By Joyce Owen
Labor Day usually heralds the end of the busy summer season, but with public schools starting the first week in August, some business owners saw much of their workforce disappear early.
?We lost almost half of our staff,? Maggie Field, manager of the Great Southern Caf? said.
The restaurant that replaced Shades in Seaside this summer also had problems recruiting workers initially because no one knew much about the business.
?We were brand new, but now we are doing OK,? Field said.
For some, finding enough help just to keep business going at all was a challenge, due to the area?s low unemployment rate.
Lee and Carmen Barclay, owners of Palmetto Gear Inc., a screen-printing and embroidery business in Santa Rosa Beach, passed out business cards and asked diners at neighboring tables at lunch if they were looking for work. The couple finally resolved the employment issue by hiring a family member. Lee?s sister, Sandy McCall, an emergency room nurse who originally came down from Auburn, Wash., to help them out temporarily, has moved here permanently, Lee said.
?It?s a tough business in regard to hiring help. We are slammed in the season, then after Labor Day it will slow. December is big, but then in January and February it?s like a ghost town,? he said.
A major source of ongoing work comes from contractors ordering T-shirts for their laborers. Lee hoped for a cold snap this fall, ?Then they will need warmer gear,? he said.
Hiring enough help during the busy season puts employers in a tough position when the tourists leave and there are the inevitable cutbacks.
However, some business owners manage to keep a year-round workflow that gives their employees full-time employment.
J.B. and Ann Kiefer found the right combination of steady work for the French Laundry. Processing uniforms from resorts keeps work coming in even when the busy tourist season ends.
At the laundry, work starts early but ends by about 2 p.m. and there are no night or weekend shifts. Many of their employees have been with them since the business opened in 2001. They were fortunate to hire many skilled workers who helped the couple learn the dry cleaning and laundry business.
?When we find someone who is motivated, we reward them,? Ann said.
But it?s not easy. Right now they are down a couple of employees and are struggling to find the right people. ?Someone who will be here everyday, is motivated and who wants to get the job done,? Ann said.
Some of their employees have long commutes and even though they pay well for the job, the cost of living here makes it difficult.
?If I could solve that piece of the puzzle,? Ann said, wistfully, but for now she is grateful for a loyal workforce.
Labor Day usually heralds the end of the busy summer season, but with public schools starting the first week in August, some business owners saw much of their workforce disappear early.
?We lost almost half of our staff,? Maggie Field, manager of the Great Southern Caf? said.
The restaurant that replaced Shades in Seaside this summer also had problems recruiting workers initially because no one knew much about the business.
?We were brand new, but now we are doing OK,? Field said.
For some, finding enough help just to keep business going at all was a challenge, due to the area?s low unemployment rate.
Lee and Carmen Barclay, owners of Palmetto Gear Inc., a screen-printing and embroidery business in Santa Rosa Beach, passed out business cards and asked diners at neighboring tables at lunch if they were looking for work. The couple finally resolved the employment issue by hiring a family member. Lee?s sister, Sandy McCall, an emergency room nurse who originally came down from Auburn, Wash., to help them out temporarily, has moved here permanently, Lee said.
?It?s a tough business in regard to hiring help. We are slammed in the season, then after Labor Day it will slow. December is big, but then in January and February it?s like a ghost town,? he said.
A major source of ongoing work comes from contractors ordering T-shirts for their laborers. Lee hoped for a cold snap this fall, ?Then they will need warmer gear,? he said.
Hiring enough help during the busy season puts employers in a tough position when the tourists leave and there are the inevitable cutbacks.
However, some business owners manage to keep a year-round workflow that gives their employees full-time employment.
J.B. and Ann Kiefer found the right combination of steady work for the French Laundry. Processing uniforms from resorts keeps work coming in even when the busy tourist season ends.
At the laundry, work starts early but ends by about 2 p.m. and there are no night or weekend shifts. Many of their employees have been with them since the business opened in 2001. They were fortunate to hire many skilled workers who helped the couple learn the dry cleaning and laundry business.
?When we find someone who is motivated, we reward them,? Ann said.
But it?s not easy. Right now they are down a couple of employees and are struggling to find the right people. ?Someone who will be here everyday, is motivated and who wants to get the job done,? Ann said.
Some of their employees have long commutes and even though they pay well for the job, the cost of living here makes it difficult.
?If I could solve that piece of the puzzle,? Ann said, wistfully, but for now she is grateful for a loyal workforce.