Hospitality Needs to Inspire the Next Generation to Survive and Thrive

By Simon King, Founder of Igniting Hospitality

The last few years have certainly been challenging for the Hospitality sector and with rising utility bills a cost-of-living crisis, supply chain issues and staff shor tages, it doesn’t appear as though the next 12 months will prove to be that much easier

However, with a challenge comes oppor tunity, and for hospitality leaders with a glass-half full approach there is cer tainly much to gain during 2023 –par ticularly when it comes to inspiring the next generation of talent

The Brexit Effect

Prior to Brexit, the UK benefitted from a talented, international workforce who flocked to British shores for want of competitive wages and a taste of British life

However, the fallout of Brexit combined with the outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in a mass decrease in EU workers, with the hospitality industr y losing a whopping 200,000 international employees between late 2019 to mid 2022 Industr y repor ts have since revealed that there were 172,000 EU citizens working in the hospitality sector as of autumn 2022, which is a drop of 41% compared to pre-pandemic levels

Reviewing these figures, it’s cer tainly no surprise that the UK hospitality sector is struggling to source staff - with many establishments now having to alter opening hours and reduce their trade and income as a result

Accessible Talent Pool

Interestingly while there has been a mass exodus of international workers from the hospitality sector, there is a growing pool of unemployed 16 –24-year-olds on British soil – many of whom could thrive in hospitality, given the oppor tunity inspiration and necessar y guidance

One of the main issues, however, is that unlike in locations such as France and Italy where Front of House and Waiting roles are perceived as prestigious career paths, working in hospitality within the UK is synonymous with pot washing, glass collection and unsociable hours which cer tainly doesn’t inspire many

As such, the industr y is rife with par t-timers, who never perceive their role as something long-term and perhaps don’t realise their impor tance –par ticularly if they aren’t treated as though they truly matter

It could be argued therefore that even though Brexit and COVID-19 have cer tainly created a staffing and resource challenge , both historical events have also created an oppor tunity An oppor tunity for the sector to re-set to re-inspire and to bring about positive change

The Future Of Hospitality

Ultimately the future of hospitality is reliant on the next generation of talent and so it is imperative that we as an industr y alter how we attract and inspire young people to join our businesses and motivate them to drive them forwards

Gone are – and should be - the days of friction between the Kitchen and Front of House staff, or heightened tensions caused by a simple mistake that can easily be rectified and learnt from Hospitality should now be a place for industr y leaders to engage employees in the impor tance of customer experience , quality standards and community engagement where entr y roles in pubs bars and restaurants should be perceived as an oppor tunity to grow and thrive – both in personal and professional development

Key to this is positive business culture which in hospitality is more impor tant now than ever before , as the industr y competes with sectors able to offer remote working Christmas shutdowns and shor ter working weeks

Fur thermore , as the average age of restaurant, bar and/or operations managers has decreased in recent years - with those now accepting positions of responsibility much younger than ever before - it is vital that venue owners business leaders or those with greater experience take on guidance and mentoring roles As such, the youthful managers of today should be carefully navigated through current difficulties and challenges while ensuring they can car ve a successful future that even inspires others to follow in their wake

They say if you love what you, you don t work a day in your life – it s time we installed this passion into others, showed them the vibrancy, buzz and enjoyment that comes with hospitality and help people consider it as a viable , enjoyable , and fulfilling career path

In doing this, and in attracting the bright stars of the future , not only will the industr y be able to overcome shor t-term difficulties but will also be able to drive growth today, tomorrow, and beyond Hospitality star ts and ends with people and it’s our job as business and industr y leaders to make them feel valued, to install passion and to inspire positive change