Recruitment

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Nurturing our talent

It seems more people are leaving our industry now, than did at the height of the pandemic. As the build back begins, staff shortages have the potential to cripple the recovery. Julie Baxter reports on how we can nurse our sector back to health

Take even the most cursory scroll through LinkedIn these days and the ‘We’re Hiring’ badges and ‘Starting a New Position’ celebratory gifs jump out all along your time line. Our networks and our industry are in a state of flux. These tags are clearly a sign of hope and are, of course, better than the wall to wall 'Open to Work' badges everywhere as redundancy raged through the pandemic, but the HR and recruitment challenges now facing our sector are immense, and they are touching us all – airlines, caterers and suppliers - alike.

The results are already hitting operations, and in some cases the headlines, with airline cancellations, limited onboard catering, the delayed roll out of buy-on-board retail programmes, as well as kitchen closures and the

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growing need to load back-catering - all resulting from the shortage.

Cristoph Schmidt, CEO gategroup, speaking at an Airline Caterers Association (ACA) webinar summed up the post-pandemic situation: “In the big picture we lost 80% of the volume and had to cut a lot of staff. Now 80% of volume is coming back but only just over 40% of the workforce is back, so we are trying to build back with far fewer people. People have been reconsidering their roles and priorities in life and it’s a challenge to re-employ all the people we need. This is the biggest challenge we have in the ramp up to recovery.”

He predicts it will take up to two years to get staffing back to pre-pandemic levels, with staffing for summer flights the biggest concern. Other caterers face similar challenges and calculate some markets are operating with 20% fewer personnel than they need. LSG Group’s jobs vacant list as running at over 2000 and this figure is mirrored elsewhere too. Almost every catering unit in the world has staff shortages.

Airlines and airports are also struggling to gear up. Jenny Piggott, of Yates +, the guest experience design consultancy, often supports airline recruitment and training and says: “The companies which invested in their employees in the downturn are benefitting in the return but many did not make that investment.

“In Europe and the U.S furlough schemes and financing support helped airlines retain crew to some extent but morale and communication strategies also impacted commitment and those airlines which did not tangibly show good support to staff have lost critical loyalty,” she adds.

Middle East carriers with limited local capacity, are now actively tapping Asian markets but the employment packages on offer now bring fewer in-service benefits and often run for shorter terms. Many who once favoured aviation are in, or are looking at, alternative industries which offer more. They are not easily attracted back.

Piggott adds: “The countries and airlines with a dictatorial or casual approach to managing staff in the pandemic have found the impact is hitting them now. Cutting contracts and rehiring with less benefits, is to the detriment of the industry. People want a better work/life balance now and

many airlines have missed the opportunity to retain staff effectively.” There are pockets of good work. Qantas and Virgin Australia, for example, did a great job keeping staff committed by communicating with them throughout the pandemic and running ‘no destination’ flights so staff were kept engaged and earning to some extent. Now, as they ramp up, they have put those who stayed loyal first in line for progression, assessing them fast for moves upwards. It is clear this is helping them bring Re-employing the people back a higher percentage of we need is the biggest their staff, quicker. challenge we have in the Virgin Atlantic’s new ad ramp up to recovery campaign reflects a shift in thinking too. It elevates the role of the crew by championing the rich individuality of the airline’s people and encouraging their crew ‘to be their true selves onboard and on the ground’. Crew are no longer following a script, and new freedoms include the right to choose whether to wear make-up and, for female crew, the choice to wear trousers and flats, as well as skirts and heels. This is helping to change stereotypical ideas around the roles and also taps into research showing that travellers find most airline crew to be impersonal in their service. Shai Weiss, CEO Virgin Atlantic, explains: “At the core of our business is the understanding that every one of our people can be themselves at work and that they belong. They truly are the thing that sets us apart and the reason customers choose to fly with us. We know that the touchpoints that matter most and the experiences that differentiate Virgin Atlantic, are driven by our people and that’s why it's important they’re at the heart of this campaign.” Annabelle Cordelli, vp brand & marketing at Virgin Atlantic, adds: “It makes sense to start by championing the individuality of our crew – and then applying this spirit to everything we do. After two challenging years when life has been on pause, it’s time to see the world differently.” Erdmann Rauer, CEO LSG Group, recognises that the onboard hospitality sector is facing a similar need to reassess its employment offer. “Everything is changing, there is a lot of dynamic movement in airline catering and the sector has to renew itself with new ways of working, and

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new skill sets drawn from other industries. A new mix of skills is needed so we have to tell a story about the careers we can offer and explain why this is a dynamic and exciting industry to be involved in. Building resilience within our workforce shouldn’t be exhausting, we need to be more humble and adaptive in how we operate.”

