Pulse January / February 2021 | Page 39

MEMBER PERSPECTIVES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34
but Maes noticed a lot of people going to the Hudson Valley as an escape .
The Mirbeau Inn and Spa , which is a small location that markets many of its activities to small groups and features a boutique hotel of 49 rooms , was closed for about three months , but once it reopened , it worked past the staffing issues that have plagued so many spas around the world . There were a few staff members who were initially hesitant to return .“ As a company , we were considerate of that ,” Maes says .“ We didn ’ t want people to think that they had to either work or not work with us . We really paid a lot of close attention to each household and their personal situation .
“ Part of our company ’ s success has been our engagement — with our guests in terms of understanding them , and with understanding our staff . COVID-19 , more than ever before , demanded that we as a company supported the people we have employed .”
Once the spa reopened , Maes said the spa began receiving a high number of applications due to outreach on social media and job boards . Mirbeau targeted therapists in the metropolitan area who wanted a change of pace from a long commute into Manhattan .“ People finally had the opportunity to kind of take a look at where they wanted to be and what they wanted to do and many times we found that our interests both overlapped ,” Maes says . Mirbeau offered some incentives for moving costs to help relocate , since these applicants hadn ’ t been working
for several months . There were some who were able to move within walking distance of the property and no longer had hour-long commutes into the city . “ It was an incredibly positive change in their lives and their balance ,” she says .
Mirbeau focused heavily on social media during the pandemic to meet consumers where they were most , but the spa also continued efforts that began before the pandemic . The spa advanced its relationships with local schools , maintained referral incentives and monitored job boards to uphold its proactive staffing efforts . Maes ’ s next step was to carefully consider what kind of message to communicate with applicants .”
“ Once we made that initial connection , it was always my directive to really have a conversation with them that wasn ’ t necessarily just about a job ,” Maes says . “ It was about how COVID has really changed a lot of things in your life . And would potentially changing things around with your work with us improve your life ?
“ Flexibility is key in terms of your staffing . It ’ s about helping people more than trying to fill a vacancy . We implemented a lot of different measures and cast a wide net . We didn ’ t always wait for people to come to us , we started to really go to people .”
Making Staff Multi-Functional
Like many other spas , Villa Del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto was forced to cut some staff during the pandemic .
36 PULSE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2021