Having recently taken over the management of Whitlam Leisure Centre, Rosie Keogh spent her first couple of weeks learning the landscape and identifying areas where team members needed more support or training.
In the current climate, with COVID-19 restrictions and reduced capacities in the venue, Rosie noticed a trend of patrons becoming increasingly agitated with the restrictions in place and staff were unsure of the best way to approach these situations.
Rosie said, “I decided to hold a de-escalation training session which I put together based on my observations within our venue, in addition to feedback from staff around what areas they would like covered.
I devised a two-hour training which incorporated videos, role-plays scenarios and discussion around issues specific to our venue and our demographic.”
Rosie sent out a feedback form after the session and the feedback was very positive! “The feedback I received was that they all appreciated the training specific to our venue and the issues they deal with on a daily basis.”
Team members enjoyed the fact that they could air their concerns directly with the management team and were given direct and honest answers.
“Holding a session such as this gave me direct access to the staff on the ground, and I could hear exactly from their perspective what areas within the venue they were finding challenging. The training session was open to all departments so it also gave staff some perspective and understanding of the role each person plays in the day to day running of a large centre and how we can all work together to get the best outcome for the customer,” Rosie concluded.
