Hiring Trend to Avoid in Hospitality
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It may be tempting to replace a pernament worker, however, stay away from this one hiring trend.
December 3, 2013
By Angela Rose for Hcareers.com
Hotels and restaurants are hiring. According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the leisure and hospitality industry has averaged 28,000 new jobs per month over the last 12 months. Unfortunately, not all of the workers performing those jobs found permanent employment. As in other industries, many hospitality professionals are working as temps.
According to USA Today, about 12 percent of our nation’s current workforce is comprised of consultants, contract workers, freelancers and temps. Temp workers alone account for 2.7 million employees—an increase of more than 50 percent since the recession ended in 2009. Analysts suggest this growing trend is the result of lingering economic uncertainty as well as companies’ desire to match their payrolls with their revenues. In some instances, the decision to use temps could also be an attempt to avoid the employer-sponsored health insurance mandate of the Affordable Care Act—though the government has delayed that portion of the law until 2015.
While it may be tempting to replace permanent guest service agents, cashiers, housekeepers and hosts with temporary ones—who may work for lower wages and don’t require paid time off, healthcare or worker’s compensation insurance—we encourage you to avoid this new hiring trend. Instead, consider these suggestions to help you build a permanent team that will give your hotel or restaurant an edge over the competition.
Invest in their education.
The best professionals in any industry are those who stay up to speed on the latest trends and developments—and that goes for hotel and restaurant workers as well. Stock your break room with industry association publications and magazines covering exciting news in food and lodging. Provide team members with opportunities to take continuing education courses related to their positions. Bring in experts to talk about building customer loyalty, enhancing the dining experience and more.
Treat them with respect.
Hotel and restaurant jobs are rarely easy. Your employees must deal simultaneously with the personalities and expectations of their supervisors, coworkers and customers. Treat them with respect and compassion and they’ll do the same for others. This includes showing them they’re a valuable part of the team, listening to their concerns, recognizing their talents, and empowering them to perform the duties of their job.
Share your employees’ stories.
Customers want to do business with people they like so use your best employees’ stories to increase the appeal of your establishment. You can do this by sharing photos and descriptions on your hotel’s “About Us” page, on tabletop cards at your restaurant, and in marketing emails sent to your patrons. After all, if you wanted to schedule a weekend away at a small hotel, wouldn’t you rather make a reservation with “Mark, who has spent the last decade delighting our customers,” or a nameless, faceless nobody?
Publicly celebrate success.
When a front desk attendant decreases guest wait times by 10 percent, don’t just give her a quiet pat on the back—celebrate her success with the rest of your employees and your patrons as well. Put her picture on the wall along with a sign describing her accomplishment or include an announcement in your monthly email newsletter. Customers will feel closer to your employees and your business as a result.
If you’ve been relying on temp workers to fill hotel and restaurant positions because you cannot find qualified permanent professionals, it’s time to consider Hcareers as an alternative. You can post a job in five minutes, start a hiring campaign in ten minutes, and search the largest online hospitality resume database while you’re at it.
Attract the best candidates with Hcareers Job Postings. Post a Job in minutes to find the top hospitality candidates.
About the Author
Angela Rose researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for Hcareers.com.
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