Vol. 9 No. 5 May 2008
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Riding Out The Tough Times
Last month, I got a call that I don’t like to take, but I always do. In fact, I haven’t had many of these calls in the past few years, but unfortunately, they are picking up. A woman was on the line, complaining that she had been laid off from a major locals casino after eight years on the job. She told me she expected more loyalty from her employer since she had given them her loyalty and effort for the past eight years.
I explained how hard times have hit Las Vegas for the first time in many years and that I sympathized with her plight. But I also explained that because payroll is invariably the largest piece of a casino’s expenses, jobs will be one of the first places to cut back. I explained that all gaming companies have investors and the duty of corporate management is to run a profitable business so investors are satisfied with the returns. Or at the very least, don’t lose more money than is necessary.
I also told her that within a year or so, those huge new behemoths on the Las Vegas Strip are going to start hiring and anyone who lost a job, will have a good chance of finding another one there or in one of the other casinos that lose workers who move to the new Strip casinos.
But as you can imagine, all my sympathy, justification and hope for the future fell on deaf ears. After all, she is facing an uncertain future with not many prospects right away. And she was understandably bitter about it.
This is a sad situation and one that everyone may confront at some time in their careers.
So what can you do to avoid this situation, or at least prepare for it?
First of all, in this situation, it’s just not enough to “do your job.” You have to make yourself even more valuable than employees who are loyal and do what is expected of them. For front-line employees, you have to deliver a quality guest experience each and every time you interact with a customer.
Secondly, you have to show an interest in your job and your company. Talk to your supervisor often. Find out what they think about how the business is going. Discuss the type of customers who arrive. Listen to their opinion on how you should approach certain situations. A supervisor is often consulted about who may be laid off, and a genuine interest in the job and company may keep you off that list.
In these trying days, a casino or a casino company will try to cut costs in any way possible. Their goal is to cut costs without impacting customer service, but that isn’t always possible. If you make your guests wait to check in for 40 minutes because there are two less front desk clerks on duty at any given time, all your cost cutting has been for naught.
But it’s often a numbers game. I know a casino where every department was given the directive to cut costs by 10 percent. In some cases, the last ones hired are the first ones fired. In other cases, it’s a matter of your reviews and your experience.
No one likes to lose their job. But during this tough time, you can prepare for this by not getting further into debt than you already are. This is good advice even if you keep your job. With the costs of everything rising so quickly (especially gas!), it’s a smart move to keep your payments steady so that you can ride out the tough times.
Remember, this won’t last forever. The economy always bounces back. If you lose your job, there are things you can do to prepare for the future, whether it be training for a new position or resuming your education.
But the bottom line is if you pay attention to the details, there’s every chance you’ll succeed in whatever you do.
