4 Essential Tips for Handling Unruly Pool Visitors
A public or municipal pool is typically a fun-filled and upbeat place to be. However, no workplace is perfect, and there will probably come a time when supervisors, aquatics managers, and lifeguards will have to deal with unruly or disruptive behavior.
So what exactly qualifies as unruly behavior? Essentially, any type of violation of the pool rules or any behavior that makes the other guests or employees feel unsafe or uncomfortable. This can be anything from disruptive behavior like yelling to dangerous actions like running on the deck or diving in the shallow end.
Of course, as an aquatics manager, it is your job to ensure that these situations are quickly neutralized before they escalate. This also means making sure that your lifeguard staff is properly trained to handle these kinds of events should you not be on duty.
So how can aquatics managers and their teams safely neutralize a disruptive visitor?
Read on to find out.
1. Prevent Other Visitors from Jumping in to Help
Should a guest start acting unruly or disruptive, it is common for bystanders to jump in and try to lend a helping hand with the situation. The problem is that if other people get involved, it becomes a lot easier for the unruly guest to feel threatened, and this means that the situation could easily escalate.
It is incredibly important to keep other guests from situations that could put them in danger, and this why safely isolating the situation should always be one of the first things to prioritize.
2. Always Remain Calm
It is crucial for anybody in a position of authority to project an air of calm and control when these types of situations arise in a public setting. This will ensure the other guests that the situation will be handled professionally and help minimize the overall impact of disruptive behavior.
One of the first things to try to understand is why the unruly guest may be acting like they are acting in the first place. This will help ensure effective communication with the guest who is causing the problem. A manager or lifeguard can then decide whether it is appropriate to ask them to leave or not.
3. Remain a Safe Distance from the Situation
Another key thing to keep in mind is that it is important to ensure that the disruptive guest doesn’t feel like you are encroaching on their space since this will often only serve to further aggravate them.
By continually maintaining a non-confrontational stance, you will not only allow for enough room to keep yourself safe but will also help ensure the guest that you are there to engage respectfully.
4. Call in Backup
Before anybody attempts to talk to a disruptive guest, whether it be a manager or lifeguard, they should absolutely keep the rest of their team up to date so that backup support can be organized as soon as possible.
This is why it is important to have a comprehensive pool management system that offers extensive instant messaging capabilities on your side.
The Digiquatics app gives everybody on the team the power to notify supervisors in real-time of a potential threat, not to mention communicate instantly with all other working staff members so that everybody can work together as efficiently and safely as possible to keep unruly guests in check before they cause further problems.
Not to mention that Digiquatics can also do the job of 16 other pool management apps all-in-one.
DigiQuatics is a simple tool that aquatics facilities can use to modernize their operation. Visit www.digiquatics.com to learn more.