Research from workforce management app Deputy shows that 29% of UK hospitality workers want to leave their jobs, with 22% hoping to switch to a new industry and 7% looking to quit, with a view to retiring or returning to education.
Despite the current worker shortages across the sector, 77% of hospitality workers say they are concerned about job security, with 34% ‘very concerned’. These concerns stem from a combination of Covid-19 and the economy, with 71% citing Covid-19 as a reason for their concern and 65% citing the economy.
The findings are revealed in Deputy’s global State of Shift Work report, which looks at workforce trends across the UK, Australia and the US. In total 3,028 shift workers in hospitality, retail and healthcare participated in the survey including 1,009 from the UK.
The findings also show that 62% of the UK shift workers surveyed reported that their company had had difficulty hiring in the past 12 months and that, as a result, 46% have had to work more shifts. Almost half of those asked (45%) say they have found it harder to take time off.
“The hospitality industry is caught in a vicious circle. When you’re struggling to recruit, it puts more pressure on your existing staff, which in turn can lead to burn out and the decision to leave the industry altogether,” says David Kelly, general manager for EMEA at Deputy.
“Hospitality workers have been through an enormously tough time over the past two years. This data highlights the importance of business owners and managers maintaining regular, two-way communication with their workforce to allay fears about job security and to make sure staff feel valued.
“If we want to attract more workers into this industry, we need to treat our shift workers with respect, pay them fairly and provide them with more protection and predictability of when they will be working.”