The quitting trend that won't quit for some time
The global job market continues to plummet, with millions of workers continuing to leave their jobs each month. Worker disengagement and unhappiness is also booming - according to a Gallup poll. Remote work options and schedule flexibility, although providing some respite and valuable to many workers, are simply not enough to keep employees engaged and satisfied.
The bottom line is that this is not just an HR issue but one that impacts on another bottom line as well: hospitality business units with engaged workers have higher profit, while employees who are not engaged cost money in lost productivity.
People are switching jobs and industries, moving from traditional to nontraditional roles, retiring early, or starting their own businesses. As the debate continues, it is up to employers to find ways to not only attract new talent, but retain the employees they already have, by working towards a culture of job satisfaction - and that begins with better management.
Managers must understand that in the same way they fight for their customers, they have to fight for the people who work for them; whether they are people looking for long term careers in hospitality, or someone who merely wants to work with the industry for three of four years. Managers would also recognise that if they don’t have good people they’re on the back foot straight away.
Many hospitality-related businesses, especially restaurateurs who laid off their staff no sooner the pandemic stuck, are now complaining about staffing and retention…which is rather incongruous. Perhaps in hindsight, many would have responded differently in those early days and reacted differently without laying off skilled workers. Then again, it is recognise things after the event. There are however lessons to be learnt from it – how best to respond in the short, mid and long term.
The challenges facing the industry currently are enormous. Gas and electricity has rocketed in price. We are starting to see a steep acceleration of food inflation, which will likely increase in the latter part of the year. Then there is the impact of the war in Ukraine, whilst Insurance and high taxes are also scraping the ceiling. And there is this shortage of labour and people… that seriously impedes business recovery at every stage.
The industry needs to come up with solutions that will be a ‘win-win’. For example, the Clayton Hotel Liffey Valley was looking for housekeepers and ran an advertising campaign titled “Mammies and Daddies, we need you.” They were looking for home-based parents who wanted an opportunity to make additional income without disrupting their routine, where they could drop their kids off to school, work for four hours, then leave and collect their kids.
As an industry are we doing enough at this critical juncture, to sell the openings and advantages of working in hospitality, particularly to transient workers – be it to students or people desiring a secondary income?
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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