Category: Year In Review

6/17/2018

Cutting Season

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Tips on how to deal with budget cuts and employee turnover

Summer is almost here and in the world of higher education, that means some staff are probably transitioning to new roles and the search for new employees has begun. Across the nation, funding for education is dwindling. This topic hits close to home as Western Kentucky University had to lay people off and slash budgets across the board; therefore, I named this era “Cutting Season.” Fitness fanatics out there may have thought, “Wait, cardio and clean eating?” No, no my fitness friend, today we will discuss tips on how to move forward when you are faced with a budget cut and how to deal with employee turnover. Globetrotter Wellness Solutions will help you prevail through all seasons of peaks and valleys.

Budgets

Re-strategize. Really analyze your programs and services to determine where to draw the line of what is and is not being successful. Think about your audience and what cut would affect the least amount of people. Also evaluating what is necessary and what is a luxury will lead to easier times through the cuts.
Organizational chart. Cutting season could be an opportunity to rethink your organizational chart and play on your employees’ strength. Does someone have a knack for marketing or is a great event planner? Mix and match job responsibilities to think outside the box.
Use Automated Systems. Dedicating a set of funds for automation systems is key. Before you think "this is just another expense" realize when a small investment will yield a large outcome. Using systems like Fitness Asset Manager and GroupEx PRO are cloud based programs that can save your organization 5-10 hours of personnel time for each program each week. That's time that your employees can be focusing on the core essentials of their job and the needs of the organization rather than duplicating procedures that a system can do.

Employees
When it comes to employee turnover, prevention is truly the key.

Recruitment. When hiring choose the best person for the job and think about the longevity of their career with your organization. Additionally, consider the cost of living in the area and job responsibilities to pay them appropriately.
On-boarding. There’s nothing worse than when a new employee starts and there’s no orientation, organization, or training procedure. This makes the employee feel there’s lack of structure. Training the new employee accurately and effectively will prevent hiccups further down the line. If possible, pairing them with someone as a mentor will make them feel valued and wanted so they can contribute their all to their new position.
Consistency in Operations. Build your business on systems that allow people to perform their best without any guess work. Create standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each role & program at your organization. I’m talking cheat sheets, how-to guides, and manuals. This will make any turnover smoother. Someone should be able to not know anything about a role, come in, read a guide and perform the job without fail.

Sometimes budget cuts and employee turnover are not preventable such as someone moving for their family or to accept a better opportunity. Be thankful that your organization served as a stepping stone for said individual. As a boss, it may be frustrating having frequent turnover. So don’t be afraid to ask why people are leaving or what they would change if they were the boss.

No one is going to stay with a certain organization forever. At the end of the day, humans are nomads and we are always on the move. Budgets cuts or turnover alike, be kind to those who come in and exit your life with grace and thank them for the lessons that they provide.

Cutting season doesn’t mean you have to cut connections, so stay in contact with those you want to!

To learn more, check out Steven Trotter's Building Rockstar Teams session at Athletic Business' 2018 show in New Orleans!

Alicia Everette
A millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach.

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12/30/2017

Cheers to the new year

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Let me begin by saying that New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays each year. That of course along with my birthday, Christmas, and Independence Day. New Year’s for 2017 was different. I would like to rank it up there with one of the worst New Year’s but honestly it might have been my saving grace. New Year’s Eve itself was fine. I was enjoying the night with friends at a neighborhood house party but something inside of me felt off; I felt unbalanced if that makes sense. We watched the ball drop, Mariah Carey make a memorable performance, and called it a night. Now just like most people, I’ve had my fair share of peaks and valleys in life but I wouldn’t consider myself depressed. Ginger Zee says so poetically in her latest book Natural Disaster: I cover them. I am one that storms don’t last forever and the sun will always shine again. Often times, we don’t know what we are truly made of until we have nothing else to lose. That night I fell asleep and in my dream I had glimpses of suicidal thoughts; thoughts that have never even crossed my mind before. I woke up in a cold sweat, with feelings I can’t even describe. I do know one thing though; after a few minutes of thoughts and trying to make sense of everything I settled one final thought, goal, promise, resolution: “Not this year 2017; you will not win. I. Am. The. Storm.”

2016 was a year where I needed to figure out the next step was for me, both professionally and personally. I knew there could be a chance that a promotion would open at my current institution but I wasn’t so sure that’s what I necessarily wanted. The universe had been working its magic for me and I began getting calls from national and international companies discussing national director positions with me and if I was interested in them. Some even dangled carrots in front of me such as more than 3 times my current salary, company cars, private jets, tour buses, and a life of luxury. All of these positions were great but would have only been stepping stones to get me closer to my dream, becoming an entrepreneur. I thought I should take one of these and once I saved enough money for 2-3 years then I would open my own company. I remember one company discussing how they liked to “hire to retire;” my heart skipped a beat. I had a flashback to participating in a study that another university’s IO Psych graduate department was doing on my department. One of the questions they asked was “How likely are you to see yourself retiring from this department?” and my Likert Scale response was strongly disagree. It’s not that I disliked my job, department, university, career, or that I was a flight risk but it was more that I couldn’t imagine seeing myself anywhere for 30 years. I am in my low 30s and I want to see the world; I’ve got goals and ambitions which include having a larger impact by working with multiple locations not just one institution. This makes perfect sense when you look at all the external committees, contracts, and speaking engagements I was already doing. I remember what I told myself when I came back to my institution in 2014 “Steven, you are going back for 3 years, save money, get out of debt, then move back to the beach and open a business or gym.” I was in the middle of year 3 and wasn’t completely out of debt yet but knew that sometimes you just have to jump and you’ll learn how to fly or as we like to say in the south, “shit or get off the pot.”

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Cutting Season

Alicia Everette
A millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach.

Cheers to the new year

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Cutting Season

Alicia Everette A millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach.

Cheers to the new year

Who we are

Look back at it

Categories

What We Do

Who We Are

How Can We Help

Alicia Everette
A millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach.