project manager

software engineer

systems administrator

network administrator

assistant general manager

Urban-Air-Adventure-Park

I was appointed General Manager in January 2024, with the responsibility of overseeing the opening of a park scheduled for March 2024. While I was initially optimistic about the opportunity and accepted a significant pay cut believing in the potential for growth, I quickly realized that I faced a number of challenges that were difficult to overcome.

Upon starting, I was sent to Texas for what was intended to be “training.” Unfortunately, the training was brief and didn’t provide the in-depth knowledge necessary for success. The company itself acknowledged the lack of adequate support, noting that many other managers had struggled with similar challenges. The company openly shared that the average tenure for a General Manager at this location is only six months.

As opening day approached, I found myself responsible for managing nearly every aspect of the park’s setup. I was tasked with organizing the office space, assembling furniture, overseeing the kitchen areas, and recruiting over 80 staff members in time for launch. The process was overwhelming, with little to no support. Once the park was operational, the training provided to employees was inadequate, leading the owners to send a formal complaint to corporate. Despite this, I relied on my prior experience to maintain operations and manage the team, though the lack of structured training made it difficult to achieve optimal results.

During the busy summer months, taking time off became virtually impossible. I often worked 15-hour days without sufficient acknowledgment. In addition, my compensation did not reflect the amount of revenue the park was generating, and despite meeting labor goals, the owners continuously made changes to the bonus structure, making it difficult to attain performance incentives.

There were also concerns regarding management practices. One of the owners was highly involved in day-to-day operations, often micromanaging tasks and being critical of my decisions. This included making inappropriate remarks regarding hiring practices, which made it challenging to foster a positive work environment. The other owner was kind but lacked knowledge about the operations, which added to the difficulty in making decisions.

The role of a General Manager should focus on strategic leadership, but I was often pulled into daily operational tasks that should have been handled by other team members. The lack of delegation and understanding from the ownership team created significant strain.

Additionally, the park faced a high employee turnover rate, largely due to low base wages compared to competitors. Despite efforts to improve the team and hold employees accountable, the owners did not seem to consider the long-term impact of this turnover. In my time at the company, I hired 270 employees, but only 88 remained by the time of my departure. This constant turnover made it difficult to build a stable, effective team.

Ultimately, my role was ended abruptly after I had succeeded in stabilizing the operations without my constant involvement. I was informed that a replacement had already been hired a month prior to my termination, and when I addressed this with the owners, they initially denied it. This lack of transparency, coupled with the abrupt manner in which my departure was handled, was deeply disappointing given my dedication and contributions to the company.

In conclusion, while I worked hard to make the park successful, the lack of support, poor training, constant management changes, and insufficient compensation created an environment that was difficult to thrive in. My experience left me with valuable lessons about leadership, but it was a challenging and ultimately unsustainable situation.

As a first time Job Seeker Urban Air was really easy to get into, too easy almost. But the owner of the establishment I worked at didn't really care for security of the employees personal information. She lived about 1.5-2 hours away and so while hiring before the establishment opened she would ask for social security cards to be texted to her. On top of that the managers just set a poor example. It was fun at first when the original General Manager was there as he made sure that both, the customers and employees were happy. Always making sure the employees were cared for, until he was mysteriously fired. After that the establishment went downhill fast. Management didn't care for anyone's safety or making sure the employees enforced the rules like they should've been. I lost track the amount of times a manager would come up to me and demand that I let this kid, who was a good half a foot too short, to go on the Sky Coaster after their parents complained that I wasn't letting them on. The pay was deceiving, on paper $12.50 and hour seems good for what you would think was a minimum wage job, but what they don't tell you is that you'll only get assigned 2 shifts a week totalling 8 hours. When it came to balancing work with school, I knew quite a few people who kept getting assigned shifts that they explicitly said they couldn't do due to school, luckily I was off about an hour earlier than most so I never ran into this problem until holiday break came. I had said that I couldn't work over Thanksgiving break to spend time with family, the only time in the 6 months I had worked there that I requested to not be assigned a shift. I came in the next week and was pulled aside by management demanding where I was claiming I was assigned a shift the day before break started, shifts were typically handed out on Sunday and the shift given to me was on Tuesday, with the shift on Wednesday. To top it off, work was very unsanitary, you'd think being an indoor adventure park that services hundreds of kids a day that things would actually get cleaned, but all that was ever done was a quick sweep and wipe down of the tables with just hot water, no cleaner at all, nothing that would ever survive this pandemic. I was fired after a single parent lodged a complaint about me actually checking the harnesses on the Sky Coaster to make sure their kid stays safe, the Manager pulled me into the office after my shift was over and told me that after what happened in an establishment in Florida where a kid slipped through his harness that we should be taking Sky Coaster seriously. He didn't even bother checking the camera footage to see me checking each and every harness and having them put on the way they told me to put them on the kids. Afterwards I filed a complaint to the owner about the severe lack of safety the managers were promoting and all she replied with was "Hope you enjoyed your time, you'll be able to reapply in a couple months". And talking to some friends that worked there, nothing ever changed. So for first time job seekers that are looking for a job, it's ok for them as it is easy to get in and get the job experience, but as a quality job overall, it sets a poor example of how a job should work given the management poorly doing their job.

