|
Post by fullmahina on May 23, 2019 18:39:33 GMT
I went to a meeting this morning and the first thing the leader did was tell us that she was sorry but there would be only one weigh-in person unless we increase the census at the meetings. In the past there have been two people doing the weigh-ins.
There were over thirty members at the meeting. I didn't plan on weighing in today so I left a little later but I usually get there when it opens a 9:00 and there are always people waiting at the door and weigh-ins begin immediately, 1/2 hour before the meeting begins.
It was ridiculous. There was a big line when the leader started the meeting at 9:30 and it barely crawled. Apparently people love to chat with the weigh-in lady. In fact, you could hear all the conversations between her and the members being weighed. At 10:00, when the meeting ended, there were still a few people on line. The line in this center goes to the back of the room right past the meeting area so there was no wondering how long the weigh-in was going on.
I remember in the past when the leader also would weigh people when it got busy. Now she stands there like a Walmart greeter, bids cheery hellos, and writes up the "Hello My Name Is______" tags. I have a feeling that leaders are not allowed to venture out of their job description anymore.
Quite a few of the people on that long line looked very annoyed. I saw some leave the line and sit down only to get up again when the line speed looked like it was picking up.
I like the leader and the people at this meeting so I will keep going but it really was not a good experience this morning.
|
|
|
Post by linda72 on May 23, 2019 19:05:29 GMT
Our leader (coach) will help with weigh-ins prior to the meeting starting. At least that was true in April. I haven't been in May so I don't know if that has changed. But, I suspect there are cost cutting measures going in place and not paying 1 more person/studio could benefit their bottom line. Doesn't matter if it upsets the customers, Mindy has a new plan in place!
|
|
|
Post by limefan on May 23, 2019 20:45:43 GMT
We used to have 3 ladies weighing in people, but once the attendance dropped they went to two. In order to have 3, the numbers need to pick up. I do not see that happening anytime soon. I think this has been standard practice for a while, before Mindy. Perhaps the number of attendees requirement has changed in order to have extra receptionists/guides (whatever).
|
|
ladymajky
Transcendent Member
220/169/150
Posts: 871
|
Post by ladymajky on May 23, 2019 20:47:18 GMT
At our meeting yesterday our leader/coach announced an attendance incentive thing beginning soon WITH BLING. She has seen the bling and it is worthy.
She said several times that the feedback had gone up the chain of command that people want bling so now there will be bling.
|
|
|
Post by DebDoesWW on May 23, 2019 20:47:51 GMT
I have no clue how things work now but I ALWAYS weighed people in. We were never told not to, it was part of the job, that is just bizarre to have the leader not weighing people in and to have a line. I would have been embarrassed to be sitting there writing out freaking name tags with a line going out the door. That is their meeting, that need to take charge of it and get to work.
|
|
|
Post by DebDoesWW on May 23, 2019 20:48:52 GMT
At our meeting yesterday our leader/coach announced an attendance incentive thing beginning soon WITH BLING. She has seen the bling and it is worthy. She said several times that the feedback had gone up the chain of command that people want bling so now there will be bling. Yay!!! I loved the bling!
|
|
|
Post by zazzles on May 23, 2019 21:32:18 GMT
fullmahina, what you describe has always been the norm. The ridiculous WW-logic in the equation has always been this: they assign staffing for NEXT week’s meeting based on THIS week’s attendance. In my Monday meeting, which was closed towards the end of last year, we seldom had more than 20 people weigh in and/or attend the meeting. That warranted a leader and a receptionist, and both of them weighed folks until it was time for the meeting to start. However, on the occasional week where we had, say, 30 or more people weigh in, then the following week we would have TWO receptionists plus the leader to weigh folks in. And in those three-staff weeks the weigh-ins would invariably drop to 15 people or so. It isn’t just cost cutting or penny pinching, it is and always has been micro-managing pennies in a ridiculous and insanely thoughtless way (IMHO—but whadda I know!).
|
|
|
Post by zazzles on May 23, 2019 21:36:15 GMT
I have no clue how things work now but I ALWAYS weighed people in. We were never told not to, it was part of the job, that is just bizarre to have the leader not weighing people in and to have a line. I would have been embarrassed to be sitting there writing out freaking name tags with a line going out the door. That is their meeting, that need to take charge of it and get to work. Back in the dark ages when I was a leader, the leader alone was responsible for weigh-ins. The clerk was responsible for the check-ins and money. Leaders weighing in members gives the leaders a chance to build relationships with the member and know what’s going on with individuals and to offer help. Of course, we’ve heard that Mindy has mandated that no advice or help shall be given, so there goes that theory. I have been to meetings that have two or three “guides” where the leader talks to individuals in the room before the meeting; but, then, there are only three weigh-in stations in that meeting so there isn’t much else she could do.
