How to attract and keep talent

Teamwork makes the dream work and making sure you recruit and retain the best front-of-house team can ultimately help your bottom line, says Katy Moses, Managing Director at KAM

Each member of your team can make the difference between a guest becoming a lifelong customer or not returning to your venue again, so hiring and keeping the perfect team is one of the most important aspects of running a successful business.

From greeting customers with a smile and asking about their day, to going out of their way to make sure customers’ experiences are as memorable as possible, there are so many ways team members can have a positive influence on the customer journey. Dedicating time and resources to providing a pleasant work environment with opportunities to develop, reasonable pay and benefits and a good work/life balance will prove to be a worthwhile investment when it comes to ultimately retaining customers too.

DID YOU KNOW? 79% OF GEN Z WANT EMPLOYEES TO LOOK AT MORE INNOVATIVE AND MODERN WAYS TO RECRUIT

POWER OF THE PEOPLE

When putting together rotas for your team, it’s important to think about the level of staffing your venue really needs to run at its best and most efficient.

According to a report by KAM x Limber, 64% of hospitality workers feel they can’t deliver the level of service they want to due to understaffing and 43% of employees said understaffing made them look elsewhere for work. This doesn’t go unnoticed by customers, either. 26% of customers noticed a venue was shortstaffed within the last three months, while 22% said it had taken too long for food and drink to arrive.

Though it may be tempting to prioritise the bottom line by having as few team members on per shift as possible, this could have a negative effect on both the customer experience and on your employees’ morale, which may ultimately lead to them looking for work elsewhere and you losing a valuable member of staff.

THE NEXT GENERATION

According to a study by KAM x Hospitality Rising, the recruitment process needs shaking up for Gen Z. One in two of Gen Z have abandoned a job application halfway through because it was taking too long, whereas 67% of Gen Z agree the traditional process of applying for a job is tedious and 79% of Gen Z want employees to look at more innovative and modern ways to recruit. Online interviews would be appreciated by 68%, whereas 47% of Gen Z would prefer to send a bespoke introduction letter but no CV. Are you maximising every candidate ‘touchpoint’, just like you would for a customer?

DID YOU KNOW? 64% OF HOSPITALITY WORKERS FEEL THEY CAN’T DELIVER THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THEY WANT TO DUE TO UNDERSTAFFING

THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

How you initially reach out to a candidate will set the tone and help form important first impressions of your business. A key way to retain top talent is by ensuring the employee benefits you offer match up with what your team is looking for. If in doubt, ask your team directly what benefits are most important to them.

According to a report by KAM x HJUK, 95% of employees say that the most important benefit to them is a fair salary, however just 62% of employees believe they are receiving this. Only 47% of employees think of food/ drink/dining discounts as important to them, while 59% are receiving these. Training and development is listed as a key benefit by 87% of employees, but just 48% say they are currently being offered this.

The report also discovered that a positive culture at work plays a crucial part in harnessing the best team, with nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents saying that the people they work with are an important factor in keeping them in their hospitality role.

Are you shouting about what you are offering already? Whether it’s a monthly newsletter or a quick weekly memo via WhatsApp, help boost the morale of your team by making sure they’re aware of all the benefits they are entitled to.

DID YOU KNOW? TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IS LISTED AS A KEY BENEFIT BY 87% OF EMPLOYEES, BUT JUST 48% SAY THEY ARE CURRENTLY BEING OFFERED THIS

64% OF HOSPITALITY WORKERS FEEL THEY CAN’T DELIVER THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THEY WANT TO DUE TO UNDERSTAFFING