Theme Park Staffing Issues

[Secret Weapon]

I think an increase in gate prices to reduce demand would not only improve guests days but improve staff morale and retention.

True, but this is a double-edged sword as higher gate price = higher guest expectations

 

[Poisson]

And the fixes have the issue of OpEx being decided remotely, not locally. The specific issues relating to Towers are not felt in Chessie/Thorpe/Lego or in Poole.

True, but this is a double-edged sword as higher gate price = higher guest expectations

Towers has most of what it needs to be a quality park, it just needs allowing to be one.

 

[Thameslink Rail]

The specific issues relating to Towers are not felt in Chessie/Thorpe/Lego or in Poole.

Sorry to be pedantic, Merlin head office moved to London in 2024

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

 

[Secret Weapon]

I thought there was a big push for companies to move companies away from London?

Apparently not!

 

[Bert2theSpark]

I think another aspect that shouldn't be overlooked is the abuse front-line staff get when the system collapses. "Be nice to our staff" posters aren't going to cut it when guests are angry that they've only got on three rides all day. For that reason, I think an increase in gate prices to reduce demand would not only improve guests days but improve staff morale and retention.

Customer anger has always been an issue and since COVID it’s only gotten way more prevalent due to the amount of emotionally stunted adults (of all ages) who have the expectation that anyone wearing a uniform is there to serve their exact needs whenever they want.

This has exploded even in public sector (councils, NHS, transport etc) roles, it is crazy that so many adults that seemingly have everything have the emotional awareness of a high school student, putting up signs reminding people saying “please be nice to our staff” is useless wherever you go because the people who have temper tantrums will not even read them. Only way to deal with them is to remove them from the situation entirely for poor behaviour, because they do not capability to process their anger in the moment.

 

[Matt N]

Very informative posts @GooseOnTheLoose!

One question I do have, however, is; why do you feel that JCB is a factor now in a way that it may not have been in prior decades? JCB has operated out of Rocester for decades.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Very informative posts @GooseOnTheLoose!

One question I do have, however, is; why do you feel that JCB is a factor now in a way that it may not have been in prior decades? JCB has operated out of Rocester for decades.

An excellent question as always!

The difference between then and now essentially boils down to the fact that the local talent pool has shrunk, whilst JCB's requirements have grown.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, there was simply a large enough pool of local, working age tradespeople to happily feed both the theme park and the digger factory. Today, as we've established, that demographic pool is extremely shallow.

JCB also requires significantly more mechanics than they used to. They've expanded their Staffordshire footprint massively over the last two decades to meet global export demand. When a corporate giant scales up its operations that aggressively in a shrinking local labour market, they vacuum up all of the available talent.

The role of a theme park maintenance engineer has also evolved. Keeping the Corkscrew or the Blade running was predominantly a heavy mechanical endeavour, whereas modern rides are incredibly complex; relying heavily on PLCs, intricate sensor networks and advanced software systems. Alton Towers desperately need highly qualified, multi-disciplinary electro mechanical technicians. JCB need the exact same, highly specific tier of advanced engineering talent to run their newly automated, robotic assembly lines.

When both employers have to fight over the exact same, very small pool of highly skilled candidates, the company that can offer the most lucrative, year round, secure and comfortable manufacturing contract wins. Every single time.

JCB was always a competitor, but they used to be a competitor Alton Towers could coexist with. Not really so much any more.

 

[Poisson]

JCB have also responded well to the financial challenges faced by their staff and pay a good wage for the economic conditions. They demand a lot, but give a lot in a better environment.

 

[Secret Weapon]

For what it's worth, I can't currently see any AT vacancies on the Merlin website (other than a few minor jobs in the hotels, etc).

If AT fail to recruit enough staff before the season begins, then do they continue hiring during the season itself, or do they draw a line under it and make do with what they have (running rides on a limited capacity if required), due to having to arrange training and shift patterns in advance?

The long, unpaid commute essentially extends the working day without compensation. In the 90s, youths accepted this friction. Today, they do not have to.

AT must be unique in this regard, as the conventional wisdom is that people in Britain are finding it more difficult to find jobs today than during the 1990s

Remote locations often struggle with recruitment, though, as I know that the Dounreay power plant (at the northern tip of Scotland) struggles to recruit and retain staff