Leading through the Changes of the Department of Labor
Fair Labor Standards Act
As the December 1st effective date of the Department of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) quickly approaches, we, as YMCA Leaders, have an opportunity to utilize this change in our favor as we look to grow teen work at our home YMCAs.
While the first reactions to the FLSA were that of panic and the feeling of impossibility, hopefully time, strategic thought and creativity have yielded new best practices for your YMCA and specifically the area of teen work. For years the leadership of teen programming fell upon the shoulders of one individual at the branch level. This person was forced to squeeze teen work onto their already full plate of branch responsibilities.
With the new regulations, spreading the workload, growing our bench and utilizing our Senior Leaders are options that can only be a plus for our teen programs.
All YMCA departments have their peaks and valleys of time consumption. Luckily the peaks and valleys vary from department to department. There are opportunities for departments to work together in covering high volume times for each others’ programs. This will allow directors to learn additional skills in another area as well as maintain their even 40 hour per week work load. For instance, when the pools wrap for the summer and traditionally the aquatics world goes into recovery mode, that team may be able to assist the Teen Director as they are just kicking off the new teen season. Don’t worry Team Aquatics, we will call on the other departments come summer for assistance.
With our staff’s inability to be on site for the number of hours they have been in the past, we will need to train a strong group of second lieutenants that are able to lead while in the director’s absence. This investment in an additional level of leadership can become a feeder system. This system will result in the development of future first lieutenants, captains and majors.
Luckily the pool of candidates for our second lieutenant training program have been involved with your teen program and YMCA for years; the senior division leaders. A strong senior division at the local level can assist in building the strong foundation for the teen program. By creating standards for and utilizing our Senior Leaders, this will result in a well-trained support system for the teen director. Much like our campers of today become our Leaders of tomorrow, our Senior Leaders of today can be our support staff for our directors and possibly become our directors of tomorrow.
As we navigate through these changes please feel free to share your YMCA’s learnings so that we can all benefit from your leadership and work. Thank you for all you do.
In Spirit, Mind and Body,
Ryan Graham
ryan.graham@ymcacharlotte.org