Games Workforce Support/Operations at Sporting Events & Relevance

Further to my last post with some insights (though not a thorough picture but only an introduce) about an important program area in Workforce Department of a Sporting event organization.

Let's talk about Games Workforce Operations/Support. What does it do? What are the challenges & the risks?

Games Workforce Operations primarily deals with one of the games time operations of the Workforce Department at Venues (Competition & Non- Competition, wherever required). The primary role is:

1. Check- In/Out Operations

2. Scheduling Support

3. Meal/Meal Voucher Support

4. Retention & Recognition Support

5. Replacement Planning

Check- In/Out Operations

Check-In/Out Operations take stock of the workforce who enters a games venue. Implications include the evacuation support during emergency situations and overall attendance management at the venue. Alternately, Check- In/ Out Operations are carried out at the Games venues (competition & non- competition) to record attendance against the manpower scheduled to carry out effectively the games time operations of the venue.

Why is it important & critical?

It supports the organization's management in monitoring workforce available for the operational requirements. If workforce (paid or volunteer) number is not in sync with the operational requirement, it falls back on the functional area to reduce level of services for the period/shift or else if possible seek back up. That's where workforce support/operations comes into picture.

Scheduling Support

Ideally, the shifts scheduling should be realistic, however, due to multiple reasons like lack of clarity in operational timings and changes onto level of services which determines it, such changes do happen as the games start running. That's where the need of schedule changes arise. Scheduling support means helping functional areas with shift management of their staff which has some changes on a real time operations. To assess the meal & other entitlements for workforce this indeed is critical.

Meal/Meal Voucher Support

Meals are an integral part of games time operations of an event. The reasons are to help save time of travel to & fro the nearest food outlets as well as to allow the hygiene of the games venue by not allowing outside food in. It applies for all national/international sporting events.

Under Meal planning, the number of meals per standard shift is planned and so is the variances in case of changes in standard shifts of workforce. Based on this and total workforce number of a games venue, the meals are planned. An additional number is kept as a buffer number to support any roaming operational team(s).

Retention & Recognition Support

For any organization with major of its workforce being volunteers, the retention & recognition support has a critical importance coz it motivates the workforce to move forward forgetting their insecurities, day to day issues of this changing & challenging environment.

And there comes in the workforce support with a scheme of goodies to help support to create the best work environment. Retention and recognition counts on goodies, recognition of daily or role specific good workers, certificates, appreciation parties to create the best of environment for workforce.

Replacement Planning:

If for a certain reason, there has been a withdrawal of some volunteers or may be even paid workforce, the replacement or redeployment planning is something which takes place to cover for the operations. This redeployment planning can be from the same functional area at a different venue or some other functional area(s) which can support through releasing some of their workforce to take up the responsibilities, thus in house managing replacement/redeployment. In case of intra- functional area transfers or inter-functional area transfer, workforce support works as a liaison so that the transferred workforce gets the required access privileges to work in the respective area.