Filling Last Minute Referee Shifts is Always Harder When You Skip a Simple Step.
[Guest Post by Nick from Underdog]
The movie “Idiocracy” is one of my favorite movies. If you haven’t seen it, I would recommend fixing that as soon as possible.
In the movie, Luke Wilson wakes up hundreds of years in the future to discover that humanity has become exceedingly stupid.
Because the remaining people aren’t too bright, amongst other problems, they are totally incapable of growing crops. Their solution to this problem?
Yup…Brawndo the Thirst Mutilator. This is their version of Gatorade. They start “watering” their crops with it. Why? “It’s got what plants crave, it’s got electrolytes!”
As I’m sure you can guess, it doesn’t work and Luke Wilson’s character is tasked with fixing it all. Now, what does Brawndo have to do with hiring, managing or training referees and umpires? Well, let me warn you, here comes my “Old Man Yells at Cloud” moment.
Whenever I hear about a hiring manager, recruiter, or staff manager tell me about texting applicants, trainees, or staff all I can think of is Brawndo.
“Texting! It’s what kids crave!”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-text in general. But there’s a time and a place for it, and it’s not in the application, training, or scheduling process.
There are plenty of times that I will demand a phone call over a text message (please, please, please never text a new applicant). The one that I want to focus on today though is a spot we’ve all been through, that will never go away.
Someone calls out of a shift and you need quick help to fill it.
Before talking about this specific scenario, let’s paint a picture of another situation.
Your friends are moving next weekend. You know that they need help, but moving sucks and moving other people’s stuff sucks even worse. It’s something that literally no one ever wants to do. This is why movers cost so much. This is why there’s a whole Seinfeld episode around Keith Hernandez moving, it’s a big ask. No matter how much pizza and beer they offer you, you’re going to recoil at the ask.
Your friend texts you. Maybe they send a group text. It’s them asking for help moving on Saturday at noon. You’re available at noon. You had “plans”, but they were mostly getting laundry done or going to the grocery store.
Are you responding to that text? If it’s a group text, probably not. You’re going to wait for someone else to answer. Maybe they’ll bail you out from having to help. Maybe you text some other people from the group text on the side to see if they’re going to help before you even think about it.
Ultimately though, here’s probably what will happen:
70% chance you ghost the text (“Oh! I didn’t see it!”)
20% chance you text back “Sorry, I’ve busy/out of town/unavailable”
10% chance (maybe) you feel bad and text back and say you’re going to help.
Now, what happens if they call you? What happens if you see them three days before at an event and they ask? Those percentages probably change don’t they? You’re probably up to a 40 or 50% chance of helping them out.
Why? Well, first, a lot of people are terrible in-person liars and they know it. They know if they BS their way through “Sorry, I have laundry to do” that their friends will see right through it and they don’t want to be that person. The put social pressure on themselves and giving a “no” feels uncomfortable.
Maybe you even said “Sorry, I’m busy”, but because they were talking to you on the phone, they get to follow up.
“When are you busy? We can work around your schedule.”
“Can you do one hour? What we really need help with is the bed and the couch.”
“If you come over, we’ll help you next weekend with that brake problem your car has been having.”
Next, you’re more likely to say yes because you were able to hear the tone in their voice. Them typing out “We need help moving” has no tone. When you heard them say it, you heard their desperation, you heard their exhaustion, you heard someone who really needed your help. When you find that someone really needs your help and is asking because they are In a tough spot, you’re always more likely to help.
Sound familiar?
This is exactly how filling a shift works. You’re going after people who have asked for or have been given the day off and you’re asking them for help.
The “Can you pick up this shift?” text is the same as the “Can you help me move?” text. If you send that as a group text to the rest of your staff, you’ve just cut the legs out from under yourself. Congratulations—you’ve created the bystander effect, where everyone assumes someone else will do it. (And this isn’t a prediction—it’s a spoiler: no one will.)
Even if you send it individually, how easy is it for your staff to say no to you? It took me literally 2 seconds just now to type “Sorry, I can’t”. There’s just no barrier to saying no, in fact, that’s the easier thing to do.
Get them on the phone. Get them talking. Even if you have to leave a message that just says “I’ve got a quick and urgent question for you, can you call me back?”
They need to hear your tone. If you’re desperate, they need to hear your desperation. If you’re exhausted, they need to hear your exhaustion. You also need to be able to explain what you need and what might help. Maybe you can piece two or three people together. Often you won’t know that without calling people.
I once read a study claiming people are six times more likely to say yes over the phone than by text or email. Whether that number is exactly right or not, it passes the smell test.
So, next time you need someone to fill a shift, remember, Brawndo didn’t help grow crops, and texting refs and umps to fill shifts won’t either. Make the effort. Humanize yourself. Have a conversation, and pick up the phone.