Addressing Staffing Issues in the Hospitality Sector

Posted on: November 13, 2019 by RMS Hospitality

Three are many indicators that point to a strong or surging economy. One of those is when Americans are packing their bags and hitting the road, air, or seas for travel and trips around the country or globe. And while this is great for everything from hotels to restaurants to tourism spots in travel destinations, it’s putting a hinder on staffing in the hospitality industry.

While Americans may be feeling better about the economy and their own pocketbooks, causing the hospitality industry to scramble to find help. What’s more, the turnover rate in the restaurants-and-accommodations sector rose to a post-recession high of 74.9 percent in 2018.

For those in the hospitality industry, they should consider a number of challenges they face when it comes to not only hiring employees but retaining them to meet the demand.

Employee Morale

While many roles in the hospitality industry, like waiters, line cooks, front desk agents, and housekeepers, do not require an advanced educational degree, working within a hotel or restaurant is something that requires high-level skills. These employees must meet the satisfaction requirements of guests on top of those presented by their coworkers and managers during their shift.

Doing so can be extremely stressful in general, and with a jet-setting customer base hitting the road more frequently now and the holidays coming up, this stress can be even more intense.

Unhappy or stretched-thin employees may be less productive or motivated to work and may be more apt to look for other work after a certain breaking point. Fortunately, companies in the hospitality industry can make some moves to improve morale when budgets, resources, and schedules are tight, such as consistently expressing appreciation, giving perks, celebrating accomplishments, or setting aside time for company-wide fun.

Hospitality employers should also be sure not to stretch their liability protection to thin during the upcoming holiday season. With more people staying at hotels, eating out at restaurants, or checking out the latest coffee shop, hospitality insurance programs, such as restaurant insurance, are even more important.

Retaining Employees

Employee turnover rates don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, even with a looming recession in the U.S. Employees may feel more comfortable and pushed to pursue opportunities elsewhere over the next couple of years, leading to a bigger gap in the need for hospitality workers.

However, businesses such as hotels and restaurants can reduce employee turnover or at least hold it off to a certain degree through some proactive steps. These include bringing on new employees who have a culture fit and not just a resume fit. They can also retain employees by creating growth opportunities so the workers have something to strive for on a daily basis. Also, competitive pay and benefits go a long way, and employers can help their efforts by offering them to employees.

Connecting with the Right Candidates

When someone needs a job bad enough, they will be prone to apply for most anything that will pay. However, even though employers may get flooded with profiles and resumes from a number of candidates, they should make sure they are only pulling quality ones, which means they may need to wade through piles of resumes first.

When someone is brought on who isn’t the right fit in some way and they quit or have to be let go, this just puts the employer back in the running to find yet another person to fill that spot. This backs up productivity and can even cost the employer money in the long run.

Employers can combat this by being more proactive in their job postings, connecting with quality candidates only. Certain job posting boards, such as Hcareers, cater to those who specifically have a background in hospitality. This will target potential employees who already have experience and a passion for this kind of work.

About RMS Hospitality Group

At RMS Hospitality Group, our expertly crafted policies are written specifically for the hospitality industry. We offer custom-tailored solutions to meet any venue’s specific needs. For more information, contact our knowledgeable experts today at (888) 359-8390.

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