Odds are you can find a job at a casino if you’re looking for one. From slot attendants to dealers, hotel front desk, and housekeeping – casino job openings are in abundance as the gaming industry struggles to close the gap on the talent shortage. While the rate of gambling services workers is projected to grow 24 percent from 2020 to 2030, the gaming industry needs workers now to keep up with the demand at casinos. With an average of 20,500 openings for gambling services workers projected each year over the next decade, one thing is clear – once you hire great employees, it’s important to keep them from leaving. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing valuable employees in a very tight labor market.
The employee engagement jackpot
The loss of tenured employees can be especially damaging to a casino if they decide to work and share key business insights with a competitor. The best recruitment strategy focuses on retaining skilled employees. Hiring and onboarding new employees is a significant investment. How do you attract and retain skilled talent at your casino? For starters, employee engagement is key. According to a survey by the American Gaming Association, casino employees say they receive good pay (75%) and good benefits (74%), yet some of the less tangible aspects of their work lives, such as being treated well by their company (80%), being able to make use of their skills and training (80%), and striking a good work/life balance (77%) have contributed significantly to their employee experience. A less engaged employee may be more likely to miss work reducing the efficiency and productivity within casino operations, which could ultimately impact profits. So, what are some of the ways you can help boost employee engagement? Consider anything from automating surveys to collect feedback, offering financial wellness tools, empowering your staff with a mobile app, or even creating schedules that prioritize the needs of your employees.
All bets are off with flexible staffing models
To build a great workplace and culture that engages, motivates, and retains casino employees you need to understand what your employees care about and help them when it matters most. Access to the right tools, insights, and expertise can help engage the casino workforce. For example, providing casino employees access to a robust HR platform that allows them to seamlessly access pay, benefits, time, performance, and other types of key information right from their personal devices can help them feel connected to their jobs no matter where they are. It also gives employees anytime access to key processes like benefits enrollment and direct deposit, while allowing them to submit timesheets and vacation requests at their convenience. Hourly casino workers can also feel empowered to influence their own schedules by easily requesting shift swaps or coverage requests — eliminating the need for manager approval, resulting in fast and seamless schedule changes that put the employees in control. Flexibility extends beyond scheduling and providing employees with the elasticity to learn other roles, while expanding their skill sets can also increase employee satisfaction and ultimately help reduce turnover.
Play your cards right by cross-training employees
Cross-training employees in multiple roles can help you retain talent as this allows employees to improve their skillsets and continue to further their careers within the industry. In addition, offering employees training and the ability to pursue other roles, can play a factor in improving employee engagement due to increased control and responsibility in their jobs. Having employees available to work different roles also provides casinos and their employees greater flexibility from a scheduling standpoint as there would be more options to fill a role if a worker were to call out, helping to reduce worker gaps on the casino floor. Not to mention, allocating the right team member to the right work, at the right time, allows you to deliver exceptional customer service on the casino floor. Managing flexibility can become challenging to do manually. Having the right tools in place can automate your scheduling in order to have staff with the right skills and availability in the right place every time — across all locations – all while ensuring employees aren’t overworked. Ultimately, cross-training casino workers is a win-win for employees, the casino, and its guests.
In the end, the key to retaining your employees is by going ALL IN on them. Offering employees the tools and flexibility ranging from seamless scheduling to training opportunities that allow for career growth, and beyond – are key to keeping your employees happy. And, if your employees are happy your guests will be too.
Discover how UKG™ solutions streamline HR and workforce management processes so your staff can focus on taking care of your casino guests.
