4 WAYS WE RETAIN OUR CREW MEMBERS

The Ark Pet Spa & Hotel has seen hundreds of employees come and go since opening in 2006. We have always taken great pride in having the best kennel employees and doing our best to keep the quality ones around for as long as possible, but having good kennel employees is not enough. We want to cultivate the best employees, period. We also want to be a leader in the pet care industry. Anyone in this line of business will tell you retaining employees in the pet industry is very difficult! It can be loud, smelling, and generally it's hard work. It also typically does not provide a very high earning potential. All of these factors lend to the fact that retention can be difficult in our line business.

It wasn’t until we adopted a “crew mentality” that we began to see better employee retention, less stressed, and generally happier employees. We began to invest even more in our crew and it has begun to show. Here are just a few items we have implemented to create and retain the very best crew members.

SEMINARS, CONVENTIONS & OFFSITE TRAINING

The Ark has invested in continued education by sending our top crew members to several of our industries top conventions and expos. These include: The Global Pet Expo, IBPSA Pet Care Educational Conference & Trade Show, Super Zoo, and The Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo and Trade Show. Each of these events is specifically tailored to the pet industry. Our crew gains a greater understanding of the latest in pet care procedures, products, systems, and safety by attending these annual events and then bringing back and implementing the new products and systems.

PET BODY LANGUAGE & GROUP FREE PLAY MANAGEMENT

The Ark has taken additional steps to make doggy daycare and boarding a much safer environment for both the dogs and the crew. We have found that a well educated crew member is much more confident in their daily duties. This equates to less incidents, and a more confident crew member tends to be a happier crew member, and happy crew members tend to stay longer than unhappy crew members! We give each and every crew member the tools for success.PET CPR & FIRST AID

While we have invested capital and countless hours to train each crew member accidents still happen. Luckily, we have have also invested in Pet CPR and First Aid training. Each and every kennel crew member is trained in the latest Pet CPR and First Aid training techniques and procedures. If an accident happens at The Ark our crew is well educated and well equipped to assess the situation at hand, create a solution, and execute a plan to keep the pet as safe and comfortable as possible.



THE CREW MENTALITY

Building a crew mentality does not happen overnight. We believe having a crew mentality means every member of the crew has a role, a common end goal, and strategy to achieve that goal with the help of the rest of the crew. Our crew’s end goal is to provide premier customer service and pet care to our guests and their furry loved ones. A large ship or “Ark” cannot sail and get to its end harbor with only one crew member. To sail a large ship or run a business well you have to have each member of your crew properly trained, equipped, and each crew member needs to know their role and the end goal of the entire crew. It is also extremely important for your crew to know why their role is important, always expressing “the why” behind crew tasks is very important. Your crew must know why they are doing something!

To learn more about our training or if you would like to join our crew please visit our website: THEARKSPA.COM