Mike Pooley, of Hayward Recruitment, agrees jobseekers have new priorities post-pandemic: “There has never been a time like this, we need to turn the focus onto the wellbeing of the individuals and the retention of talent in equal measure. Without one we won’t get the other, or the performance we need. People worldwide have been severely spun out by what’s been going on, employers have to recognise and support them through that.”

He adds: “We are currently facing a perfect storm. There are urgent operational recruitment needs among caterers, unpredictable issues with sick leave, changing priorities among those people stood down, and a decline in loyalty. All these factors are driving talent to more attractive industries. People are at the core of our sector and a lack of the right people will be the biggest impediment to recovery. We have to recognise the emotional and psychological damage of the pandemic. Businesses are trying to build back with fewer people and there is a risk people are going to burn out before they even get going. We really have to value our people and actively demonstrate that we do.”

Piggott agrees candidate priorities have significantly changed, especially among the next generation of employees. “Old school attitudes to career progression are currently the biggest deterent to successful recruitment”, she says, adding: “We need to switch to a different mind set. The next generation is so in tune with peer to peer learning and sharing. Social media is their life blood, it is how they do business, old school apprenticeship-type systems and slow, unclear progression paths are old fashioned to them. We need to find new ways to attract them, provide the right work/life balance and give them resources, information and support as and when they need it, not when some formal, old structure suits the organisation once a year.” She highlights the need for new types of progression plans and modern learning strategies beyond rigid forums and classrooms. There are now AI opportunities and interactive just-in-time digital learning modules which can address a new skill needed for a job being done on the day not just long term development. Video training and quick engaging tutorials

We have to offer self can provide individuals with improvement and allow staff to take ownership of their own growth access to self improvement instantly and allow them to take ownership of their own learning and growth. Sinje Wojahn, HR lead for LSG Group, agrees there is much work to be done but believes there are some positive opportunities to pursue. She says: “In the past the beauty of a job in travel was clear but the joyful experience of the travel, culinary and creative sectors has been lost somewhat during the pandemic. We are in a very a competitive employment market and we have to provide contracts and conditions that are attractive. If

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the talent you need wants to work remotely you need to make remote working possible. People are much more articulate about what they want in their terms and conditions, and management teams have to adjust to a new climate where candidates may seem very demanding. "Every business has to sell itself to the candidates, show the value it will bring them. Development opportunities need to come faster and be richer than in the past, and we need to reactivate the processes of mentoring and coaching. Talent management processes and feedback has to be taken seriously. As an industry we really are walking on the moon right now - none of us has had to ramp up again after two years of a pandemic, we all need to find a new way through to our future.”

She believes focusing on the content of the jobs available can help, showing they are new and fresh and exciting, that design and ghost-kitchen teams, for example, are energetic and future-facing; that working on data, digital and sustainability solutions can be positive, motivating and rewarding. Many of the roles available can meet the aspirations of young people, inspire them and put them at the heart of something very positive for the future – but they need explaining well.

Robin Padgett, senior vice president dnata Catering and Retail, also sees the type of roles changing: “Automation in kitchens has not come through as quickly as I thought it might. Our operations have tended not to be centralised enough to make that viable but there are opportunities to do that in small parts of the process now and we have to try and remove the more mundane, commodised tasks, let machines do the routine work so remaining roles become more exciting, more focused on the culinary, for example. When chef-led roles come to the fore in inflight catering it is much more attractive.”

