An Orleans executive recently described Joyce Reisig as “everyone’s best friend.”

How true. Employees regard their table-games scheduling coordinator as a link to company perks. Vacations, personal days, preferred off days and leaves of absences come through her desk. Management, conversely, trusts her to incorporate the variables into filled shifts.

Reisig displays a trusting, fair-minded job approach and spread her energy wisely. While there are three of her at some companies, Reisig accommodates more than 1,000 employees on all three shifts by working flexible hours.

For someone who spent 26 years dealing, scheduling is an interesting juggle.

“My job is to hopefully give the employees the time off they need,” Reisig says. “As a former dealer, I can relate to their needs. You try to operate a couple weeks ahead of time, but if something comes up suddenly, it’s good to try and work something out. The employees know that not everyone can have the time off, especially if we have a special event going on.

“But I do have a candy bowl on my desk that’s always filled,” she adds, laughing. “You might not get the day off, but you can always have a piece of candy.”

Reisig’s big-picture, best-buddy approach yields a deep level of understanding employees.

“Not everything ends up being black and white, there is a lot of grey matter to consider,” Reisig says. “Many times a person has a situation and just wants to tell someone about it. It’s important to listen. I like to be in contact with all the employees I work with, let them know they will not be treated like a number. Work is a big part of a person’s life. I’m here to accommodate their needs.”

Reisig prefers long-range planning, but learned not to etch them in stone. The Philadelphia legal secretary moved here in 1978 to position herself for the Atlantic City gambling era. Reisig enrolled in dealer’s school, learned a skill and figured to return east.

Whoops.

“I fell in love and got married,” Reisig says with a grin. “We’re married 28 years now. I was only going to stay here three months. That’s just fine with me. I went to dealer’s school in January 1978 and was working a month later.”

Vegas provided a personal and professional honeymoon. Reisig worked at the California and Stardust, as a dealer and supervisor. Before taking a buyout last November, and after nearly 30 years in the business, Reisig knew the role of employees and administrators.

“As a dealer, you’re involved with something confined to one table,” Reisig says. “It’s a group of customers that you have to please for that moment. As a scheduler, you have a whole casino you need to please. So your range of friendliness is way expanded. You walk out into the pits, ask questions, learn a lot of patience and develop understanding for situations.”

Reisig also displayed compassion. At the Stardust, she earned a community-based Jefferson Award. It recognized her annual Christmas show for needy children.

After viewing all employees as her children, Reisig could not stay away from the business. Three months after the buyout, she returned to the Boyd family.

Reisig even granted herself a perk. She took a June day off to attend her granddaughter’s graduation, but decided to stay near work.

The ceremony occurred in the Orleans Arena. It was a lightly-used perk, worthy of a day off and the candy.

By Dave Bontempo

Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.

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