I have 4 “working age” children. I use “quotes” because all my kids are in college and “working” means a summer job. Don’t get me wrong, I want my kids to work during the summer and they would all prefer to have jobs somewhere else, so they don’t have to work for their dad (me). This has led to two interesting developments.
- Development One: Pet Camp has lost 4 summer pet care assistants and along with them their high school and college friends who worked at Pet Camp during the summer and winter holidays. If you know of a quality high school junior or senior (one needs to be 16 to work at Pet Camp) or a college student who is home for the summer and who you would like being part of the team taking care of your camper, send them our way.
- Development Two: I’ve gotten to read the job offer letters sent to my kids and listen to their reactions about the letters. When my kids get the call or email telling them they’ve gotten the job they’ve been looking for, they are thrilled! There are lots of group text congratulations followed by the call from me when they try to explain what it is they will be doing at this new job. After these phone calls I remain pretty uncertain about what they will be doing, but they (and I for them) remain thrilled about the job. Then comes the official offer letter (email, of course) and the response could not be more different.
As an employer, I get that the lawyers and the HR department want certain language in an offer letter. That said, does WE ARE AN AT WILL EMPLOYER need to be stated 3 times, in bold and in 26-point font? For kids that are used to getting college acceptance letters that say how amazing the kid is, how excited the college is to have the kid, and how great the entire college experience is going to be – the job offer letter is a huge letdown. Frankly, I don’t think Pet Camp’s offer letters are so great either.
Pet Camp is a great place to work. In an industry that has an employee turnover rate often exceeding 100% a year; Pet Camp has counselors who have been here 10, 15 and even 20 years! At a time when small businesses and businesses on the “lower” end of the wage spectrum are being called out for inadequate wage and benefit packages, Pet Camp offers:
- Health insurance (where we pay 80% of the premium)
- Vision, dental and soon pet care coverage (where we pay 100% of the premiums)
- 401(k) program (where we contribute even if the employee doesn’t)
- Profit sharing (when there are profits to share)
- Scholarship program
- A clothing allowance at the Pet Camp/Lands’ End store
We should be letting new counselors know that we are committed to their success both at Pet Camp and in life. We need to talk about the amazing counselors our new counselors will be working with and learning from, the technology we’ve invested in to make the job easier, safer, and more enjoyable, and the remarkable dogs and cats with whom they’ll be sharing the day.
Yes, Pet Camp is an at will employer, but that’s not all who we are, and our employment offer letters should read more like a college acceptance letter and less like, well, a job offer.
Thanks for reading and if you or someone you know would like to be part of the Pet Camp family, contact us!