Finding the right people to play a part in your golf club’s governance structure, whether they be employees or volunteers, is a key responsibility of the golf club’s leaders. To ensure success, its vital that the approach to recruitment considers utilising an appropriate mix of skills and experience, as well as sufficient diversity to explore complex issues from different angles.

This starts by firstly understanding the role that is required to be undertaken, and then using a framework to identify and recruit the best people you can into those positions. This involves not just identifying people with the right skills and qualifications for a role, but is as much about understanding their character and personality to see if they are a fit for your club. Skills can frequently be learned, but character is in a person’s DNA.

By recruiting high quality volunteers with the right skillsets, operating with effective governance practices, it will become considerably easier to attract the right volunteers in the future.

All businesses will have an annual turnover of staff and volunteers so should provide support in helping new starters have a productive and enjoyable experience in their role.

A golf club must have a set plan for the orientation of their people, both employees and volunteers. This goes beyond just being shown around the club and completing any necessary paperwork but should also include the opportunity to meet the rest of the team and have their roles explained to them. At this early stage the opportunity should be taken to embed the culture of the club within them, so they understand how the club goes about its business and looks after its members and visitors.

This is not necessarily a quick job, as elements of onboarding include explaining the Health & Safety and other rules and regulations of the club. It’s important any new starter understands their responsibilities to follow these rules and if required, training and education sessions may be utilised to bring the individual up to the required level of knowledge and understanding to fulfil their responsibilities.

All employees will have job descriptions and contracts that explain what is expected of them in their role, but there should also an employee handbook that lays out the detail of their rights & entitlements, providing information of what is expected of them during working hours - and in some cases, outside of work.

These are what may be described as the ‘technical’ aspects of workforce management, but perhaps the most important element of this area of operation is the supervision of employees, support and development of colleagues, and the training and education of the team. All of these parts combined will help to foster the required culture of customer service and undertaking the tasks asked of them to the best of their ability.

Aside from the policies required by law, as employers there are many other fundamental documents needed in order to effectively manage and develop a workforce within a club. As clubs are normally responsible for managing a diverse workforce that includes employees in roles such as course maintenance, food & beverage and sometimes retail, having guidelines and procedures that govern the relationship between both parties is key.

Beyond this, it ensures that clubs remain compliant from both a legal and ethical perspective, with documented processes and an audit trail in place to protect both the club and any employees or volunteers.

This could cover areas such as recruitment, training and development, compensation and benefits or performance to name a few. Overall, by managing your human resource utilising robust policies which are well communicated and understood by all stakeholders, it will help clubs to attract and retain high quality employees, delivering enhanced productivity and satisfaction levels.