The hospitality industry struggles to find new talent, but why?
To place all of the blame on Covid-19 might be a little short-sighted. The interest in the industry was dwindling way before the pandemic. Finding new talent that wants to make a lifelong career out of hospitality has been hard to find for over a decade now. As a former longtime GM/AGM and hospitality business owner I honestly can’t even remember the last time it was easy to find new (qualified) team members.
There are probably a number of reasons for this:
To start, the ‘Hospitality Nomads’ from back in the day have been replaced by ‘Digital Nomads’, who can travel the world whilst working and have more freedom by choosing when and where they work at a better pay.
Governments have become more protective of their own labour markets and made it harder to get working permits regardless of any specific labour shortages.
For a long time it was chic and fun to work in hospitality. What could be cooler than working with food and beverages, drinks after work, good meals at work, cheap hotel nights and having the opportunity to travel the world? The image was enough for many people to accept the odd and long working hours and lower pay.
The competition in the job market with new and better paying professions - or at least ones with better hours - has increased tremendously over the years.
Today’s parents are more knowledgeable and often more involved in the study choices kids make; unfortunately, hospitality is not on the top of the list.
The increased complexity of the roles with more technology has made it hard for some to keep up with the fast changes. In reverse, slow implementation or the lack of technology frustrates the younger generations and makes them leave the industry.
The industry was once ruled by mostly passionate hospitality people, who did it for the love of the profession and to earn an income. Now many hospitality businesses are run by corporate companies and owners who are in it for faster growth and higher financial gains.
The overall pressure on hospitality professionals at all levels has increased a lot over the years due to staff shortages, fast industry changes, increased financial pressure, general lack of time and unfortunately in some cases lack of care.
Whilst the above are merely a sign of the times and none, other than lack of care, are necessarily right or wrong, it is important to understand why we are where we are as that is always the starting point of finding solutions going forward.
Although there are probably no quick and easy solutions, there is always a way forward - but how?
Recently I spoke with a university in the US and was told that 10 years ago they had a substantial hospitality program with about 1200 students; today, they only have 250 left. The newly appointed school president was now considering closing down the hospitality program all together. The answer to the question of what all these potential hospitality students are studying now was somewhat surprising. You see, I thought it would be along the lines of technology, digital marketing etc. but it turned out that the majority of the areas in the university that were assigned to hospitality are now converted into nursing. However, thinking it through, it probably makes sense as it is still about looking after people.
But why the change from hospitality to nursing?
The same professor also mentioned that nursing suffered a similar image problem about 15 years ago, but the industry pulled together and made some significant changes. The voice of the industry became one that made it cool to be a nurse and in my opinion rightfully so. It cannot get much more rewarding than looking after people who really need it and making a true impact on their lives. In addition to this they worked on flexibility, not the one that just works for the employer but the one that works for the employee. The final thing, and not the least important, is pay - the nurse student versus the hospitality student will make on average 30% more as a graduate.
So what can we do in hospitality?
The younger generations don’t want to be told to work hard, keep your head down and then one day you will get to the next career step. They don’t want to work odd and long hours for little pay. They have more choices and access to large amounts of information. They want to be challenged, want to belong, feel safe, have flexibility and be paid fairly for what they do.
That shouldn’t be too difficult - we understand people since we work in hospitality, right? Or is it still more complex than that? What could some of the potential solutions be to attract more people to work in hospitality, and for others not to leave?
As mentioned there is an image problem, not just with the students but also with the parents. The industry will need to start communicating with a united message to potential students and employees, to parents as well as to governments. One that shows the importance of hospitality in the world, what it has to offer and most importantly what is in it for them.
Hospitality businesses will need to implement flexibility that doesn’t just work for the business, but also works for the employees.
There needs to be more efficient and effective hospitality technology provided, as well the right training programs and guidance so that no one is left behind and it doesn’t become a frustration.
The industry will need to review, better understand and implement the benefits that will draw new generations and retain the existent hospitality professionals. It will have to think outside the box and pull together to look at the possibilities of providing daycare so that moms can continue to work, and provide well-being benefits in the form of fitness, spa treatments or other ways of promoting health. These are expensive things for an individual, but maybe collectively can be brought down to reasonable prices or even offered as part of the benefit package.
There needs to be a better balance between the interests of the business versus the interests of the employees, and training for all leaders in providing this balance and in alleviating the pressure and stress.
The industry needs to put a stronger focus on mental health, and again leaders need to be trained to recognise the signs when an employee is in need whilst the business needs to have internal as well as external resources to provide the proper care.
It will have to look at pay and how it can make itself more competitive in the crowded labour market.
And, last but not least, it will have to create its own ecosystem where it can showcase, attract and communicate to the next generation of hospitality professionals, where it can post jobs without competing with other industries and where the industry can come together to find solutions. This is where Hospo.life - the global hospitality and tourism industry platform - can truly make a difference .
In conclusion, the hospitality industry is one that has a lot to offer and it’s still the same great industry as it always was - but maybe that is exactly where the problem lies. Whilst it went through so many changes over the last decade it doesn’t seem to have fully and collectively adapted the offer and messaging to what the new generations are looking for.
To place all of the blame on Covid-19 might be a little short-sighted. The interest in the industry was dwindling way before the pandemic. Finding new talent that wants to make a lifelong career out of hospitality has been hard to find for over a decade now. As a former longtime GM/AGM and hospitality business owner I honestly can’t even remember the last time it was easy to find new (qualified) team members.
There are probably a number of reasons for this:
Whilst the above are merely a sign of the times and none, other than lack of care, are necessarily right or wrong, it is important to understand why we are where we are as that is always the starting point of finding solutions going forward.
Although there are probably no quick and easy solutions, there is always a way forward - but how?
Recently I spoke with a university in the US and was told that 10 years ago they had a substantial hospitality program with about 1200 students; today, they only have 250 left. The newly appointed school president was now considering closing down the hospitality program all together. The answer to the question of what all these potential hospitality students are studying now was somewhat surprising. You see, I thought it would be along the lines of technology, digital marketing etc. but it turned out that the majority of the areas in the university that were assigned to hospitality are now converted into nursing. However, thinking it through, it probably makes sense as it is still about looking after people.
But why the change from hospitality to nursing?
The same professor also mentioned that nursing suffered a similar image problem about 15 years ago, but the industry pulled together and made some significant changes. The voice of the industry became one that made it cool to be a nurse and in my opinion rightfully so. It cannot get much more rewarding than looking after people who really need it and making a true impact on their lives. In addition to this they worked on flexibility, not the one that just works for the employer but the one that works for the employee. The final thing, and not the least important, is pay - the nurse student versus the hospitality student will make on average 30% more as a graduate.
So what can we do in hospitality?
The younger generations don’t want to be told to work hard, keep your head down and then one day you will get to the next career step. They don’t want to work odd and long hours for little pay. They have more choices and access to large amounts of information. They want to be challenged, want to belong, feel safe, have flexibility and be paid fairly for what they do.
That shouldn’t be too difficult - we understand people since we work in hospitality, right? Or is it still more complex than that? What could some of the potential solutions be to attract more people to work in hospitality, and for others not to leave?
In conclusion, the hospitality industry is one that has a lot to offer and it’s still the same great industry as it always was - but maybe that is exactly where the problem lies. Whilst it went through so many changes over the last decade it doesn’t seem to have fully and collectively adapted the offer and messaging to what the new generations are looking for.