04 Feb

The Word – 2/3/2016

Sunday Funday

The mountain is now open until 10pm every Sunday through the end of February!

*Reminder: Multiweek programs continue through this weekend then will be taking a break for the holiday President’s weekend. Don’t forget the Tye Creek Deli is serving breakfast for employees from 7:30-10:00am, for $0.35/ounce!

 

Weekend Craziness

As you all will have noticed, the snow this season is meaning visitation numbers are staying high and every weekend we are maxing out on the hill and in the parking lots. This is one of the factors that has led to guests arriving earlier and earlier to the resort which is now beginning to impact the morning commute to work, particularly on the west-side of the mountain. Please try to factor this in to your travel plans, and remember that employee transit is still free on weekends for those that want to avoid the hassle and stress of the traffic and driving up.

For the most part we are riding a rollercoaster that we need to see through to the end; given that many of our products, pricing and program commitments are set in stone now through the end of the season. Having said that we are past the peak and things typically slow down and open up on weekends once we reach the end of February. Moving forward into next season and beyond we would like to point out that there are a lot of discussions happening at a senior/executive level about what this pattern means for our business long term. We fully recognize that when we fill up to bursting at the seams, that the guest and employee experience suffers as a result and that we are looking to address the balance between volume and quality for both guests and employees for next year and beyond.

At this point there is nothing concrete to report, but please stay tuned for more new on this leading into the Spring.

 

Holiday Week Help

The next Holiday Period is creeping up on us. Monday February 15th is Presidents Day and man school districts are out for mid-winter break that Monday 15th – Friday 19th meaning our lesson volume will be much higher than a normal midweek.

Full Timers: As was defined when you were hired, the week of the Presidents Holiday is a holiday week and the expectation is that full timers are available to work 6 days. Please let us know if you would like to bank hours and add a 7th day, or if you have concerns about working 6 days. For those putting in extra time, please let us know if you would like an extra day off either the week before or after.

Part Timers: If anyone is interested in picking up additional hours mid-week Feb 15-19th please let us know. If you were interested in trading some shifts to have time off in March let us know…we’re open to bargaining!

 

Checking your Pay

if you’ve been wondering how to check your pay and your daily hours we now have a webpage explaining just how to do that. Please check out the page here

If you would like to track your Development Credits, Private Request Hours and Training Hours, to determine how this affects your earnings this is explained as well. These values will be input along with your pay on a bi-weekly basis. Please note that as of right now the values are correct up to 1/3/2016. We were hoping to do another update this week but have been delayed due to technical reasons! We will let you know once we have got this up and running again.

The page also outlines how to print physical copies of Paystubs and W2 forms.

Please let us know if you have any questions about how to interpret the information. We apologize that there are a few different systems to work with, unfortunately that is the nature of how payroll works at Stevens.

 

Return Students

As a school we are currently at 2,900 return students through Jan 31st! Once we hit 3,000 we will be planning a fun celebration! Your return student bonus for the season to date is included on this weeks pay check! Remember: $1 per return student–motivation to turn in your class cards at the end of the day and write your name legibly.

 

We Won the Snow Sculpture Contest!

Thanks for everyone that helped out with our sculpture– we won a $100 SnoDough for the school, which will be used for a future employee party! Just more proof that we are the coolest department on the mountain 😉

Things We Need In The Locker Room?

If you are noticing something that would be helpful in the locker room or anything we should replace or purchase to make your lives easier and the locker room more functional please let us know!

 

Kudos Board

Lots of awesome feedback this week. Here is just a few of the highlights including the name of the guest if any of them made an impression on you!

Your instructors for the youth (Child’s 3-6 yrs old) are great! My child felt comfortable and was able to learn in a fun inviting environment!  – Tom

Monique the instructor was perfect for our kids. She was fantastic.  – Josh

“Hannah was a great instructor and the first one who was actually able to help me figure out what the problem was and why I was having so much difficulty mastering turns ” – Sarah

“Trent was fantastic and very friendly. Helped me learn a lot in a very short time. ” – Ted

“Jason Luck made the class entertaining and fun. He’s very patient and nice to all of us. Great experience!” – Alix

“Amanda was a great instructor. She gave me valuable information to help improve my skiing. She was kind, was a clear communicator, and was able to share information in a way that made sense. I enjoyed my lesson with her.” – Jeannie

“Dave was there to greet me at the lesson and introduce me to the instructor, Keenan.  They were both enthusiastic, friendly and professional.” – Janine

“My instructor was Jonathan and he did a wonderful job. He gave me clear instructions and challenged me. I had a lot of fun!” – Anthony

“We absolutely loved Jake. He was extra encouraging and was always there to show us pointers and tell us what we were doing and how to correct it. ” – Linda

“Josh was great, I told him what I needed to work on and we went right to that until I had it down before moving on.” – Jason

“Isabelle was great! She boosted my confidence and got me on a Blue run!” – Mallory

“Lisandro was our instructor. He was just awesome! I couldn’t make any progress in my previous lessons but he was different. I was able to learn a lot under his guidance.” – Dumanshu

“Experience with Russ Peterson was amazing! He is definitely a great teacher. Enjoyed the lesson and found it quite useful.” – Olga

“Kirk H was amazing! He had such detailed attention to each member in the lesson and provided clear tips and points for improvement. By the end of the class, every student noticed a significant improvement in their performance. ” – Tasnova

“Katie Miller was really awesome, she paid lots of attention to each of us. Really good at explaining what to do. Made me feel safe and confident.” – Ted

“Grayson explained the techniques and gave corrective feedback very well. I was able to snowboard downhill and felt very confident. Great instructor! ” – Brooksie

“After 7-8 years without skiing, I found out how much I miss it. The Stevens Pass Experience really showed me that. ” – Ed