Labor shortage hits some Hilton Head gated communities

It’s not just Hilton Head Island restaurants and resorts that need workers now. Some of the island’s gated communities also are in short supply of labor.

In its July newsletter, Wexford Plantation said it has been impacted by the area’s labor shortage, noting that its landscape maintenance, kitchen and security staffs have been affected the most.

The private community is not alone in facing the problem: According to postings on Indeed.com, the Palmetto Hall golf club, Long Cove Club and Indigo Run golf club are also looking for employees such as line cooks, prep cooks and servers.

While Hilton Head’s shortage of hospitality workers at resorts and restaurants has been in the public eye recently, some of the island’s gated communities have been quietly dealing with the same struggles.

Special report

Propping up Paradise: Hilton Head's workforce crisis

 

Aug. 6, 2016 Hilton Head Island is grappling with an unprecedented shortage of hospitality workers that, according to island employers, is nothing short of a crisis. | READ

---

 

Find more special reports

“I think the dialogue will continue,” said Susan Fishel, general manager at Wexford Plantation, when contacted Thursday. “I’ve spoken to general managers in other areas; it’s not just an isolated thing.”

“It’s the one worry that keeps me up at night, other than hurricanes,” she added.

Wexford does not outsource any services, which makes its labor shortage more acute, Fishel said. Finding full-time staffers has been an issue lately, she said, noting there were seven vacancies at one point, and some positions were filled by retirees.

Reasons for the island’s labor shortages are debatable, though the lack of affordable housing, limited public transportation and the E-verify program, which is aimed at preventing undocumented workers from being hired, have been cited.

“That’s what started everything,” Fishel said about E-verify, pointing out that since the program’s inception, Wexford has seen fewer applicants and responses to job postings.

Fishel also attributes some of the area’s labor shortage to the heavy traffic that deters commuters from wanting a job on the island and low gas prices, which increases the number of cars on the road.

“As more communities build up out in Bluffton, we’re all fighting for (workers),” she said, adding some employees have told her it takes more time to get to work each day.

Despite having a worker longevity of about nine years, Wexford has had to get “creative” in keeping and attracting employees, Fishel said. Five- and 10-year bonuses, a referral bonus program, and a turf-management internship program have been established, in addition to competitive wages and other benefits, she said.

Managers of other gated communities, however, say they aren’t facing labor shortages.

Shipyard Plantation, for example, is fully staffed, according to general manager Sally Warren. But within the last six months, filling positions — especially security — has been more difficult than in past years, she said.

Port Royal Plantation has enough workers, though finding qualified employees is more difficult when there are fewer applicants, said Lance Pyle, general manager.

Contacted Thursday, officials at several gated communities that outsource work said they don’t have a labor problem. Hilton Head Plantation, for example, contracts out its landscape maintenance, general manager Peter Kristian said. Windmill Harbour contracts out security and landscaping jobs, said Don Baldwin, president of the property owners association.

Yet Lee Edwards, president of The Greenery Inc., a landscape company on Hilton Head, said he could use another 20 employees now for the amount of work that needs to be done.

“Not only are we incredibly busy, every landscape company is incredibly busy,” he said. “This has been the most difficult labor market I’ve ever experienced in this business.”

Edwards, who has been on the island his entire life and has worked in the landscaping industry since 1994, said his company is competing against contractors for employees. He also said fewer immigrants are applying for jobs, and there is a lack of affordable housing for workers.

“In general, hiring and keeping (employees) is harder than it’s ever been,” he said.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Labor shortage hits some Hilton Head gated communities."