pay them like professionals—not the low wages that YMCA and JCC lifeguards ordinarily receive. Unfortunately the lifeguard pay scale is usually not the decision of the aquatics director, and budgets that are already stretched thin make it difficult to pay good lifeguards a wage commensurate with their skills and responsibilities. That means that we need to find alternative ways to reward lifeguards for a job well done. Get creative; a lifeguard of the month program, a reserved parking spot, local gift certificates, and YMCA or JCC gear can all be used as incentives for exceptional performance.
Positive reinforcement and the recognition of a job well done is the best way to promote performance management and to foster high morale among your team of lifeguards. A complete system of accountability, though, requires both the carrot and the stick: in addition to rewarding good behavior, we must address and remediate guards that fail to do the job.
Most minor infractions—failing to wear the uniform properly, wearing sneakers on deck, etc.—can be addressed simply by calling the problem to the guard’s attention and explaining why there is a problem and what the ramifications will be for future infractions. Major infractions—texting while in the lifeguard stand, or leaving the pool unattended for example—must be dealt with immediately. Such disregard for the safety of the swimmers in the pool should be met with termination of the employee’s employment, or at the very least removal from the pool deck until the employee receives remedial training.
The area in the middle presents a more difficult problem. Where lifeguards are consistently mediocre, where they follow protocols but have poor results in scanning or skills audits, then the problem must be addressed even without one specific incident to draw on. In this case, you will need to be very attentive in making the lifeguard aware of the deficiencies and coaching that guard to better results in the future. However, if a lifeguard, despite attention and additional training, can not or will not perform at the high level that is demanded, then it is necessary to find that person a different job at the YMCA or JCC—one where the lives of members are not directly at stake.
Remember to tie the rewards and remediation you use to quantifiable good performance, not just maintenance of the status quo. Track the response times for manikin or silhouette drops, track performance on skills audits and rescue drills, and collect member feedback from Quick Check cards. Using quantifiable measures will ensure that you are impartial and consistent in how lifeguards are held accountable for their actions.