Article created for the digital issue of the NATSO Foundation's magazine
Ericka Schapekahm, director of human resources at Heinz Corp., is always looking for new talent to join the teams at Coffee Cup Fuel Stops.
Workamper connects Rvers looking for temporary work with employers needing help.
This year, she will be adding an employee she found through Workamper—a website dedicated to connecting RVers looking for temporary work with employers needing help. (See also 14 Things RVers and Recreation Travelers Need on the Road for ideas for RV customers.)
"First and foremost, these are travelers who need to work for a period of time," Schapekahm said. "They are very selective, and they can go where they want."
The first Workamper to join Coffee Cup will work April through September in the location's Subway and will return in 2025. "She worked at Subway before and was a team leader," Schapekahm said. "In 2025, we also have a couple coming."
She offered this advice for working with Workamper:
- Market your geographic location.
Competition for traveling workers includes state and national parks, and travelers often select employers based on their locations. "We've marketed ourselves with the area around us. At our Summit location, it is the Glacial Lakes area.
- Listen to Workamper prospect employees' feedback. Coffee Cup added an RV parking spot across the street.
It took a couple of years to find travelers interested in working at the locations. "They were interviewing us just as much as we were interviewing them. With everyone that turned us down, I would say, 'Tell why so I can make it right.' We took the feedback and made some changes," Schapekahm said.
Those changes included adding an RV parking spot across the street from the location and a full hookup.
"Ideally, they want to be close but don't want to be right at the truck stop. We have desirable property around in areas where we can make it look nice," she explained, adding that the workers will get seasonal pay, which is an extra $2 an hour.
She also advises potential employers to be prepared to answer potential employees' questions and not to take rejections personally. "You can't get upset when they interview you," she explained.
- Expect couples looking to both work with different skills.
A lot of travelers are couples, and they hope to find positions for both people.
"There was one couple who turned us down--one person was an engineer, and the other was a retail manager who had worked in a gift shop at a national park. We have maintenance, but we just couldn't figure out what the engineer could do that he liked," Schapekahm said.
- Plan way ahead.
Travelers often plan their employment well in advance, so Schapekahm said it is important to post when they are planning their next year.
She already has three employee commitments for 2025.
- Frequently check-in.
Schapekahm has also found that her new hires want frequent check-ins, which helps them ensure everything is still on track. "They are looking forward to it, and they don't stop asking questions about it," she explained.
// This article was created for Stop Watch magazine, the magazine of the NATSO Foundation. The NATSO Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The NATSO Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas' ability to meet the traveling public's needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit www.natsofoundation.org for more information. (Donate to the NATSO Foundation here.)
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