Overcoming Staffing Challenges in Hospitality
BC is coming off a tremendous year in tourism with most BC communities seeing an increase in visitation. While that is a welcomed trend, it also creates some interesting dynamics for hospitality operators. Add into the mix an aging labour pool and it all makes for a challenging situation for most businesses when it comes to finding employees, especially employees with the right skills.
BC continues to have the nation’s lowest unemployment rate, in large part driven by thriving and growing industries such as tourism, construction, IT/Tech and professional services. With all those industries competing for employees, employers are faced with a ‘perfect storm’ in terms of recruitment challenges. So while some industries will continue to grow this year without access to a skilled labour force, many hospitality businesses will struggle to ensure they can properly serve all their guests.
We know there are people unemployed and looking for work in our communities, yet many businesses are still struggling with recruitment, retention and skill levels. In a recent HR survey, most employers indicated that finding workers with the right skills was the highest reason for difficulties when recruiting.
So what can an employer struggling to find employees in 2017 do?
Successfully addressing recruitment challenges requires employers to get creative and use a multifaceted approach to attract and keep the employees needed to operate an efficient business and meet customers’ expectations.
Employee Groups: Targeted marketing and recruitment tactics are needed to attract mature workers, immigrants, youth, and Aboriginal People, including persons with disabilities. For each group, employers need to customize the way they engage with and communicate job vacancies; in today’s multimodal world, how workers do their job search – and what attracts them to a job/employer – tends to vary by labour pool.
The mature worker is more inclined to look for job postings in traditional media or well-known internet job boards, and may be more inclined to part time positions. Employers can recruit those that have retired from their first career and now want to do something completely different or are looking for that ‘last career’.
Today’s youth on the other hand, almost solely engage and communicate on their mobile devices. This means not only posting jobs in multiple locations, but making sure your website (or those you choose to work with) is mobile friendly. If it is a challenge for youth to find the job information, they will likely give up; those under the age of 30 are looking for immediate answers and results, even when it comes to their job search.
Don’t forget to work with the Colleges and Universities in your community as both are in the business of developing talent and are always looking for Co-op placements, work experience and job opportunities for their students and graduates. As an example, on Vancouver Island, international students are up by 11% and many are looking to stay in BC due to our globally high ‘livability rating’.
Get to know your First Nations neighbours in the community and work with your association to create Aboriginal Careers in Tourism. In many communities there is a young indigenous workforce that is looking for opportunities to gain valuable skills and experience.
Recruitment: In a recent Society for Human Resources survey, the # 1 recruitment tool to source job seekers was employee referral, followed by the company’s website and social media accounts. These tools all have something in common; they rely on your company brand and reputation to find the ideal job candidate.
What is your ‘brand’ as an employer? It is not your logo or slogan, but rather what or who people think you are. Most likely, job seekers do not even know you, but have a perception of what it may be like to work for you or in your industry. Even if you don’t create your own recruitment brand, you still have one. Your company’s image in the community, the hospitality industry as an employment choice, and tourism stories in the media all impact your ability to recruit.
By controlling your own image/brand, and by telling a story about who you are and what it is like to work at your company, you not only engage the job seeker, but also the passive candidate currently working elsewhere but maybe interested in something new. Your corporate website, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, Twitter, etc., all need to be engaging and up to date; post pictures of your team events and activities, have your current employees provide testimonials, talk about what makes your company a great place to work. Keep it current, keep it fresh, and remember… it needs to be readable on mobile devices.
Here is an example of why your reputation/brand in the community is so critical. If the millennial job seeker is interested in your job posting, they will Google your company to find out more: What is your reputation as an employer? Do you give back to the community? What are others saying about your firm?
Here are some innovative recruitment ideas to consider:
- Job fairs: Try showcasing your business by hosting an open house for the public or holding an internal job fair. Also, take advantage of community job fairs being offered around BC, usually at no cost to participating employers (beyond that of your time commitment).
- Non-traditional methods: A written job description on a job search site won’t necessarily make you stand out. A video or podcast however, will do just that. Using non-traditional recruiting media is also your chance to convey your brand, what it is like to work there. It could be a fun video on YouTube, or a podcast where a current employee describes the position and your company.
- When creating your job posting use keywords you think potential applicants might search for online, ones that speak to the target group.
- Look for talent in other industries: Are you receiving great service at a store? Let that person know that there are opportunities at your business. You can teach the skills required, but it is much harder to teach someone the willingness to go the extra mile or bring passion to the work place.
- Use multicultural newspapers and community centers to attract newcomers, or offer mentoring to new immigrants as a way to connect and engage with them.
- Add a line to your company email signature indicating that you are hiring.
Most importantly, it is much easier to keep the employees you have than to try and find new ones. Ensuring that you have best practices in place and being an employer that people want to work for will give you the advantage over other employers vying for the same person. Being an employer of choice goes beyond compensation and general benefits; it includes opportunities for professional growth and development, training, and career advancement. Even if you are a small business owner, you can provide training and professional development through your industry association.
Another means of addressing retention and meeting the needs of your employees beyond the job itself, is to look into what may be causing them challenges and how you might support them. It may be as simple as providing a flexible workday or workweek so as to enable them to better care for their families.
Simply put… To keep the employees you have, make work a place they want to be, and afford them the opportunity to thrive.
Retention strategies look like they require significant effort on the employer’s part, and they do! But this keep in mind – it is less expensive to keep an employee then to recruit a new one. The cost of recruitment goes beyond the initial hiring expense; you must also consider any loss of productivity, the need for training, changes in service to your clients, etc..
In 2017, employers will be challenged to maximize productivity while having a smaller labour pool to draw from and changing expectations by those seeking employment. By bringing some creativity and innovative solutions to the whole recruitment process, this tight labour market may be less daunting.