How to Solve the Labor Shortage With a People-First Culture

As temperatures rise, COVID-19 restrictions lift, and summer travel begins, the hotel industry expects a 10% rise in bookings this summer. The good news is that life is finally starting to look similar to the way it did before the pandemic. Businesses are in full swing and consumers are ready to enjoy in-person dining and travel. The not-so-good news stems from the gap between increased business activity and the lack of talent to support the demands. In February alone, restaurants and hotels saw 6% of their workforce quit, the highest of any industry.

As labor shortages continue to disproportionately impact the hospitality industry, restaurant and hotel management must address the challenge head on — and it all starts with meeting the needs of the frontline workforce.

3 tips for a people-first culture

It’s more important than ever to focus your recruitment and retention initiatives around the needs of your frontline workforce. To increase engagement, efficiency, and productivity, provide workers with a digital frontline workplace that connects your workforce with each other and the tools and resources they need to upskill and succeed.

If you take care of your frontline workers, they will take care of your customers. It’s a win-win.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at three ways you can empower your frontline workforce.
 

1. Build a culture based on open communication. An inclusive communication tool is key to connecting your frontline workforce. This means providing an open, top-down and bottom-up means of communication to help managers efficiently communicate with their frontline, while providing employees with the opportunity to respond and be heard. And when it comes to attracting and retaining a strong talent pool, listening, being heard, and feeling valued can add years to an employee’s tenure at your organization.
    
2. Provide flexibility for employees to achieve work-life balance. Rather than committing to a particular shift or schedule, employees need the ability to adjust their availability on an ongoing basis. Life happens and employees can’t always predict when they’ll need to make  a doctor’s appointment or attend a child’s year-end recital. Equipping your employees with the ability to swap shifts with eligible co-workers is crucial. What if your frontline workers could also apply for additional open shifts at their home location or other locations? Allowing employees to pick up extra shifts is a flexible way to help them meet their financial goals.
    
3. Fulfill employees’ inherent need for growth. Help employees continue to learn and grow by providing ongoing training opportunities. With access to training in the flow of their day-to-day activities —  such as a video that demonstrates how to clean or operate a specific piece of equipment — employees can learn new skills at their own pace. Enhanced access to training also makes it easier for your employees to pick up additional shifts that may require specific requirements or certifications.

A happy frontline means happy customers
We all want the same thing: to be happy and engaged at work. But you need the right resources in place to engage your workers. Although most frontline workers don’t sit at a computer all day, a digital frontline workplace enables employees to access all the tools they need, on a single app.

About the Author

Steven Kramer is the CEO of WorkJam, the world leader in the digital frontline workplace. With more than 20 years of executive leadership experience, Steven’s expertise is in driving business results and developing disruptive technologies that make a positive difference in users’ lives.