When we first opened in June of 2019 the management was terrifying. Managers would only check up on employees only once or twice for every 6 hour shift. Asking to use the bathroom during your shift or asking for a water was almost impossible. Even taking your break was impossible, if you asked you were frowned upon. This was because the manager was the one who had to cover your spot while you were on your break. There was also never any rotations which they told us we would have. We have since added rotations which in my opinion greatly benefit the employees. Before one would be stuck on the same attraction for 6+ hours which was unbearable and so boring. Being able to change between positions definitely helped with focus and reduced boredom. Promotions were only given to people who were friends with the managers. The general managers that were hired at opening all no longer work there. The management is great and far more professional. I have been able to interact with them on a professional and personal level while in the work place. This has made me so much more excited to come into work everyday. I think the new addition of team leads is great too to promote teen leadership and communication. At opening workers were not interviewed one on one but in large groups and resumes were not required. Since there are only a handful of employees who still work here including myself, the hiring guidelines have been enforced I feel like I can get along with basically everyone I work with. The workplace is now rid of employee drama and competition like it was before. The hardest part of my job now has not been something directly placed on me but all the employees. Due to COVID we have not been staffing as many people at one time as usual. Before we probably had 30-40 employees in the building at one time. Now we are at about 15 per shift. This works out fine during the week, but Saturday's and Sunday's is another story. During our busy hours there is a lot of commotion with the staffing usually we are able to get more people to come in though. The most enjoyable helping other people, when I am nice to others and get positive responses and reactions it makes me far more happy and motivated.

As a current employee, I feel compelled to share my experience, which I believe resonates with many of my young colleagues. Despite the potential our workplace holds, it's significantly undermined by a pervasive issue: our voices seem to matter little, if at all. The effort to raise concerns, suggest improvements, or highlight inefficiencies consistently meets with silence. 

Repeatedly, I've witnessed and experienced how our attempts to engage with management on various issues, such as scheduling mishaps and operational inefficiencies, are blatantly ignored. A particularly disheartening aspect is the apparent lack of prior notice for shifts, especially on days without scheduled work, which disregards our time and resources. Even modest requests for compensation for such oversights are dismissed, amplifying feelings of being undervalued.

This situation is further exacerbated by a perception that seems prevalent among the management: the youth of their employees equates to disposability. There's a palpable sense that our ideas and grievances are trivialized, not due to their merit, but simply because of our age. This not only undermines our morale but also fosters a culture where genuine employee engagement and satisfaction are sidelined for operational convenience.

The dismissive attitude towards young employees not only diminishes trust in management's willingness to listen and adapt but also reflects a short-sighted approach to leadership. Ignoring the insights and feedback of young employees doesn't just hurt morale; it restricts growth and innovation.

In essence, while the potential for a fulfilling work experience exists, it's significantly hampered by a culture of communication breakdown and a dismissive attitude towards younger staff. Acknowledging and valuing the contributions of all employees, regardless of age, could dramatically transform our workplace. Until such changes are made, however, many of us remain feeling unheard, undervalued, and disillusioned.

