Hotel Staff Shortage: Counteract with 5 Strengths

What can hoteliers do to tackle the acute shortage of trained personnel? How do they position themselves as an attractive employer to find motivated talent? This blog post reveals a solution approach.

Higher wages, attractive working hours, flexible working models: Employees know precisely how they want to work (and how they don’t want to work anymore) and can choose their jobs accordingly. So,what does this mean for hospitality? We have identified five strengths with which hoteliers can mitigate the consequences of the labor shortage.

Wanted: A solution to the vicious circle

In purely booking terms, things are going well for the hotel industry. Global occupancy is reaching 2019 levels, even surpassing them in many places. But the shortage of skilled workers hangs over the sector like a black cloud. And - let's face it - not just since the emergence of Covid-19. The pandemic, however, permanently changed many work biographies.

Let's take Germany as an example. According to the German Economic Institute, hardly any other industry lost as many employees as tourism and hospitality. And the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) states that almost 80% of all businesses have since had difficulty finding qualified staff, which adds more strain on the existing workforce.

The causes of this development - a changing world of work - must be countered with innovative and creative solutions. Let's take a look at five of them!

These five strengths characterize attractive employers in the hotel industry

1. Flexibility

The pandemic has largely invalidated the notion that work must be done exclusively on-site. And although workers are returning to their offices, they have gotten used to their autonomy. "Hybrid" is the name of the game.

But what about hotels where employees physically work behind the bar or in the kitchen? McKinsey & Company has conducted an exciting thought experiment.

What if the hotel industry's job descriptions and career paths change? If the receptionist, with his detailed knowledge of guests, supported the marketing team from home two days a week?

The Munich-based hotel group HOtello is also breaking new, flexible ground. Its relaunch "Everything different. Not just new, but better." introduces a 4-day workweek with no change in salary — an investment in staff motivation and health.

2. Digitization

The days when digital solutions were "nice to have" have long passed. Hotels with a high level of digitization position themselves as innovative and competitive — not only with the guest but also as attractive employers in the competitive labor market.

Skift and Oracle Hospitality surveyed over 600 hoteliers on the future of the hotel industry. Nearly two-thirds believe digital hotel technologies are crucial to recruiting qualified staff, guaranteeing less mundane and time-consuming tasks, efficiency, and better structure.

The potential uses of digital technologies are varied:

• In-room tablets that replace classic guest directories with personalized features.
• Hotel televisions that meet the modern entertainment needs of guests.
• Solutions that enable digital check-in and check-out.
• Robots that transport suitcases to suites.
• Apps that allow keyless access to rooms.
  
  

Tip: Our free webinar recordings on digitization in the hotel industry provide exciting insights and impulses from industry experts. In our case studies, hoteliers explain how they successfully use our digital in-room tablets. Download the free webinar recording "Great Guest Experience with Limited Staff" that took place on September 14th, 2022.

3. Automation

Digitization favors automated, lean processes. It is not about reducing staff but about providing employees with meaningful support in their tasks. Taking repetitive work off their hands means they have more time and space for individual guest service instead. And with the help of accurate data, they'll do so self-confidently.

After all, the contact with guests and the opportunity to make people happy every day are decisive reasons for a career in the hotel industry. Of course, automation also saves money which hoteliers can again invest in employees' training and development.

4. Sustainability (ESG criteria)

The job market has changed drastically in the last two years, with further change on the horizon. Millennials and Gen Z will soon dominate the labor market. And according to the global Workmonitor Study by Randstad, they will shape it with their values.

Almost 50 % of said generations do not want to accept a job that does not correspond to their social and ecological views. So it's the inner values, more precisely your hotel’s ESG criteria (environmental, social, governance), that count.

Necessary: Communicate your sustainability efforts transparently and truthfully. Greenwashing is counterproductive.

5. Diversity (DEI criteria)

The hospitality industry has traditionally been where diverse nations and biographies come together. Continue to engage in the DEI themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your pool of potential talent from domestic and abroad will automatically increase.

Ruby Hotels sets an impressive example of communicating diversity and tolerance. With its "Ready for a new tattoo?" campaign, the Munich-based hotel group is on the lookout for diverse personalities, whether career changers or professionals.

After six months, all new employees receive a permanent employment contract. And a tattoo or piercing allowance worth €500 on top.

In this way, they address a clearly defined target group and, at the same time, present themselves as a modern and tolerant employer.

After a short time, they have already achieved a coup with a broad reach.

Recap: Five solutions for the vicious circle

To attract applicants for a job in a hotel in the current situation, the general conditions (varied tasks, fair remuneration, reasonable working hours) must be right. In addition, these five strengths of a hotelier can make all the difference for applicants:

1. Break up old thought patterns. Break away from classic job descriptions, enable hybrid or even introduce 4-day weeks!
2. Demonstrate future orientation with digitization. Open up to digital technologies! You are "here to stay" and prove to your staff that you are well equipped for tomorrow.
3. Automatically create relief. Fewer repetitive tasks, more time for the essentials. After all, personal interaction with guests makes a career in your industry attractive!
4. Convince with inner values. Commit to sustainability, but be honest - small steps count more than greenwashing!
5. Show real commitment. Manifest the hotel industry as a diverse, inclusive industry open to the changing world of work.

Copyright: Ruby Hotels und SuitePad
_{Published on August 25, 2022}