As many industries struggle with the worker shortage in today’s climate, the lifeguard shortage is nothing new to recreational professionals. Collegiate recreation is no exception, as many colleges across the country have been struggling to hire lifeguards to staff our pools.
This shortage is preventing campus recreation departments from operating the same way we used to. The result is many of our pool hours have been condensed, and in some cases, pools are even closing for entire seasons such as winter and summer breaks.
So, what is causing this shortage on college campuses? There are a few ideas that always pop up in every conversation surrounding this topic. For starters, the certification is expensive, students are too busy with academics and other activities to hold a campus job, and oftentimes the job doesn’t pay well enough.
EXTRA CREDIT: Heather Hartmann details here more tips and advice for combatting the lifeguard shortage.
Recreation professionals have been discussing these issues for the better part of a decade and have come up with ways to combat them. For example, most aquatics departments offer to supplement the cost of certification in exchange for hours worked.
As such, supplementing the cost of certification is something that is becoming more expected instead of being an attractive incentive. Additionally, many pools offer pay rates above minimum wage. Lifeguards are often some of the highest paid student staff within a campus recreation department.
But despite putting multiple recruitment incentives in place, the lifeguard staffing issue has recently become an even bigger challenge. The coronavirus and tight labor market that is now affecting so many industries have brought on a new set of challenges for aquatics managers when it comes to recruiting lifeguards. It is time we take a deeper look into the root causes of the lifeguard disappearance.
Lifeguarding is Hard
Lifeguarding is more than just hanging out in a bathing suit while getting paid to work on your tan and have fun with friends. The initial certification course can be challenging enough, but the continuous training and in-services require lifeguards to remain in decent physical shape year-round.
As overweight and obesity in adults aged 18 to 24 continues to climb, I believe more students than not are looking for jobs that do not require so much physical labor, especially since there are so many non-strenuous part-time jobs to choose from.
Lifeguarding Can Be Boring
Lifeguarding used to be a dream job back in the day before smart phones existed. However, cell phone use is now having a negative effect on the aquatics industry.
While it is hard enough to keep student staff off their electronic devices in all areas of our recreation centers, it is much more serious in the aquatics facilities. When student staff spend their shift looking down at their phones at the front desk or on the fitness floor, we see it as a customer service issue. But at the pool it can be an issue of life or death.
Today’s young adults are so used to having instant access to their phones and various social networks that it can be difficult to recruit them into a job that prohibits their ability to constantly communicate or scroll through social media.
The Risk is too High
A summer job such as lifeguarding used to be a rite of passage for many teens. However, this line of thinking has changed because of our society becoming much more litigious over time. I have found in recent years that young adults no longer want the responsibility of guarding people’s lives at the pool.
In addition, more parents are wary of allowing their children — even college-age children — to assume the risk that comes with being a lifeguard. The difference in a few dollars pay is thought to not be worth the extra level of responsibility that comes with the lifeguarding role
These reasons for the lifeguard shortage can be distressing for aquatics managers as overcoming them will not be easy. For the most part, these are societal issues that go way beyond the boundaries of our campuses. However, it is necessary to acknowledge these recruiting issues to start thinking and having conversations about them.
Thanks for sharing your ideas on some of the reasons causing the lifeguard shortage. I hate to say this, but your reasons make sense. This is a sad state of affairs for both the aquatics industry but even more so for our youth. Technology is simultaneously making our lives better and worse. We need a cultural reawakening.