All working in this field agree the opportunities around technological growth in our sector and the push towards sustainability are also key pullpoints for candidates, offering opportunities to

attract quality to inflight teams. The pandemic has put digitalisation at the heart of our lifestyles and shown that we can all live greener more sustainable lives that improve the planet’s welfare – no one wants to lose these unexpected wins, so it will be critical to show that the inflight sector has opportunities and challenges that support new People are at the heart of all that is good in our sector and we must progressive thinking. Being part of the build back must mean being part of a force for good.invest in them Pooley concludes: “People are the pulse of any business, the need for them is non-negotiable, they are at the heart of all that is good in our sector and we have to invest in them and support their wellbeing. We have to nurse ourselves back to health and look after ourselves better with thoughtful incentivising and communication, mentoring and coaching. We have to collaborate as an industry on this if we are to inspire the next generation.” •

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Mind games

Stress, burnout and widespread angst will hold back business recovery. Sue Waple, of Dualism Training, tells Julie Baxter how our sector can better support its people

The pandemic has put many people in our sector under pressure. HOW CAN EMPLOYERS SUPPORT WELLBEING AS WE BUILD BACK IN THE COMING YEAR?

Redundancy, furlough, financial

SW pressures and altered contracts. These cause huge stress on employees. The human brain is five times more likely to view change and uncertainty as a threat than as something positive, and under threat we do not give our optimum performance. When our brains are thinking positively we are up to 31% more productive. Employee wellbeing matters.

SW

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

Today’s Remote working makes checking in with colleagues far harder. We need to make specific time for these conversations and be more aware of subtle signs - colleagues who start turning their cameras off, miss deadlines or become inconsistent in email responses. These can be warning signs. In airlines, new contracts mixing long and short haul flying bring tiredness and lower patience/tolerance and cut opportunities to socialise and de-stress down route.

SW

WHAT PROACTIVE STEPS CAN EMPLOYERS TAKE?

Employers need to ensure time and opportunity for employees to talk. Actively promoting shared time, team days during working hours, shared office days, even diarised online catch ups if necessary. If the budgets allow offer mindfulness, wellness and yoga sessions. Make the workplace a safe place to talk about mental health without fear of judgment or negative repercussions. Allow time for rest and socialisation, hobbies or volunteering. Stigma and discrimination come from a lack of awareness,

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so employers should set aside a training budget and provide access to Mental Health First Aid Training, similar to physical first aid. This is about Training, similar to physical first aid. This is about preserving life, preventing harm, providing comfort preserving life, preventing harm, providing comfort and promoting recovery. If all managers had these and promoting recovery. If all managers had these skills that would be a huge step forward.

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IS OUR SECTOR PRIORITISING WORKFORCE MENTAL HEALTH? WORKFORCE MENTAL HEALTH?

In short, no. I think there is a raised awareness since the pandemic, but mental health is not a priority because many employers health is not a priority because many employers do not see the value of a proactive approach. However, overloaded, overworked employees burn out - a real disease-classified syndrome since burn out - a real disease-classified syndrome since January 2022 - resulting from unmanaged chronic January 2022 - resulting from unmanaged chronic workplace stress. It has huge physical, mental and workplace stress. It has huge physical, mental and financial costs to both employee and employer. financial costs to both employee and employer.

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DO WE FACE SPECIFIC OBSTACLES? DO WE FACE SPECIFIC OBSTACLES?

Our sector has a diverse workforce with Our sector has a diverse workforce with colleagues around the world and on different shift patterns. This makes training more challenging but by no means impossible. The bigger issue is the lack of investment. A lot is spent on improving the customer experience and customer scores, with less emphasis on employee mental health. The industry needs to buy into this from its core. It cannot work as a ‘tick box’ exercise with no allocated spend.

Ex crew and BA supply chain executive, Sue Waple now works with Dualism Training

dualismtraining.com

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HOW DO WE CHANGE THINGS?

Education comes from the top and must be visibly embeded in workplace culture. Commitment from senior leadership is key and investment will pay off. The Deloitte Report of 2020 showed every £1 invested in mental health training, brought a £5 return. The cost of poor employee mental health is estimated at £45bn a year.

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WHAT IS THE RISK OF INACTION?

If we don’t change, we could end up with a burnt-out workforce. We will see a rise in absenteeism, presenteeism and leavism (people working outside their hours). These are worrying signs of an unhealthy workplace and all lead to a loss of productivity and impact the bottom line. The ‘always on’ culture makes employees search for new roles better matching their personal values. If employers do not genuinely care about the mental health of their teams, they will not attract, recruit and retain the best talent. Look after them and they will look after the business and in turn your customers. Human beings are not machines, but even if they were – machines need maintenance! sue.waple@dualism-training.com •