C&CC closing sites
I read elsewhere that C&CC are closing some sites and cancelling people’s bookings due to staff shortages. Sure enough, it's true and they've updated their website today. I hope nobody here is affected.
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This club is running short staffed on some sites, and it is only relief and retired staff it seems keeping some of the network going ,, some retired staff are now keeping here going and a couple of very new assistants they were short staffed before.,started last week,
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Clearly a lot of people, not only those that have previously worked on campsites, are reappraising where they now work. Be that people who have felt that COVID was the time to hang up warden clothes or people that realised they needed a more steady form of employment. We read about it all the time in the press particularly in the service sector?
David
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They need to change the operating model.
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They could pay such a good wage they’d have prospective employees on a list just waiting for an opening to get on board👍🏻. Really good employers tend not to have staffing issues.
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Build accommodation on site to attract applications for work from younger people living in the local area who are struggling to get houses - instead of looking for middle aged married couples brought in from miles away who are rich enough to buy a caravan or motorhome which is big enough to live in for long periods.
Employ a site manager as receptionist to handle arrivals and departures and front of house contact with visitors, but use local companies as contractors for cleaning, maintenance and gardening. Put big bins at the gate for garbage and recycling stuff instead of sending a warden round every day to empty domestic sized bins.
Don’t successful sites do all this now?
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One of the attractions of having wardens for many use use both clubs is that they are experienced caravaners/MHers and have been members (not sure if that is true of CCC) themselves. So they know the ropes and being experienced caravaner/MHers they can, and do, help out and fix with those problems that we have all experienced from time to time. Would non LV 'younger' people know all about any of that and have the years of experience to do that?
Again the live in site aspect on another valuable asset to many users. The wardens have no where to run if problems or concerns arise. Bought in staff who simply come on site to do a 'shift', in my view, will simply pass on the problem.
Yes these might be thought of as a safety blanket, but so what?
As to your last sentence, are you saying the club isn't successful? I would imagine many non club sites would dearly love to have the high occupancy rates the clubs do.
In any event, you post you don't use club sites so why do you want all these changes?
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A business model that relies on poorly paid staff rich enough to afford a large caravan to live in? Sites that have no facilities on site such as proper shops and eateries? Providing facilities to attract well off, retired dog owners, but providing nothing to attract young families for who the excellent dog walking and washing facilities are utterly irrelevant?
welcome to the 1950’s
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And those of us who don't want the all singing, all dancing type of site can go whistle I suppose?
As you're a member, Harry, I can only assume you are happy with the sites the way they are or else you'd have walked away.
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Cornersteady, Thankyou for your reply to my post. You are right - I have no interest in how Club sites are staffed. I was simply trying to make helpful suggestions as to how the two Clubs might overcome the difficulties they seem to be facing in recruiting and retaining staff. If their traditional staffing model is not working it might need overhauling.
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Suits us and many others a lot younger just fine. Are staff on commercial sites paid a lot more? They certainly aren’t at many hotels and other leisure industry suppliers. We don’t have a dog by the way. 😀 Plus do young families not wash. 😂 I would have thought the family washroom very relevant.
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I don't know about the other Club but I imagine the CMC model has some attractions to certain sectors of the early retired community. I imagine many have retired early or perhaps even been made redundant. Probably have some personal means but maybe not enough to be completely free. The Club provide them with employment for, say, six/nine months of the year albeit at probably NMW but couple with minimal living expenses except for food. In their "off time" they are free to spend time abroad which probably was in their mind when deciding on this type of employment and everyone wins. in normal circumstances.
David
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I must have missed something, is there any real evidence to suggest this club is having problems?
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but providing nothing to attract young families
Harry have you actually been on a club site during school holidays and weekends? I have for over 20 years now and during those times they are often packed with just families with kids of all ages.
Also the club does far more to attract families than many non club sites. Children are 'children' till their 18th birthday while many non club sites it is as low as 12 or 14. Also there are many sites with kids for a pound. (in my time it was kids for a penny)
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Time for a re-think, considering how many members the club has and the cost of membership a non-political and non PC change could do the club good.
we have to accept that we, the older generation are getting fewer and luckily the younger generation is getting to like camping with their families and are joining the club and its for this generation we have to modernise it, like some of you say the name Warden sounds like the 50s and they do a really good job sometimes under hard conditions for what its worth the name Site Manager does bring it forward and the suggestion that a house on the site would make it very attractive is also a good idea. The remark that the older Caravaners/mobilers are more expierenced to become Wardens does`nt make the young more less capable of doing a good job.
It might be worth the trouble getting an independent Company in to research what the members want and how things can be improved for the better without people losing their jobs.
Anyway just a few ideas, all of you a hopefully Corona free holiday which does`nt really have to be in Europe.
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Time for a rethink? We need to be careful what we wish for, not that that will have any baring on what happens! Now tell me when does the last ICE vehicle roll of the production line. Caravanning, I’m sure, will start changing very quickly now. Hence possibly all the pods, cabins, safari tents and the like now popping up! That forward thinking and future planning has started me thinks!
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JVB said so in his very first reply on this thread - and he is usually well informed.
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Both clubs have been trying to recruit new site staff. The whole of the leisure and hospitality industry is trying to do the same. There is a gap with supply and demand. I presume smaller sites need the back up of cover and this probably introduces safety issues if cover can't be found.
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Both major pitch suppliers are having difficulty recruiting, as many other organisations in the public hospitality sector ,the touring side of even the large holiday parks will not be the place for the Young seasonal workers, who will be as noted more at home ,with the entertainment side of the park
Site managers and assistant site managers ,tend to come from as is needed, the experiance of using LVs on sites, there are many who when looking at the job from the outside, have not it seems any (if reviews are read)idea of why the site managers of both clubs need to be a bit more worldly wise than a Young Graduate
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But nothing official from the CAMC only the CCC, and with due respect to JVB his posts on club matters have often been disputed by a serving warden. I did post is there any real evidence.
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But then it seems the information , that has been "disputed" was just a bit early for him and the info that I am privy to at times would not be available to some site staff ,I have been "involved" since before 1994, and not just this organisation
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If you say so JVB and good for you that you're privy to such information before wardens, even though you've may have been mis-informed a few times I recall?
But in any case while the CCC has had to sadly cancel booking, this club hasn't, unless of course, as they used to say, you know different?
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Said it better than me TW.
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Sad to hear that CCC have been forced to close some sites.
Trying to attract younger folk to act as site staff is going to be difficult. Those under a certain age do not have the license to tow a caravan, getting one isn't cheap. Having the money to pay for a caravan, tow car and getting a license is beyond the means of the younger folk who are desperate for jobs.
There is much to be said for the knowledge the older generation bring to the job, the biggest one I think is the skill of dealing with the public who at times can be trying. Not saying that young folk can't do that but some young folk don't want to have to deal with confrontations.
Creating jobs of site that locals could do while still living at home could quite easily be done with very little effort.
Having experienced back room office staff to run the site, everything else could be recruited locally.
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remote controlled grass cutters, the list is endless 
