How to Retain, Recruit Top Talent
The hospitality industry is coming out of one of its most globally challenging periods in modern history, but two challenges still stand at the forefront - finding and, most importantly, keeping the right staff as occupancy rates continue to rise. This isn’t unique to hospitality, however. Most industries are struggling to hire in a competitive talent market during which a significant number of employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs. Although the trend has been seen broadly, those within the hospitality industry, namely hotels and restaurants, have faced many challenges other businesses haven’t.
As this post-pandemic recovery continues, it’s important that employers focus on recruiting top talent to help fill in any business gaps they may have while also retaining that talent for the long term. Below are three areas for hospitality industry owners and managers to consider to enhance their recruiting and onboarding processes.
Roll Out The Red Carpet
Simply put, stand out when recruiting and hiring. It’s recommended that leaders make it a priority to treat their workers like they would their most valuable clients. Workers have been through so much over the last couple of years, so that extra genuine care can go a long way. Engaging workers must start even before a job offer is extended; hiring managers should stay in constant communication with their top recruits and build engagement early to heighten company attraction.
After a job offer is made, but before their first day, keep communication fluid with your new hire. Every week or so leading up to their first day, send a note either with useful information they’ll need for onboarding or even a short note expressing how you’re excited they’re joining the team. Many companies today report being “ghosted” by their new hire, meaning they’ll have an offer accepted, and on the day the employee is expected to start, they do not show up and are never heard from again. Now, it’s back to square one in the hiring process. If leaders are able to keep their new hires engaged before their first day, they might avoid this trending experience.
Learn To Walk Before You Run
Once the first day for your new hire arrives, the next key is to train them patiently and comprehensively on their job. While team leads might see a brand-new hire as an immediate fix for short staffing, everyone needs to remember to dedicate time for training. Two main benefits emerge from this: job efficacy and positive employee culture. This first benefit helps ensure the job gets done correctly. If a new hire is asked to perform a task they haven’t been trained on sufficiently, they could make costly mistakes and learn bad habits that can be difficult to break. The second benefit revolves around a feeling of belonging - training is a significant way to share both technical knowledge and team values.
Additionally, try not to surprise your new employees with unforeseen roles or assignments. For example, someone who is hired as a new front desk associate at a hotel might not want to be caught off guard with being told to clean rooms if that wasn’t in the job description. If you need to expand the duties of an employee, have a conversation with them first.
Lead With Empathy
Companies who are succeeding right now with finding new talent (and holding on to them) are leading with empathy. So much has changed over the last few years, not just in our world of work but also in our personal lives. As employers, it is beneficial to think about leading teams with compassion, such as offering flexible scheduling, gas and travel reimbursements as well as business hour adjustments to better meet the needs of your business demands with the availability of workers. Adjusting hours might mean scheduling a higher concentration of employees during the most profitable times of the business day instead of stretching the staff thin during the lesser profitable hours. Also, depending on the scope of the employee’s new role, owners may want to consider compensation or job title changes.
Workers are empowered like they have never been before; therefore, employers need to make sure they are addressing the shifting needs of the new workforce. Embracing these changes will help leaders face headwinds presented by the labor market and come out ahead from treating workers like their most important clients.
About the Author
Neema Ardebili is VP of Global Franchise & Strategic Partnerships at ADP.