EVT61704 Chp 11 Human Resource PDF

EVT61704 Sustainable Event Management Chapter 11 Human Resource Learning Outcomes 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management 2. Issues & Challenges People People Planet Planet Profit Profit 2 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management EVENT STAFFING Events are about people people who attend events, peop...

EVT61704 Sustainable Event Management Chapter 11 Human Resource Learning Outcomes 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management 2. Issues & Challenges People People Planet Planet Profit Profit 2 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management EVENT STAFFING Events are about people people who attend events, people who staff them, and people who manage it all. Whether you’re managing a large event venue, planning a conference, or overseeing a festival, sporting event, or concert - the key to success is strategic event staff scheduling and communication. https://info.shiftboard.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Content/Shiftboard_Event_Scheduling_Guide.pdf 3 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Events can be organised by: professionals (commercial) event organisers Local or national government Not-for-profit organisations Staffing at events can be: In-house (direct employees) Outsourced to professional agency or specialist recruitment Seasonal Casual Temporary Volunteers Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 4 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management EVENT STAFFING The event staffing component can be chaotic and particularly complex, because finding event staff and volunteers with the correct skills, and getting those people to the right place at the right time, is an enormous undertaking. PROPER EVENT STAFFING INCLUDES: Matching the people with the right skills to the right tasks Seamless logistics planning and implementation Constant communication https://info.shiftboard.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Content/Shiftboard_Event_Scheduling_Guide.pdf 5 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Employees & Independent Contractors - Differences Employees Independent Contractors Ongoing, full-time or exclusive work and may be terminated at will Contracted for specific project or time period Has required work schedule and location Decides when and where to work Is told how to perform work, in what order and particular tools to use Determine how to do work, processes and what tools to use May be trained and instructed Does not receive training Required to attend meetings and give regular reports Attend meetings or give regular reports as stipulated in contract Paid hourly/monthly wages or subject to government minimum wage and overtime laws Negotiates and sets own rates, including fixed price amounts Reimbursed for all expenses required for work Responsible for own costs and expenses, bears risks of loss, Provides own tools and equipment Work is performed in a business primary service Markets services to public and works with multiple clients READING: Contingent Workers - Are They Right For Your Company? https://www.upwork.com/hiring/enterprise/whats-a-contingent-worker-and-are-they-right-for-your-company/ 6 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Pros & Cons of a Contingent Workforce Advantages Access to a larger talent pool Work with the best talent available globally Fill talent gaps quickly and shrink turnaround times Scale talent up and down as needed Increase agility and innovate faster No need to pay various taxes and staff benefits (social security, insurance, medical and sick leave) Free full-time staff to work on other critical tasks Gain new perspectives and experiences Disadvantages Increased worker compliance risks Communication challenges with remote talent Availability is not guaranteed, when needed No control over work execution or quality Requires a different work management approach https://www.upwork.com/hiring/enterprise/whats-a-contingent-worker-and-are-they-right-for-your-company/ 7 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Hiring of Event Staff – What You Need to Consider 1. Understand the client’s event expectations – to cover deliverables for a successful event 2. The budget – determine if the budget can cover the required number of staff and the skills needed 3. Additional staff required to cover gaps in the current team and the expertise needed 4. Understand the regulations with hiring event staff – especially for events at new destinations 5. Thoroughly interview and vet candidates – ensure that sufficient time is allocated for recruitment. 6. Know the key roles and let the appointed staff know their responsibilities prior to the event 7. Communication is vital - stay connected with the event staff throughout the event, with a briefing before the event and to wrap up each day of the event. https://www.socialtables.com/blog/event-planning/staff-for-event/ 8 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Staff Management - The Role of Technology Management of staff and volunteers for events can be very laborious and time intensive. An event planning and event scheduling software could help with the following: 1. Registration: Tracking from basic contact information to details about their qualifications and skills, you need to know your staff and volunteers. Gather and track every detail, and clarify whether a volunteer completed important steps like orientation, training, and credential verification. 2. Crew and Team Segmentation: When dealing with hundreds or thousands of staff and volunteers, you may need to break them into smaller teams. You can segment by job or role (e.g., ticket takers, set-up crews, concessions, emergency healthcare staff), by specific venues, or locations. https://info.shiftboard.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Content/Shiftboard_Event_Scheduling_Guide.pdf 9 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Staff Management - The Role of Technology (cont’d) 3. Shift Sign-Up and Assignment: Manually matching people with positons is difficult and timeconsuming. Using a software where staff and volunteers can pick up shifts and keep track of their assignments would be time efficient and less labour intensive. 4. Shift Trading: Life is chaotic, schedules change, and no-shows happen. A software could provides realtime access to staff schedules, which helps remove the burden of managers facilitating shift trades by allowing the event workforce to trade directly with one another, while allowing oversight if needed https://info.shiftboard.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Content/Shiftboard_Event_Scheduling_Guide.pdf 10 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Staff Management - The Role of Technology (cont’d) 5. Maps and Locations: Where do staff park or sign in? A system using interactive Google Maps would provide staff and volunteers easily pinpoint locations and access the address with directions and details they need. 6. Check-In: A thoughtful check-in process means everyone can easily clock in and managers can see who is or isn’t on. Using mobile check-in or QR codes, managers can receive automatic alerts notifying them of potential tardiness or absence, eliminating the need to manually monitor attendance. https://info.shiftboard.