Founder of Servers Excellence Training + Certification, Hospitality Communications Consultant, Guest Speaker
Last night I had the pleasure of attending Val Upfold, CHRL, DipWSET Food for Thought Discussion that was focused around hospitality recruitment and retention led by a panel of experts from both hospitality and the retail sector, as our two industries mimic similar changes when it comes to labour challenges and opportunities. KELLY HIGGINSON Tyler Rutherford Here are some takeaways on how our industry can and needs to be better to help change the perception of hospitality as a long-term career, so more individuals see hospitality as a great fit for their skills, passions, and goals! 1. There is a perception that hospitality is a great starting point for individuals, but that our industry doesn't necessarily provide long term career opportunities and growth. THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM - and as an industry we need to do WAY MORE at highlighting the career successes of our talented people and communities, because there are HUGE amazing career opportunities across our hospitality sector. We need to celebrate the journeys of our hospitality professionals who have achieved growth, development, and success at various levels. We need to celebrate operators and organizations who are leading in employee development and growth strategies, that have career plans, and that are effectively retaining talented teams! 2. As an industry we need to invest more time in truly understanding what our labour market is looking for in an organization, to be able to adapt our recruitment and hiring approaches, and team cultures to attract the right people who share in the same values, so they feel like they belong, are understood, and valued. Schedule flexibility, skills development, ongoing training opportunities, social and team building events, acknowledgement and support for cultural and religious beliefs and ceremonies; these are just a few of the highlighted opportunities for our industry to evolve on to find, and hire, and retain the right individuals for their organizations. 3. It's not all about the financial reward, money isn't the number one motivator for retaining staff, yes it's part of the equation, but organizations can effectively retain staff through low-cost initiatives that focus on the person, and not the cost. Personal recognition (taking the time to celebrate the wins!), feedback on how to improve and grow, and training on new skills, have all been proven as effective ways to retain staff, while also producing more effective cohesive teams that are happier on the job and feel more valued by their leaders. These conversations continue to take place with a lot of passion, learnings and action plans, and by sharing this, my hope is continue to trickle down the communication to reach and help impact the greater hospitality community, with the tips and advice from our some of our great leaders! #hospitalityindustry #hospitalityexpert #hospitalityleaders #recruitment #retention #restaurantindustry #restaurantscanada #hospitality #tipsandadvice
