Managing Your Escape Room Employees

How can I be a good boss in my Escape Room?

Keep in touch with your staff! Make sure that your Games masters are supported in small sensible ways - they know they'll be listened to if something goes wrong.

That's why having good communications with your Games Masters, managing the psychological contract in other words, is so important. It means finding out and managing what it is that motivates your Games Masters, and being transparent about what you can offer as a good employer.

See Buzzshot's Blogpost  Bad Day, Good Management  for a more informal discussion of what makes your Games Masters feel valued and able to perform at their best every day.

How do I find good Games Masters for my Escape Room?

Never underestimate the power of your peer group, of Facebook and of course any existing games masters you have.  

Personal recommendations are great, though you still need to interview and size up your candidate.

Local papers, employment agencies let you cast your net wider, but the key thing is to make sure you have specified the job properly - if you say exactly what you want you are more likely to have suitable people apply.

There's lots more in Buzzshot's blogposts gathered here Hiring Staff 

How do I interview for new Games Masters?

The key advice is to audition people, not just interview them. Give them a work related task to do and watch how they do it.

The interview - yes it’s a necessary evil and people who are good at interviews, who can build rapport, get the jobs. Unfortunately that’s not always a great indicator of them being a good fit for the job.*   So always audition so that you have the chance to see how someone handles the situations you are going to place them in.

You will still need to interview and successful interviewing depends on upon careful preparation. The The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) advises that you do need to structure the interview and you need to ask all the candidates the same questions so that you have a basis for comparison. Their fact sheet Selection Methods has a useful section on interviewing. 

It's worth remembering that often enough the interviewer is as nervous as the interviewee - good planning beforehand ensures that you can provide a smooth and professional interview which will reflect well on your company.

Read more discussion of the topic, in an Escape Room context, in the Buzzshot Blogpost on Interviewing     


* Successful Selection Interviewing (Human Resource Management in Action),  Anderson and Shackleton, Wiley-Blackwell (18 Jun. 1993)

How do I keep my good Games Masters?

It's not just pay, it's the respect and autonomy that they feel they have to do their best. You're asking a lot of them - handyman, super host, people manager, so make sure they have the right training the right tools and the best environment possible to do their job. Spend time on your Games Masters - they are the ones who count in making your games great! Have look at  Buzzshot's Blogpost Training Game Masters for your Escape Room 

How do I write a good Job Description for a Games Master?

A key tip is to walk through, on site if possible, every aspect of the job you are trying to describe. From that generate a list of all that must be done by your employee. It is important because you are often hiring exciting creative social people to be Games Masters and it's only fair to them to set out all the expectations, from housekeeping and repairs to taking the money, so that they can concentrate of doing what they do best -guide and entertain your players

Prioritize your walk through into a numbered list and rewrite each job responsibility out as clearly and succinctly as you can.

It's one thing writing out the description of the job though - but what sort of person do you need? You also need to write a description of the traits and skills you require. Find all this and more in my  free Hiring for Escape Rooms e-course which has lots more to say on this!

How much should I pay my Escape Room Games Masters?

Escape Room Games Masters are the customer facing element of your business - once you've appointed the right person you want to keep them and keep them rooting for the success of your business and their place within it.

So if you're paying the going rate (look at local wage rates),  maybe offer incentive schemes , bonuses for bookings that they have brought in, you're headed in the right direction. Check out our free  Hiring for Escape Rooms e-course for a lot more guidance and information!

Always a vexed question, never an easy answer. There are however hard headed business reasons for making sure that your Games Master is not on a minimum wage. But remember it isn't just pay that keeps good Games Masters - see How to retain your Games Masters.