Camp Happy Valley Case

Executive Summary

        Camp Happy Valley is a summer camp that is located in London, Ontario. It is a non-profit camp that hosts roughly 1,500 campers per season.  Adam Cameron, a university student, was hired as the camps programmer. As Cameron began digging into Camp Happy Valleys records he realized that the camps overall morale was very low which was causing many problems throughout the camp. There are long term issues revolving around the interview and recruiting process for the staff, and the number of new campers that are being brought in. However, the issue that needs to be addressed immediately is low staff's morale. The staff are not motivated and the turn over of staff is lacking. The alternatives discussed include putting a reward system in place that would give the employees added motivation, implementing a better interview process that includes a series of personality and scenario testing and providing a more engaging training process for the staff. Finally it was suggested that Camp Happy Valley increase their advertising campaign with billboards, commercials, or radio ads to attract new campers.

Problem Statement

When hired, Adam Cameron was given the task of increasing the overall morale of the camp. Camp Happy Valley must increase the staff’s morale in order to improve and maintain enrolment and continue with the overall success of the camp. A more clear and concise interview process also must be implemented, as well as a better training program for all employees prior to their start date.

Sub-Issues and Constraints

There are also many underlying problems that have lead to a decrease in the overall camp morale. Cameron needs to address the amount of campers that are enrolling in the camping programs, and has to find a way to increase the number of incoming campers. However, this does take time and money which may be a constraint when looking at the options given.

Analysis

The equity theory plays a big role in why the staff morale is so low. Since the Employment Standards Act has been put in place, “a person employed as a student at a camp for children is exempt from the following provisions of the existing act: minimum wage, overtime pay and public holidays”. This could lead to staff feeling under rewarded therefore affecting the amount of effort they put into their work.

        Experiences and expectations could be another contributing factor to low staff morale. If the staff have no experience working in this kind of setting, it could become discouraging when things do not go the way they are expected to. Likewise, if the staff’s expectations are not clearly laid out for them, it could cause confusion on the code of ethics within the camp. This all related directly back to the issue of an unclear interview process and lack of training provided for the staff.

        The organizational culture of Camp Happy Valley might also have an influence on the employee morale. For organizational culture to be embedded in a institution, there are 4 primary mechanisms that must be present. One of which is the criteria that is used for recruitment, selection, promotion, retirement, and temptation, camp Happy Valley does not meet this mechanism as the recruiting and selection process is not where it needs to be. Another mechanism that the camp does not meet is the deliberate coaching and modelling of behaviour. Since the training program was a factor that Cameron felt was contributing to recent problems, the coaching and modelling of behaviour is lacking.

Decision/Recommendations

         The first issue that has to be addressed immediately is boosting the staff morale. The staff that are employed at Camp Happy Valley need to feel motivated and energized coming into work everyday. If a rewards system was set in place, it would give employees something to work towards throughout their employment experience. Whether it be a one time bonus pay, vacation days or a small gift such as a gift card for good performance, it would give the employees motivation to exceed expectations.