Wind Creek Hospitality announced Tuesday it is giving a one-time cash stipend to all full- and part-time employees to help in times of inflation. The gaming authority of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians will also introduce an accelerated roll-out of flexible working arrangements to help minimize fuel and child-care expenses.
Stephanie Bryan, Tribal chairwoman, said: “We know the importance and value of each of our employees, and it is a great pleasure to help them and their families during this critical time of skyrocketing inflation. Every member of our tribal council believes very strongly that they need to support our team at this time.”
The efforts seek to recognize “the added pressures employees are experiencing due to spiraling inflation driving up the cost of groceries and gasoline.” The flexible schedule arrangements will imply changes such as schedules where employees only have to drive to work three or four days each week instead of the traditional five days. Further details of the two plans will be shared with employees later in July.
Stephanie Bryan, Tribal chairwoman
“That will reduce fuel costs and potentially childcare costs by 20% or even 40%. These are important dollars for the families of our team. Every dollar they don’t have to put in the gas tank is a dollar they can use elsewhere for their families,” said Jay Dorris, President and CEO of Wind Creek.
“Offering hourly employees a choice to work the traditional five eight-hour shifts, four ten-hour shift, or even three twelve-hour shifts gives our Team Members the options needed to build a work schedule that works with their life schedule,” Dorris added. “Now we get the added impact of providing some better economic footing along with the requested flexibility employees are seeking today.”
However, flexible shifts are not available for all roles in all locations, with Wind Creek operating more than 10 gaming facilities across the country: Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Aruba, Wind Creek Bethlehem, Wind Creek Chicago Southland (opening 2023), Wind Creek Curacao, Wind Creek Montgomery, Wind Creek Wetumpka, Wa She Shu Casino in Nevada, WindCreekCasino.com, as well as racetracks in Alabama and Florida. Officials said they are “working as hard as possible to look for every opportunity to increase flexibility without compromising the guest experience.”
“Providing our guests with an opportunity to escape from their everyday world is our top priority. Building and bringing together a team of employees who believe that their employer makes their lives better will ensure that these team members will ensure that our guests receive the lifeline they need,” Dorris concluded.
Consumer prices rose 8.6% in June from 12 months earlier, faster than April’s annual increase of 8.3%. On a monthly basis, prices jumped 1% from April to May, a sharp increase compared to a 0.3% increase from March to April. Much higher gas prices were responsible for most of this rise.