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Content/Shiftboard_Event_Scheduling_Guide.pdf 11 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Staff Management - The Role of Technology (cont’d) 7. Meal Vouchers: Staff and volunteers receiving meal vouchers would save time without waiting in queues. QR codes or mobile bar codes would enable streamline on-site voucher redemption, clocking in and out, identity verification, and access control. 8. Broadcast Communication: Whether notifying a specific crew that their check-in location has changed, or sending a post-event thank-you message to the entire team, communicating to all or part of your workforce is an essential part of event operations. An automated communication tool is a quick and efficient method which removes the need for manually notifying and alerting your team of changes and updates. https://info.shiftboard.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Content/Shiftboard_Event_Scheduling_Guide.pdf 12 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Volunteers & Sustainable Events Events and festivals are heavily dependent on volunteer labour. Smaller events may require fewer volunteers but still may require volunteer support. Event organisers have to consider: Sourcing - Where volunteers come from? Roles – What expertise/skills can they offer? Security – Who are they? Need to check background Motivation - Why volunteers give up their free time to support events? Process - How should volunteers be managed? Staff and Volunteers can come from: Direct recruitment by event organisers Outsourced to recruitment agencies Event participants – participants (junior or amateur) are volunteers themselves or nominate family and friends to support Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 13 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Volunteers Management - Motivations Event volunteer motivation is complex. Good volunteer management strive to match volunteer’s interests and skills with the appropriate role. Event organisers may need to identify motivations of event volunteers. Studies have shown that volunteers are attracted to:  specific type of events (e.g. golf, charity)  prestigious events because it may be a once-in-alifetime opportunity  events with access to meet performers or celebrities  attend events for free  gain experience to further enhance their skills Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 14 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Volunteers Management - Motivations (cont’d) Various research have developed scales to examine the motivations of event volunteers. The Special Event Volunteer Motivation Scale (SEVMS), a widely used scale developed by Farrell, Johnston and Twynam (1998), identified 4 categories of motivations: 1. Purposive – contribution to community and events which is linked to altruism (concern for welfare of others) 2. Solidary – social interaction and personal development 3. External traditions – external obligations linked to extrinsic motivations 4. Commitments – fulfilling obligations to events or community Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 15 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Volunteers Management - Motivations (cont’d) https://www.newmantuition.co.uk/motivation-intrinsic-vs-extrinsic/ 16 1. Event Staffing & Volunteer Management Volunteers Management - Process There are several ways to organise event volunteers. A widely used method is the “Programme Management” approach, which involves treating volunteers as unpaid staff, with typical human resource management processes (Holmes & Smith, 2009). This method is managed in-house by either a paid or voluntary coordinator as follows:  1st step: Identify the number of volunteers and their skill levels  2nd step: Develop job description for each role needed for the event  3rd step: Recruitment and selection process – meet volunteers (individually or in groups) to determine their suitability for various roles.  4th step: Training before the event and supervision during the event Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 17 2. Issues & Challenges Regardless of the specific situation, your event staff will be diverse and may include full-time, part-time, contingent (outsourced), and volunteer workers. #1: This is a complex event staffing scenario. Traditional event staff scheduling often relies on disjointed tools and manual efforts ranging from paper and pencil, whiteboards, and spreadsheets to sign-in sheets, email, and phone trees. #2: These manual systems are inefficient and increase the chance for human error. Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 18 2. Issues & Challenges #3: Events create many job opportunities but may be not attractive due to following inconsistencies: Periodic or Seasonal – not always ongoing, not stable Casual – temporary not full time Laborious – strenuous and hard work Intensive – long hours during peak periods Uncertain - subject to changes between planning and operations phases Recommendations: Event organisers can maintain a pool of staff or volunteers as follows: Offer jobs for several events to even out high and low period Offer enhanced skills training with upgraded pay Offer change of roles to vary job intensity Offer incentives for good performance Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 19 2. Issues & Challenges Challenges for Volunteers Management #4: Volunteer labour is not free. Costs incurred on volunteers include: Recruitment (advertisement, agency fees) Reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses (travelling, meals) Training, Selection and Supervision Uniform and equipment supply Rewards or Incentives (getting certificate or letters of appreciation) Recommendations - To prevent exploitation of volunteers goodwill, especially for commercial (profit making) events, event organisers can offer: Paid allowances to cover travel and meals Free entry to events of off days Benefits to family or friends (discounted tickets) Recognition with “Thank You” gifts or awards (certificates, special edition t-shirts, exclusive dinner) Referrals or recommendations for career advancement Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 20 2. Issues & Challenges Challenges for Community Events #5: Various other challenges - Community events often: do not have paid staff rely on local residents who volunteer their time volunteers may not have required skills do not have succession plans can outgrow to be too large for the local community to manage loses its original objectives and disconnects with the local community Recommendations - Successful and sustainable community events can Be outsourced to professional event organisers Be handed over to government when it gets too large for the community to handle Ensure the original objectives are continued and do not change when different organisers manage it Source: Events And Sustainability - Holmes, Hughes, Mair & Carlsen (2015) 21 Discussion #1 Discuss and list the pros and cons of engaging contingent workers for a sustainability event READING: Chp 11 Pros and Cons to a Contingent Workforce 22 Discussion #2 The 29th SEA games held in Kuala Lumpur required 10,000 volunteers for various positions at various locations. It was also heralded as the first “green games” and 1,000 green volunteers were recruited. Discuss the recruitment process for the green volunteers. 23 Discussion #3 Research on events where the participants are also volunteers. Discuss the pros and cons 24