The workplace environment is extremely toxic, and the management is one of the biggest reasons why. The attendance and point system is very unfair and lacks any real flexibility for employees who experience unexpected life events. Situations such as family emergencies, funerals, illnesses, or other unforeseen circumstances can happen to anyone, yet management often shows little understanding or compassion when these situations arise.
One of the biggest issues is the lack of communication from management regarding company policies and expectations. Employees are not properly informed about many of the rules, including procedures such as checking in with managers before leaving. Instead of clearly explaining expectations from the start, employees are often left to figure things out on their own and then face consequences for rules they were never properly taught.
In my experience, management seems more focused on their own convenience than on supporting employees. It often feels like as long as management is satisfied, employee concerns and personal situations do not matter. This creates a negative work environment where workers feel undervalued and unappreciated.
Additionally, the workplace culture is highly toxic. There is frequent drama, gossip, and rumor-spreading among employees. Some workers are unfairly targeted, disliked, or judged for no apparent reason, which makes the environment stressful and uncomfortable. Instead of promoting teamwork and professionalism, the workplace often encourages negativity and conflict.
Overall, this has been one of the worst jobs I have ever had. I would not recommend this workplace to teenagers or anyone looking for a positive part-time job experience. Between the poor management, unfair attendance policies, lack of communication, and toxic workplace culture, it is not an environment where employees can feel respected, supported, or successful.

Has been understaffed for around a year now - the understaffing problem continues as they continue to hire 14-17 year olds with small availability and not much discipline, causing management to fire them after about a month or so of working.

Most employees are very young, so it could be awkward for older employees. The young age of employees makes for a stressful work environment as most of the 14-16 year olds are inexperienced and inconsiderate of coworkers. 

Be prepared to be overworked. If you're a good employee, you'll be exploited. If you aren't, you'll be fired within a few months. You HAVE to be extremely strict about your availability and schedule - myself and others have consistently been scheduled outside of our availability as well as on pre-requested days off, and many times the schedule is never fixed no matter how often I alerted the issue.

I love my coworkers, but the work itself is stressful and unorganized. They do not provide the proper training to employees - I've had to retrain many party hosts during my own time because they are often set to work a day or so after initial hire and training. I was able to adapt quickly, but it may be difficult for others.

Pay is moderate, it used to be much worse but recently was increased. 
Breakdown as of 03/06/22:

PARTY HOST:
- $7.25/hr
Saturdays: Increases to $11.25/hr
Sundays: Increases to $9.25/hr
For each party you average $15-$20 tip, but the Southlake area provides a more "well-off" community and I've made multiple tips of $100+. 

Depending on your availability as well as experience, you'll be averaging 3-5 parties a day. In the past, I would be working up to 9 parties on a 12/13 hour shift, but the workload has definitely decreased recently.

Overall: not a bad job. I enjoy it - there are definitely more good than bad days - but it's absolutely not a work environment for everyone. 

I worked at this location shortly after it opened, and while I understand new businesses go through growing pains, many of the operational and communication issues persisted well beyond the initial opening period.

Working here, there were frequent issues 
with scheduling consistency and communication. Schedules often changed on short notice, including messages about late shifts (sometimes after 10pm), and it was not always clear what time you were expected to work the following day. This made it difficult to plan outside of work or maintain any stable routine.

Breaks were also not consistently realistic to take during shifts due to workload and staffing coverage, especially during busy periods. In many cases, employees were assigned to a single station for extended hours of time.

There were also repeated issues with payroll accuracy and timing, including instances where hours worked were not properly reflected and required follow-up to resolve.

Scheduling systems took several months to stabilize after opening, and shifts were often adjusted based on operational needs rather than employee availability. This sometimes resulted in employees being heavily relied on if they had open availability, while others had more rigid scheduling.

On the management side (The co owner), communication style could feel very reactive during stressful situations, and at times feedback was delivered in a way that felt overwhelming or discouraging for staff. The workplace environment could be high-pressure, especially for newer employees.

Although the current general manager created a more stable environment & held the basic standards of managing employees. However when there's times working with co-owner it created unnecessary stress & micromanagement to the point where I’ve seen at least 5 people quit on the spot due to issues dealing with the co-owner. The job itself isn’t difficult more so working with stubborn management makes the job not worth the stress. 

