Don't upgrade only systems, upgrade your people too
In the dynamic landscape of the hospitality industry, one persistent challenge looms large: the revolving door of staff turnover, particularly pronounced within hotels. Whilst it might be fine for your guests to leave after a few days or weeks, you want your employees to stay with you for years. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always seem to be the case though.
The hospitality industry is experiencing a boom in demand and yet it faces a significant barrier: a hiring crisis and a nationwide workforce shortage for key workers, including front desk and housekeeping staff, servers, bartenders, and banqueting staff. It should therefore come as no surprise that the average turnover rate in the hospitality sector is higher when compared to the average across all industries.
Some see the use of robots in the hospitality industry to close labour gaps. This though, has fueled “robot-phobia” – the fear that robots and AI technology will take human jobs, thereby leading to increased employees’ job insecurity and stress, and greater intentions to quit before being laid off. The ongoing conversation on AI technology and robots taking on routine tasks has also caused hesitation on those considering a career path after leaving school.
The primary factors contributing to workers leaving the hospitality industry are all systemic in nature. Unfortunately, a revamp takes time: something that businesses currently facing staff shortages don’t have. What does one do? Resign oneself to treating turnover as a cost of doing business and fall into the trap of getting stuck in a never-ending cycle of hiring and onboarding. The problem is that no matter how quickly you hire (or how much technology you adopt), you can’t deliver excellence if your team is in a constant state of change.
To many, running a hotel or restaurant is like filling a bucket with holes in it, where you keep pouring water (new hires, new talent), and yet somehow, the water (employees) keeps draining (leaving) faster than you can top it off. Sure, you might maintain the water level in the short term, but eventually the leaks triumph.
Turning down the turnover dial
Without pouring water into a leaking bucket all the time, why not fix the holes or replace the bucket. Reducing turnover doesn’t have to be complicated—it just requires the right approach and consistent effort. Avoid fast-tracking entry points to exit points. Invest in turning entry points into launch pads for longer meaningful careers in hospitality.
What’s needed now is a shift from reactive hiring to strategic retention. Instead of asking "Why is staff leaving hospitality?" the answers to which are many and well-known, perhaps it's time we ask ourselves "What can we do to encourage people to stay?" Firstly, we need to shy away from hiring to fill gaps and concentrate instead on offering clear paths for everyone to advance and make growth a part of the employees experience.
Employees stay where they see a future. If a server sees a clear, realistic path to management or other roles, they’re more likely to stick around. Consider highlighting employees who have successfully transitioned from supporting roles to management positions to showcase these opportunities.
So stop chasing turnover and start creating an environment people don’t want to leave. That’s a bucket truly worth filling.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
|
|
|
|
