How hospitality can solve its recruitment crisis
By Giles Fuchs, owner of Burgh Island Hotel
The busy summer season is usually a boon for UK hospitality businesses, and after two years of lockdown-induced interruptions, it is great to see holidaymakers back in their droves. In fact, UK hospitality has proven to be so popular this year, that it has highlighted an ongoing issue with staff recruitment and retention; the next big challenge on the horizon for the industry.
According to the latest figures, hospitality currently has 174,000 jobs available. Unaddressed, this vacancy gap will suppress economic activity in the sector this year by £22bn. If UK hospitality is to combat this endemic shortage of staff, it is vital that the industry comes up with new retention and recruitment strategies.
Make hospitality a long-term career
The hospitality sector has always been one of Britain’s most revered and celebrated assets, which leads us to the question: why does it not celebrate people, the core reason behind its success?
From head chefs to hostesses, hospitality is at its core made up of passionate staff looking to give a personal and premium service to their customers. Yet, a general lack of status that comes with a career in the hospitality industry has led to a lower retention rate than other industries. In fact, it has been found that 42% of hospitality staff leave their jobs within the first three months.
A potential solution here is the creation of a skills framework that would underline the fact that many roles in hospitality require specific skills that can be trained and assessed. A centralised skills framework could additionally facilitate qualifications and simultaneously build parity of esteem with other industries, reducing the number of vacancies in the industry.
Invest in people
A key part of this process will also be empowering workers to develop the skills which most interest them. Many people start their career in hospitality from a young age, and as they move on through their career, it is important that the industry provides the freedom and tools for them to explore new and exciting areas of hospitality.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities must be available across the board to help employees learn about aspects of the industry which they may have otherwise not been privy to. For example, at Burgh Island Hotel, we offer staff training in sustainability practices. Although this is not yet best practice across the industry, having an extensive knowledge of the best sustainability practices can help staff cater to the next generation of customers.
Those working in hospitality must also be able to see a career path with opportunities for progression in front of them. Potential leaders should also be identified and supported to develop their skills and aspire for senior roles. This has the ability to change perspectives around working in the hospitality sector, which has frequently been overlooked in recent decades.
Learn from your neighbours
Britain’s hospitality sector has always had strong connections with its European partners. Collectively, our dishes, menus, and food service, have taken continental practices and given them a quintessentially British twist. Our cuisine at Burgh Island, for instance, in both our Grand Ballroom and our Nettlefold seafood restaurant, is best described as ‘modern British’, infusing local dishes with international twists to reflect the cosmopolitan character of the UK today.
Yet, it is time for the industry to take a long overdue look across the channel for inspiration about how to encourage people to pursue long-term careers in the British hospitality sector.
Courses at the ESO Euroschool Hotel Academy, which some of the staff at Burgh Island Hotel have been enrolled in, helps encourage people to pursue long-term careers in the sector and learn more about European practices. The hospitality sector in the UK needs to continue to build bridges with these institutions and encourage their staff to enrol in their courses.
Fill the vacancy gap
But such long-term improvement must also come with short-term solutions capable of preventing hospitality venues from closing. The sector needs to use the visa schemes for EU workers and international visa schemes, including the government’s Ukrainian refugee scheme, to attract alternative talent. The Ukrainian refugee program, for example, has allowed us at Burgh Island to recruit a number of refugees who are fast becoming an instrumental part of the team.
British hospitality is at a crossroads, and the decisions made today will come to affect the industry’s outlook over the next decade. During the last few years, hospitality staff up and down the country have gone above and beyond to provide their customers with the best service possible, no matter how difficult conditions are in the sector. The passion, creativity, and determination shown by these people demonstrates everything that is great about hospitality.
However, the sector needs to do more to provide employees with the opportunity to develop their passion, while also helping them pursue long-term careers in hospitality. UK hospitality does not want to miss out on capturing the talent that it desperately needs to remain globally competitive.