-The few pros: Jump for free, discounts besides icees & mini melts.., you might get more than one water bottle for your shift, somewhat "chill", and SOMETIMES parents appreciate you & kids rarely have manners.
-If you are court monitor you stand for your whole shift blowing your whistle & yelling at kids who disobey you on purpose.
-Employees not properly trained. Online training courses that aren't even the same as your specific Urban Air so theres a big chance the attractions won't run the same way. Vague rules during 2 hour physical training, but when you actually work, you constantly have coworkers telling you new and contradicting rules for each attraction so kids and parents get upset at you for "changing the rules". 
-Coworkers that were at the attraction before you don't enforce rules so when you actually enforce the rules, kids and parents get upset with YOU because "the employee before let them do it".
-If theres an upset customer asking for a manager, 90% of the time the manager doesn't come & employees are yelled at.
-Clock in system is instead of digitally, a court lead highlights your shift start time & highlights your clock out time on a piece of PAPER so theres no actual proof of what times people clock in and out. Too many times people would be let out over 15 minutes later than suppose to so they worked overtime but no proof.
-Most shifts replacements would come late meaning you'd have to stay longer for time you DON'T get paid, for time they DO get paid. (usually when this happens they're fooling around with other coworkers.)
-Payroll is rarely on time.
-They have taken money out of employees paychecks WITHOUT telling them. Write your hours down & keep all your messages to prove the hours you worked, shifts you dropped & picked up & hope they pay you your rightful wage.
-Mostly teenagers run this place so theres usually random drama, bad attitudes.
-You have to do and know a lot more than you think you do before working here.
-Pays minimum wage, deserve to get paid more for what we have to deal with.

I worked at Urban Air St. Charles for over three years and initially loved my job. While the business previously struggled, it had a positive work culture where employees felt respected. However, since the new ownership took over, there have been several significant changes that have impacted both the work environment and employee morale. One of the biggest challenges has been the frequent revisions to company policies—three handbook changes in just six months—making it difficult to keep up with expectations. Some policies, such as allowing only a 20-minute break for a 7.5-hour shift and limiting sick days to five per year, feel restrictive. Additionally, the new policies seem highly subjective, leaving employees vulnerable to write-ups and termination for minor infractions. In my personal experience, I received two write-ups within two days, despite previously maintaining a clean record. One was due to a family emergency where I had to take someone to the hospital (with proof provided), and the other was for leaving early due to a severe migraine—with prior approval. These incidents, among others, made me feel that employee well-being was not a priority. Another issue was scheduling inconsistencies, including last-minute shift cancellations without prior notice. While the business operations may have improved under new management, the work environment has become more rigid and impersonal. Employees deserve to be treated with respect and understanding, and I hope that future changes will prioritize both efficiency and employee satisfaction. If you're considering working here, be aware of the strict policies and structured environment. While some may thrive under this management style, others may find it challenging.

Yes, this job is physically demanding, but the expectations are sometimes god-awful. There is limited ability to socialize in a park full of people, work hours can be cut short without warning, and the ability to get time off is VERY dependent on the manager available. The managers and upper staff are very biased, and overall unfair to the staff. Rules are constantly changing with whoever the shift lead is for the day, ranging from extremely high expectations to lackluster. This gives guests whiplash and inconsistent knowledge of how the park operates, which ultimately the court members are subjected to. Consistently the park would be over or understaffed which made you either overwork or get your hours cut off. The place is also extremely unhygienic. Workers are not taught how to clean but are expected to know how. From the harnesses that don't get machine-washed, to the tables that get dry-wiped, the place is riddled with dust, spit, urine, vomit, and food waste. The trash bins would frequently be overfilled and overflowing. 

The only benefits to working there would be the forced understanding to socialize with guests and navigate problems. You get extremely used to being subjected to screaming, crying, and impatient guests. I gained the skill to easily de-escalate many issues and fights guests would have while maintaining park visibility. You also learn to get out of your comfort zone, going from teaching guests jumping techniques to conquering a fear of heights at the Ropes Course and Sky Rider.

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