Many properties, both smaller ones and large hotel chains, are confronted with a staff shortage. The causes are various, but mostly attributed to the fluctuating demand for staff, highly dependent on the tourism season, long, anti-social working hours, and misconceptions about hospitality being a temporary career choice. Having skilled and motivated staff is of utmost importance if you want to indulge your guests, increase employees’ engagement level, and improve your business performance.
Prioritize staff assignments
Satisfying the various needs of your customers is at the core of the hospitality service. We know that guests have different preferences, which is why keeping them satisfied might be a challenging task for your staff. Together with your staff, go through the everyday activities and prioritize their assignments, perhaps as high, medium, or low priority activities. Although your goal is to provide a perfect experience to your guests, start with the critical interventions and build on that. This will put less stress on your staff and help them stay in control.
Increase wages and offer perks
With hospitality’s below-average pay in many positions, one obvious way to meet your staffing needs is to bring wages more in line with other industries competing for the same labour pools. What you can’t offer in wages, you can likely offer in other types of perks. Get creative and come up with some original incentives, like professional training and development opportunities, rewards for upselling your services, or overtime opportunities. This will stimulate service performance and encourage healthy competition in the workplace.
Adapt your current workforce
Existing employees may need to carry on additional workloads. Pay close attention to your current employees to see if they can apply their skills in different ways. For example, an employee with a strong sales background could easily apply their abilities to marketing content. If you choose this route, make sure to communicate your expectations and progress with your employees to prevent burnout, lower morale, and/or lower productivity. Job flexibility is a key value for many workers in our current environment, so be proactive about getting their input for your staff schedule.
Provide in-house training
Although somewhat time-consuming, in-house training will ensure that all your staff meet the service standards of your property. Give mentoring roles to your skilled employees, thus praising their skills. Younger staff members appreciate this opportunity for their professional development, which builds company loyalty and can help prevent shortages in key positions.
Create a healthy work environment
Fostering a healthy work environment starts with communication. Encourage your employees to talk about their problems in the workplace. Show appreciation for their good work. Engage and empower your staff by involving them in the decision-making, and they will be more motivated to work hard.
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