|
|
|
Post by fullmahina on May 23, 2019 21:55:11 GMT
It isn’t just cost cutting or penny pinching, it is and always has been micro-managing pennies in a ridiculous and insanely thoughtless way I understand that but I wonder if the staffing/member ratio has changed. It was really weird seeing such a back-up and having the leader act like Pearl Mesta through it all. She doesn't seem like the kind of person that would leave her one staff person swinging in the wind unless it was an edict from on high. I've only been back to meetings for less than two months, though, and I've never seen her working the scales so who knows.
|
|
|
Post by fullmahina on May 23, 2019 22:12:39 GMT
I asked via WW chat---this is the answer I got:
"WW coaches can weigh in members if the line is getting too long but they are encouraged to talk to members instead of weighing them in."
"Prior to the meeting the coach could have weighed in members."
"The number of guides is based on the attendance. Two guides are scheduled if the attendance is 36 or more."
"No they are just encouraged not to weigh in members if possible; but they can if the line is long."
"The required numbers have not changed in years."
"Maybe losing one of the guides."
"I don't know what happened in your meeting exactly and I am very sorry that it did happen like that."
"The required number of attendees to guides has been the same for many years; one guide to 35 attendees, two guides from 36 to 54 attendees, three guides above that."
"The coaches are encouraged to talk to the members in line but are allowed to weigh them if the line gets too long. That is the policy."
So there it is. I think if the line is that long again I'm just going to sit down, listen to the meeting, and weigh after the meeting is over.
|
|
|
Post by finreporter on May 23, 2019 22:16:20 GMT
Sounds like your leader was just being lazy then.
|
|
|
Post by zazzles on May 23, 2019 22:32:45 GMT
I understand that but I wonder if the staffing/member ratio has changed. Glad you got that official answer. I’ve never been able to get a number out of anybody. You had me ROFLOL at the Pearl Mesta reference. I think finreporter has a point—if the guide was drowning the leader should have helped out with weigh-ins. I’ve observed many members sit down without weighing in before the meeting. When lines are so long that everyone isn’t processed before the meeting starts, those in like kind of miss out on the value of the meeting. At my former meeting, the “guide” was always in a hurry to close out the meeting in computer as soon as the meeting ended. Then she would get annoyed with people who weighed in because they didn’t get counted as weighing in for the meeting and, thus, didn’t add value for the staffing equation.
|
|
|
Post by fullmahina on May 24, 2019 0:34:47 GMT
Sounds like your leader was just being lazy then. Could be but honestly I think it might have been because she was given the message that she was to be out there for the meet and greet portion of the program. The area manager may be a hard-*** and I have to say that the leader does not seem like the kind of person who would ever consider rocking any boat, ever. She has been "with WW" (and yes, she says WW, not Weight Watchers) for almost twenty years and I think it is a big part of her life and I can't see her doing anything but what she's been told. It's conceivable that she was told to put herself out there and she is doing just that. Maybe there were no "well what if" scenarios presented during the Weight Watchers-to-WW changeover staff meetings and perhaps the new rules were presented quite forcefully and she took it all to heart.
|
|
|
Post by Jennifer on May 24, 2019 2:55:48 GMT
[quote author=" zazzles" [/quote]Back in the dark ages when I was a leader, the leader alone was responsible for weigh-ins. The clerk was responsible for the check-ins and money. [/quote] Yes! I totally forgot that Zazzles! Back in 1997 my leader weighed us all in. The girls sat outside in the hallway to check us in and then we went to weigh in. The scale was one of those tall scales with the sliding weights like you see in drs offices.
|
|
|
Post by Jennifer on May 24, 2019 3:01:23 GMT
The leaders are supposed to be mingling with members while they wait to be weighed in, I like that, it's warm and friendly. That's been a long time already but I haven't seen one yet that doesn't jump on a scale if the line is too long. Weigh in starts 30 minutes before the meeting it seems to me like the lines clog when people pile in the last 10 minutes or so.
|
|