How to recruit & retain talent in this economy

Our economy is coming out of one of its most globally challenging periods in modern history, but two challenges still stand at the forefront — finding and, most importantly, keeping the right staff as business demands continue to increase.

Most industries are struggling to hire in this competitive talent market where we find that a significant number of employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs for various reasons. Although the trend has been seen broadly, those within the hospitality industry, namely hotels and restaurants, have faced many challenges other businesses haven’t.

As we try to move into a solid recovery, we find ourselves working through creative ideas to recruit new talent and keep our existing staff happy and in-place. Here are a few ideas to help with that process.

On the recruiting road, keep the communication channel open. Once you make contact, keep reaching out. Make your candidate feel special and wanted. Small things can lower the ghosting rate with no-show interviews and create a loyal team member once they come onboard.

Show loyalty to your team. Make it a priority to treat your staff like you would a valuable client. Our team has been through tough challenges of late alongside the business. Genuine caring will go a long way to showing our appreciation for their efforts and loyalty.

Train your new team member patiently and comprehensively on their responsibilities. While managers might see a new hire as an immediate fix for short staffing, everyone needs to remember to dedicate time for training. Giving our new employee every opportunity to succeed is best for the company as a whole.

Lead with understanding. Both the company and leadership need to be able to put themselves in the shoes of our team members. Understanding that our employees are real people with real lives outside of work will lead to empathy and understanding when dealing with day-to-day activities. Offering flexible scheduling, gas and toll reimbursements as well as business hour adjustments to better meet the needs of your business demands will show that you have compassion for your team’s lives.

Employees are empowered like they have never been before with the well-publicized staff shortages in almost every business. So, we need make sure we are addressing the shifting needs of the new workforce. Embracing these changes will help leaders face challenges presented by the current labor market and come out ahead with treating workers like their most important clients.

* photo courtesy of Tomáš Hustoles @ Burst