Attracting hospitality staff – how to make your workplace more appealing to candidates.

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With teams stretched to capacity and recruitment an ever growing challenge, how can you make sure that your business is appealing to candidates? What can you offer to set yourself apart from other hospitality operations and other industries? We talked to recruitment expert Conrad Brunton for his tips and advice…

7 tips for attracting hospitality staff to your business

1. Staff Food

For team members working long days and split shifts, the meal you give them should be something that they can look forward to. Providing tasty food is what you do, so make sure you’re extending that offering to your staff. With a delicious staff menu in place, make sure you share on social platforms and include on any job specs and adverts.

2. Review Working Hours

Curtailing working hours may seem like a big ask at the moment when teams are at capacity. However, many candidates are leaving the industry for others with more favourable business hours; having to work over weekends and committing to long working hours is something that many job hunters are now thinking twice about. Review your service levels, think about using digital menus and online ordering to reduce staff hours. Ideally hospitality staff should be working no more than 50 hours per week – this could be something you guarantee or a promise of overtime for 50+ hours could be a good incentive too.

3. Little Perks

Sometimes the little things can make a big difference. Have a think about small bonuses that you can offer candidates that won’t stretch your budget and resources too far. Offering a day off on birthdays, or one in four weekends off are both great incentives. Are there any neighbouring businesses that you could team up with to offer reciprocal staff deals?

4. Development

An employer who’s invested in their team’s career development is always appealing. Candidates want the reassurance that you’ll do your best to help them achieve, develop their skills and provide the opportunity for promotion.

Start with a well planned induction and appraisal scheme, then look at what training opportunities you can offer. There are nationally recognised apprenticeship schemes on offer, subsidised by the government that can offer hospitality staff of all levels the opportunity to develop their skills and earn new qualifications. One organisation that offers these schemes is Umbrella Training.

5. Review quality of staff uniform, equipment and facilities

From staff breakout rooms, to the clothes they wear and the general facilities, all these will reflect the level of importance your business places on staff welfare. A candidate interviewing for two vacancies is far more likely to opt for the one with better staff facilities.

6. A happy team will drive recruitment for you

Providing a happy, supportive environment for your team and making sure the staff you already have on board feel valued is a great way to drive recruitment. Happy staff will share vacancies with their network and encourage peers to join your business.

7. Listen

The best resource you have is your current team. Ask them what changes they would like to see, what would incentivise them, how they think you can improve. Make the changes you can within the constraints of your operational processes and budgets and then make sure to include them in your job specs and adverts!

About Tonic Talent

Tonic was set up to be different, by drawing recruiters straight from the hospitality industry itself. With many years of direct hospitality experience between them, the team delivers expert service, highly attuned to the industry and to the clients’ and candidates’ individual needs.

For more information visit: https://www.tonictalent.com