Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/621102
34 / JANUARY.FEBRUARY.2016 RINKMAGAZINE.COM H ow many times have you walked into your rink on a relatively slow day to find an employee—or two or three— texting away on their phone or chatting to each other instead of paying attention to the rink and its customers? Odds are, it's a more common sight than most of us want to admit. It's usually followed up with the response: "There's just nothing to do." Arena managers know first-hand that there is always something to do. Rather than scold the employees or become frustrated yourself, give them something to do. Here are three ways to eliminate the "nothing to do" phrase from your employees' vocabulary. Make a List You can't be around all the time to tell your employees what needs to get done. Instead, make it simple for them and have a list ready and prepared to offer suggested work. Craig Petersen, manager of Mullett Ice Center located in Hartland, Wisconsin, posts a specific list outside of the office door to help guide his employees in the right direction. By breaking the lists down into five-, 10- and 15-minute duties, there is always something to do, no matter when the work-shift ends. Five-minute duties can be completed by almost anyone on your staff and should be duties that can be accomplished under normal circumstances. They are easy to start and stop in an instant. Ten-minute duties should also be easy enough for most staff members to complete and the tasks should be incorporated into job responsibilities. Fifteen-minute duties are more job- specific and usually have to be started and then finished all at once. These duties can be assigned all at once at the beginning of an employee's shift. An example of duties can be broken down as follows: 5-MINUTE DUTIES • Check/change restroom garbage • Clean public restroom mirrors • Clean restroom sinks • Take out office and concession garbage • Vacuum main office and skate room "Nothing to Do" Follow these three tips to remove that phrase from your staff's vocabulary by JESSI PIERCE