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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Topic: Megaplex Managers question. How do you use your ushers?
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Jeff Lacey
Film Handler
Posts: 54
From: Canton, MI, USA
Registered: Jun 2005
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posted 11-21-2006 01:20 AM
Back in the day at my 16 plex, the senior manager on duty assigned management personal to each work with a group of staff members. IE, one manager would take concessions, the other box and floor duties, while the other manager would work with the ushers. It seemed to work pretty well. Of course, you'd need three management on duty, but I don't think that is out of the question for a busy mega or multiplex.
If cost is of a concern or management lacking, I would consider making certain trustworthy staff members the captains or crew leaders. This way, you as a manager would have one point person in order to question where the ushers were and what they were doing.
Both examples have worked very well in all the locations that I have worked. I won't venture into the obvious fact that you should have quality staff members for your theater, but if they are lazy or telling you lies when you question them, why do you still have them on staff?
The whole issue here sounds more like a management issue than an employee issue. What happens when you're not there? Does the management let them do whatever they want? The key is to be consistent with the staff and have them well trained. The whole concept of being a manager is to manage the staff. You cannot do it all yourself and effort needs to be made on all members of management. It's been my experience that management fails the employee more often than employees fail management. Yelling or threatening them all the time will not work (as you are finding out). They need a leader of some type and someone to show them what you expect from them. Don't think that they will just get it. Someone either managment or the trainer is teaching them bad habits, and your job is to correct that.
On a side note, if its the same group of ushers working together all the time, mix up the crew. Like in hockey, if one line isn't working out, switch up the lines until it does.
Hope it helps!
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Jack Ondracek
Film God
Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 11-22-2006 05:26 PM
As has been said, management is a matter of providing leadership. You have a staff that needs direction, yet you say you want the system to run on its own.... not likely to happen.
As our theatre got busier, we started noticing problems like what you describe. Yes, there was some laziness involved, but we also had a lot of new employees, and nobody had emerged as a staff "leader". Things didn't get done, and nobody seemed to feel responsible. Bathrooms didn't get serviced as we'd like them to be, it took way too long to close the place down at night (read: increased payroll) and after the staff was gone we'd usually find things that weren't done right, if at all.
We fixed the problem by breaking down shift responsibilities into printed lists, then assigning tasks to specific staff members. That eliminated the finger-pointing and shoulder shrugging. The employee was on our time, he/she had a specific function, and he was taught that his job, and therefore his pay was tied to his performance in his assigned area.
Start by dividing up your theatre. Assign your screens, cleanup, bathrooms and auditorium checks among your ushers. Give each a list of show start/stop times and a written breakdown of what you expect during each performance and when. If necessary, the employee signs off on the list as things get done... a big pain, yes... but a fairly positive motivator.
If something doesn't get done, you have a specific person to chat with, rather than walking into the mess and asking "who didn't get this done"? The other ushers will appreciate not being lectured, if they're actually doing their jobs... and you can focus on any problem people directly.
If/when the staff settles into the routine, you can slack off a bit on direct assignments. They might actually get to the point where they split off to various rooms themselves. If things break down, go back to the formal list. They'll get the idea.
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