Solution Identification for Bounce House

The problem Bounce House is facing is lack of a formal or informal training program for its employees. This is a problem the organisation cannot afford to ignore given its implications on organisational performance. Already, the business is grappling with reduced customer satisfaction and declining revenues, in large part due to lack of professionalism on the part of its staff. The importance of a skilled and knowledgeable workforce cannot be overemphasised (Truss, Mankin & Kelliher, 2012). Workers with the necessary skills and qualifications are better placed to fulfil their roles and responsibilities effectively (Stredwick, 2014). For Bounce House, having workers with extensive knowledge of handling children and leisure safety is critical for the success of the business. This is important for ensuring the safety of children. Parents are likely to bring their children to the facility when they are assured that their children are in safe hands.
It is imperative for the management of Bounce House to introduce a formal training program for its workers. Contrary to popular thinking, employees of children’s leisure spaces ought to have certain skills and knowledge. They should have outstanding communication, decision making, organisational, time management, and sales and marketing skills. They should also have dependability, flexibility, enthusiasm, and integrity. More importantly, the business requires workers who can handle children effectively, meaning they should possess social skills as well as self-control and stress tolerance abilities. In addition, recreation attendants should have knowledge of equipment operation, facility maintenance, public and leisure safety, administration and management, and computers and electronics. As Bounce House does not a formal training program for its employees, most of them lack these crucial skills.
The first step in implementing the training program would be to assess the skills of the present workforce. The evaluation would focus on the extent to which each individual’s skills resonate with the needs of the business. The next step would be to take employees through a training program to fill their identified skill gaps. The training would place the workers in a better position to accomplish their duties, consequently enhancing the declining parent satisfaction. Indeed, literature extensively the importance of employee training and development with respect to organisational performance (Stredwick, 2014; Truss, Mankin & Kelliher, 2012). The training program should not be provided as a one-time event. Rather, it should become part of the organisation’s employee orientation process. All employees hired to the organisation should be taken through the training to clearly familiarise them with what is expected of them. Also, there should be on-going training for existing employees to sharpen their skills and knowledge in relation to their jobs.
A formal training program is financially feasible for Bounce House. As the organisation is a small, independent business, the training program would not involve a great deal of financial resources. There will be no need for costly seminars, workshops, conferences, or external training. Instead, the training can be disseminated using internally developed materials such as information leaflets or booklets. Additionally, there is a vast amount of online resources from which workers can learn. The organisation may only be required to download relevant materials or provide links to the materials. Additionally, the program can be implemented within a reasonable period of time. It should take just a few days or weeks to take employees through the program.
The training program will have implications for not only the organisation, but also its stakeholders, who in this case are parents. Parents are the major clients for the business. With improved professionalism on the part of employees, parents are likely to be more satisfied with the experience their children get from Bounce House.


References
Stredwick, J. (2014). An introduction to human resource management. London: Routledge.
Truss, K., Mankin, D., & Kelliher, C. (2012). Strategic human resource management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.