Employee onboarding process for Recreational Clubs: a first week that includes the members
A new attendant, bartender or trainer is judged by members from the first morning. A short first week that covers the club's rules, its people and its customs saves both the staff member and the manager a good deal of trouble.
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Share your requirementsWhy employee onboarding process matters in recreational clubs
New club staff are often put on shift on day one because the roster is short. They learn the rules by being corrected in front of a member. A new bartender does not know that a certain table is held for a long-standing member. A new lifeguard has not been shown where the first aid kit sits or who calls whom in an emergency.
A planned first week gives the person a tour of every section, the rules members care about, the safety points for their own area, and a named buddy. It also sets out pay dates, uniform, duty hours and who to ask. By the end of the week the manager and the new joiner both know what the job really is.
How to set it up
1. Prepare before the person arrives
Uniform, locker, ID card, a roster entry and a named buddy should be ready. A new joiner who waits for a uniform on day one forms an early view of the club.
2. Walk through every section
A half-day tour with the manager or a senior, meeting pool, gym, courts, bar, banquet and grounds staff. Explain how the sections depend on each other.
3. Explain the club's customs and the rules
Member etiquette, guest rules, how to address office bearers, and what the staff must never do. Write them on one page and talk through them.
4. Teach the safety points for the role
Emergency numbers, first aid kit location, pool and gym rules, and who takes charge. The health and safety work can supply the content.
5. Check in on day three and day ten
The manager asks what has been confusing, what members said and whether pay and hours are as understood. Note the answers and fix what can be fixed.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Ask the last three joiners what they wish they had been told on day one.
- Check that uniform and ID are ready before a new person's first shift.
- See whether each new staff member has a named buddy for the first fortnight.
- Look at how many joiners left within two months and the reasons given.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach employee onboarding process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Pair them with a buddy and keep them on tasks away from difficult members. Complete the tour and rules page within the first three days, not the first month.
A shorter version of it. Cover the rules, the member manners, safety points and who to call. A camp helper who knows these will make fewer mistakes than a regular who was never told.
Pick someone steady in the same section who explains well, not simply the senior. Tell them the time is part of the job and recognise it in their appraisal.