“Chefs are a like a rare-breed," a hotel general manager told me about his challenges to recruit a full team, and front-of-house staffing is no easier. The hospitality industry has a higher proportion of unfilled vacancies than any other sector, with almost 130,000 open jobs, according to the Office for National Statistics. That means for anyone who is unhappy in their job, there are plenty of alternatives available. With this in mind, it’s more important than ever for managers to focus on retention by building a happy, loyal team who will stick with them through thick and thin. Here are seven steps to boost staff retention.
1. Relationships and trust
The number one reason people leave a job is because they don’t get on with their manager. Start by developing your emotional intelligence to become more self-aware of the impact that you have on the people around you, and to be able to connect with and empathise with everyone as individuals. It’s all about building mutual trust and respect, so staff trust leaders to make the best decisions and leaders trust staff to do their best work without needing to micromanage. Check in with your staff daily with a focussed “how are you?” rather than just a casual greeting. Make time for one-to-ones as well as team meetings - ask questions and practice active listening. Deal with conflict in the moment rather than sweeping it under the carpet and letting it fester.
2. Give recognition
It’s human to want to feel seen, heard and valued. You can work as hard as you can, be the best you can be, but if you effort is not acknowledged, you will lose motivation and become disengaged. A chef I spoke to recently had been offered an amazing opportunity elsewhere, but when her manager sat down with her to thank her for her work, praise her progress and ask what motivated her, she decided to stay. “They made me feel valued,” she said. Every day, encourage people with a simple smile, celebrate a success with a high-five, thank people at the end of a shift and highlight positive achievements to the whole team.
3. Build a community
Build a community which comes together around shared values. Values are how you behave as a business, what you believe in, how you treat each other and your customers. Define these values and communicate them on a regular basis. Values aren’t just a list of words written up in the staff room or handbook, they have to be authentic and demonstrated in everything you do. An employee will feel connected to their job, when their personal values align with the organisation’s values, so when hiring new staff communicate your values and explore if there is a match, and then reinforce them every day.
4. Wellbeing
Plenty has been written about the importance of looking after your staffs’ wellbeing. When people feel stressed or that the balance of their life and work is wrong they become disengaged. We spend more of our waking hours at work than out of it, so it needs to be fun. Encourage fun and promote a relaxed environment where people can enjoy a laugh together. Strive to establish the right work life balance: encourage people to take breaks, monitor overtime and raise a flag if someone is doing too much. Set a manageable workload with the right balance of challenge and interest and ensure that people have the right tools, equipment and training. Make sure people feel they can talk to someone about any issues they are experiencing in or outside work. Signpost people to additional support if needed.
5. Flexibility
Flexibility means giving your staff the opportunity to enjoy their life out of work as much as possible. Flexibility on rotas isn’t easy to achieve but be aware of what other commitments people have outside work, whether that’s childcare or studying. Try to provide rotas with as much notice as possible, avoid last minute changes so people can plan their time away from work. It’s estimated that around 30% of hospitality workers leave in the first 90 days because the job isn’t what they expected, so be transparent with new starters about expectations and the reality of the role.
6. Growth and development
People don’t just leave a job for more money - they leave because they’re not challenged, because they’re not learning, and because they don’t see a future there. What opportunities do you offer for personal growth and development? How do you support your staff to be the best they can be? This might be skills training for the job or mentoring from a colleague to develop soft skills. It might just be giving informal feedback to encourage them to push themselves forward or it could be talking about their future opportunities for promotion.
7. Fair reward
A secure income is obviously important to people, not least during a cost-of-living crisis. The industry has seen higher average pay rises than the national average. But while businesses are under their own financial pressures what else can you do to reward people for their commitment? Do you also offer incentives for higher performance, a benefits scheme (from pensions to perks). Financial reward, gifts or a hand-written note for high performance or going above and beyond are all meaningful ways to reward staff.
Polly Robinson is a coach and hospitality leadership trainer. Click here for more information.