Pools desperately seek skilled staff

His boss Maik Warnke, business manager of the Bornheim swimming pool, is pleased with Hövel's background, because trained staff are currently in short supply. "We currently have four lifeguards, six pool attendants and two trainees. However, right now, with the opening of our outdoor pool, we need four to six more full-time staff," says Warnke, who is trying to tackle the problem in a creative way.

Since last summer, the swimming pool has been paying a bonus to anyone who can find a skilled worker - a kind of "finder's fee". Last year, the HallenFreizeitBad was able to recruit three new employees in this way. But since then, the staff situation has worsened again: "On 1 April, two skilled staff members changed to a pool in the neighbouring town, and in contrast to last year, we haven't had a single enquiry about our bonus campaign.

On the right hand side of the Rhine, too, the lack of staff poses a great challenge to the swimming pools. "Despite an intensive search, only a few lifeguards could be found to supervise the pools, and specialist pool attendants are in absolute short supply," says Florian Striewe, press spokesperson for the city of Königswinter, about the situation at the Lemmerz outdoor pool. This also has consequences for visitors. Opening hours are being restricted in Königswinter, also in the indoor pool - here only a one-shift operation can be maintained.

Hans-Joachim Lampe-Booms, operations manager of the Bad Honnef swimming pools, has the same experience: "The staffing situation is still unsatisfactory." Although new employees joined the staff in spring, the opening times had to be cut by one hour. "Since there is still a lack of a specialist for pool operations, a service provider was brought in, so that at least from the summer holidays in NRW onwards it will be possible to open on all weekends," says Lampe-Booms, referring to the Grafenwerth leisure pool in Bad Honnef.

Open-air pool in Sankt Augustin to remain closed for two days

In Sankt Augustin, the lido will have to remain closed two days a week due to a lack of qualified staff. "Sankt Augustin also lacks trained staff, especially lifeguards," says press officer Benedikt Bungarten. "If there are further staff shortages, there could also be short-term visitor restrictions."

The Remagen outdoor pool will also remain closed on Mondays and Wednesdays. "Unfortunately, we are still lacking a specialist pool attendant," says Marc Göttlicher, head of the city's central and financial administration department. "Since the job market in this area doesn't offer much, there is no improvement in sight. Despite numerous job advertisements, the response is zero." This is a difficult situation for the district, which is still suffering from the flood disaster. It is still uncertain when the Twin leisure pool and the Ahr thermal baths in Bad Neuenahr will reopen. An expert opinion on possible financing will probably not be discussed by the city council until September.

But why is it that no one is drawn to the swimming pool for professional reasons any more? According to swimming pool manager Maik Warnke from Bornheim, there was no staffing problem before the Covid pandemic. He suspects: "Some staff have changed careers, no longer see the industry as safe." Lifeguard Benedikt Hövel says: "We work in shifts and also on weekends and holidays. During the pandemic, some in the industry have taken jobs where that is not the case." Still, Hövel wouldn't want to swap: "I wanted to work with people and feel like I was doing something of social benefit."

Crash course for temps

Despite the worrying trend in pool staff, there is also good news, for example, from the Oktopus leisure pool in Siegburg: "On 1 April, two new professional employees and a supervisor started working for us. We were also able to recruit new lifeguards," says Rita Gaines-Willems from the Siegburger Stadtbetriebe. So the Oktopus can open normally. The same applies to the Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler outdoor pool, which leaseholder Elmar Scholzen was able to open without restrictions. The Monte Mare in Rheinbach is also relaxed about the upcoming outdoor pool season. "With the current staff, the operational bathing and sauna business is guaranteed," says marketing manager Jörg Zimmer. However, further applications are always welcome.

The Aggua in Troisdorf, which will reopen in the summer holidays, is also looking for new staff. "We have already been able to fill a few vacancies through our Recruiting Days," says Daniela Simon from the Troisdorf public utility company. The Recruiting Days are a new strategy to recruit staff, as conventional job advertisements do not hold much promise. "We invited interested parties via various channels such as social media to get to know the workplace on site and to be able to talk to their future colleagues," says Simon. She also wants to recruit temporary staff in this way in the future and bring more students into the team, since the outdoor pool season coincides with the semester break.

In Bornheim, pupils and students help out during the holidays and at weekends. This works thanks to a cooperation with the DRK water rescue service in Bornheim: "They support us in the summer on a voluntary basis and also provide us with temporary staff," says swimming pool manager Maik Warnke. In a three-day crash course including first aid at the DRK, the young people could take the silver swimming badge and then support the lifeguards. The Sankt Augustin open-air swimming pool relies on the targeted recruitment of temporary staff at schools. Königswinter and Bad Honnef want to rely on their own junior staff in future and are now training specialists themselves.

Lifeguard Benedikt Hövel definitely takes up the cudgels for his industry, and not only because of collective agreements and bonuses: "It's a physically demanding job, but it's varied and very responsible."

(Original text: Chantal Dötsch; Translation: Jean Lennox)