At the recent week-long ICE North America virtual conference, focusing on the return of the gaming industry from the impact of Covid-19, casino human resources officials discussed mask-wearing among employees and guests. Nevada casino employees have been required to wear masks since venues reopened June 4 and patrons have been required to wear them since the state issued a directive June 26.
According to a report issued by the Nevada Office of Safety and Health Administration, about 80 percent of guests comply with wearing masks on casino floors but just 40 percent wear them at resort pools.
Boyd Gaming Vice President of Human Resources Chris Smith said, “We’ve not had a lot of situations where guests have outright refused to comply with standards, and I think what we see is most guests are aware of the expectations. It’s been helpful not to have to communicate that, because other businesses are doing it, not just casinos. That has helped because people are acclimated from being coached in other places.”
Smith noted a “softer approach” toward customers who aren’t wearing masks or social distancing has been successful. He said patrons often simply are having fun and forget to put on their masks. Most of the time the need for a mask is “headed off” at the entry when customers are greeted by security, Smith said.
Over the July 4 weekend, Caesars Entertainment posted on social media that employees at Strip venues who do not wear a mask could be subject to termination. Las Vegas Sands issued a statement that employees could be disciplined for not wearing a mask, including termination. MGM Resorts said non-mask-wearing workers could face progressive discipline.
Rick Fields, a casino consultant and former senior vice president of casino operations at Mandalay Bay, said word on the Strip is the “back of the house is where they’re having issues.” He said in it’s critical that guests feel they are safe when they come to stay and to gamble in a casino-hotel.
Smith said noted occasionally after two to three weeks of training, some Boyd employees may start to become more lax about wearing masks and social distancing. He said, “It’s easy to get lazy on how you’re wearing your face covering, especially when you go from front of the house to back of the house. That’s where we’re seeing most of our challenges. We’re on point in front of the house, but once you get to the back, team members are letting down their guard. We can’t let our guard down. The moment we do, we invite potential risk into our properties.”
Smith said Boyd will “coach and coach” to ensure compliance. However, if a “team member is not going to wear their mask correctly or social distance, we may resort to progressive discipline, just like any other standard that we employ. From a compliance perspective, it carries exactly the same weight, so that’s the way we look at it.” Smith said it’s important for properties to send a message that they’re safe, “not only for customers, but also potential employees.” He said he expects hiring staff in the future will be challenging “unless people are convinced it’s a safe place to work.”
Smith said security is seen as much more important now, with mandatory temperature screenings at entrances and guest questionnaires about Covid-19 symptoms at all of Boyd’s 29 properties in 13 states. “The demand for security officers is going through the roof. As businesses have been forced to scale back, we’re still hiring in many areas, because the requirements in many of our states are much higher than they once were. After this unemployment ends, hopefully, we will get more of those candidates looking for those kinds of positions.”
