SPECIAL:
THE PEOPLE EDITION
THE INTELLIGENCE TALKBACKThree foodservice professionals give their views on one question
Rudy Miick Foodservice consultant, US Finding good people, is consistently listed as an issue in our industry, regardless of economy or location – more so during the pandemic. Hiring is a symptom of bigger culture/brand issues in any company. Currently this is exacerbated by “the great resignation.” Company leaders need to see that good staff is as essential as a good company is to staff . The issue is not going to go away with higher pay, the main cause is how people treat and train each other. There are good people all over the
country. The three issues are: has company leadership defi ned what “good” means; has it invested in training and coaching that supports excellence; are managers taught to be cops catching people doing wrong? Does the company culture drive a brand experience that does what it says it does? Most times, no, due to numbers 1 and 2. A living wage is critical; so is childcare and medical insurance, but being treated with respect, working for a higher purpose, guided by values, is at the root of the staffi ng dilemma. This is a wake-up call for owners and managers. There’s no work without the company, however there’s no company without workers. Both need to be treated with respect and balance is key. Operators need to shift three perspectives: redirect how fi scal discipline shows up and prosperity is shared; defi ne the culture in ways that celebrate both the company and its workers; be inspiring instead of threatening.
Nacho Villanueva Chef, Spain
In Spanish hospitality there is no pipeline of new staff . The number of young people aged 17-30 who want to learn and advance in our sector is getting smaller. There’s still this idea that people work in hospitality while everybody else is going out and enjoying leisure time. Much of our work is seasonal – 75%-80% of hospitality businesses are seasonal – and young people want to enjoy their holidays in the summer, not work. The “Basque wave” brought hospitality to the fore about 30 years ago when the big chefs in the Basque Country, promoted the hospitality business, but they mainly focused on the kitchen. Only 7-8% of jobs in hospitality are in these high-end restaurants. Most vacancies are in the middle section of the sector. Training is a must, but beyond that we need people who genuinely want to work in hospitality. We need to ensure young people know that hospitality is a career that can provide them with a good living. We need a combined approach where education takes place alongside paid on- the-job training. This gives students an income while learning, the operators don’t have extra expenditure and the colleges would keep the students in education. Finally, on a practical level, we need to
adjust restaurant shifts to fi t into the lives of young people. Because fewer people want to join the profession it stops us expanding our business.
How can we attract people to work in foodservice?
Kate Nicholls CEO, UK Hospitality Staff shortages continue to be a chronic problem in hospitality, and it is in part due to a lack of understanding and awareness of the opportunities the sector off ers, coupled with a perception that it isn’t the sector for a long-term career. Since the advent of Covid, hospitality businesses have been the fi rst to close and last to reopen whenever restrictions are imposed. Many people took jobs in other sectors and have stuck with them, perhaps judging them as off ering greater security. Hospitality employees will have been pleased to see their wages increase as demand for staff outstrips supply, but from the operators’ perspective, paying higher wages is another cost pressure on their businesses, which are already facing a fi nancial cliff edge. This acts as a brake on our industry’s full recovery and growth. Operators are beginning to help themselves by forging links with their local schools, colleges and universities, and agencies such as Jobcentre Plus, to catch prospective employees young. A way for restaurants and foodservice operators to attract new staff is by incentivizing their existing employees to encourage people they know to apply for jobs with the same business. Incentives can be in the form of bonuses, extra time off , shopping vouchers or cinema tickets. Once they’ve recruited, businesses should work hard to prevent high staff churn rates. Even small restaurant operators can off er staff development and job satisfaction that will retain them as employees for longer. A longer- term approach saves time and money, too. Wider hospitality plans to launch a campaign not just about staff recruitment, but about staff retention, too.
17
WORLDWIDE
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