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A little R&R
By David Swanston and Sandra Eagle
July 29, 2011
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A dose of R & R are the two current issues facing the foodservice industry - but it’s not rest and relaxation. In the next three to five years, recruitment and retention will be the hot topic buttons when it comes to human resource management.
Jackie Ross, principal of Jross Hospitality Recruiters, based in Vancouver, B.C., says, “Going into the recession, the toughest market to staff hospitality workers was Western Canada, specifically Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Finding skilled managerial talent across the retail, hospitality and foodservice sectors for those markets was, and still is, tough. If you look at the first quarter, foodservice was lagging, but now job gains have come from that sector. There are 36,000 new jobs for hospitality and foodservice in the last couple of months.”
Toronto-based Brenda Brown, senior vice-president of human resources, Compass Group Canada, says labour turnover in the hospitality industry has always been a concern. She says, “The bulk of our 25,000 employees are our frontline workers. That’s where we have our biggest turnover and biggest churn. Alberta looks like it’s going to go back to the situation in 2007/2008 where it was very low unemployment, which makes recruiting even more difficult.”
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While bringing in temporary foreign workers is one solution, the foodservice industry needs to work on creating an attractive value proposition for new employees. Sue Black, senior vice-president of human resources at Sodexo Canada, says, “We’re competing for talent across Canada at the recruitment level to attract the brightest and the best. We have been doing a lot of work on our employee value proposition. We’ve asked ourselves how do we attract and retain the right people and grow them. I think we have to worry about the aging workforce, we need to make a career in foodservice attractive for graduates.”
Future strategies
Hospitality leaders should be asking themselves, “Why would someone want to work for my organization?” Just providing jobs and treating employees fairly is not enough.
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Compensation is part of the equation, but strong candidates are looking for organizations they can be proud to work for. Reputation, brand profiles, performance and a commitment to their people are just some of the criteria being used to evaluate potential employers. Good employees want to be part of, and work with, strong teams. The opportunity for advancement within an organization is also an important variable that may tip an applicant to decide to choose one organization over another. At Sodexo, a competency model for use in North America breaks down the behaviours, competencies and accountabilities that employees need in management, supervisory or entry-level positions. Black explains, “We’re trying to structure people’s career path, so that they’ll want to stay.”
Potential employees want to know how the organization is going to help them satisfy their needs and achieve their personal goals. Operators will need to adjust their understanding and attitude towards their employees. In the near future, there could be as many as five generations in the workforce. Millenials, those born after 1980, bring a whole new approach to business. Brown says, “Millenials are a different breed, but I don’t find that an alarming situation. We really find the millenials to be a breath of fresh air. They are much more technically savvy. My experience is that they are eager to please, eager to contribute and eager to demonstrate that they have the wherewithal to succeed.”
Creating a participatory work environment will establish a new dynamic between management and staff based on commitment and respect. Employees will take more ownership and control over their work leading to greater satisfaction and performance. Team members must feel empowered to make decisions and take action to achieve the organization's broader strategic objectives. Successful implementation of these changes will lead to improved customer service, reduced turnover, operating efficiencies and better quality.
Employee engagement
To reflect the diversity of the workforce, job designs will need to become more individualized allowing operators to match the work requirements with each employee's needs and capabilities. Flexible working schedules, alternative shift arrangements, job sharing and career planning are just some options that employers can use to attract and retain strong talent.
Sodexo has brought in Work Perks, where it pays a fixed fee and provides all of its employees and their families with a discount program. Black says discounts include theatre tickets, shopping, local restaurants and entertainment and are available to all casual, part- and full-time employees. “The program has done really well because it saves disposable income in your pocket, and they’re relevant discounts. The other program we’ve brought in is Life Works – an employee assistance program for access to counselling for legal or financial advice. We’ve decided to invest in these programs because modern living is tough on families; it came out of our work/life initiatives that we should support our people in their personal lives this way,” says Black.
New technology adoption will also help organizations with planning, overseeing performance, information gathering and facilitating communication. Specifically, use of the Internet and social networking websites will enhance corporate visibility, solicit feedback, support recruiting efforts and will act as a portal for sharing information with employees. The Internet has become the primary information gathering source for people and so it is critical for organizations to establish a presence in the virtual world.
Talent recognition and annual awards can also increase staff retention. An important program at Compass is the President’s Council for senior leaders. This formal program places individuals in a three-year program of formal training and special projects coupled with coaching and mentoring. Brown says, “We focus on the talent management of this group and that level of manager is being groomed for senior management roles.” But Brown also finds that entry-level employees are very interested in training and development and learning how they can have a career within the organization.
Collaboration with employees will be crucial in organising work flows and establishing more economical schedules. Implementing control systems that provide timely and accurate feedback on performance with recruits can make an operation more responsive. Quality teams can use this information to focus their efforts to identify opportunities for performance improvement and implement changes more successfully.
Training
Training is often the first point of interaction new employees have with an organization. It is an opportunity to create a positive first impression and establish the context for the future working relationship. Effective training will improve the likelihood of employee success on the job, resulting in greater satisfaction and reduced turnover.
Traditional classroom-style training still has its place, but more impactful methods are becoming more common. Designing shorter, more focused training sessions will increase retention and understanding, whether delivered online or in person. Compass’ Brown says where they used to do more classroom training, there’s much more e-learning now. “Employees can log onto the system at any time and do modules. There may be ten modules for training, but people can have three months to complete it, so you can do at your own pace and own time.”
Content should not just focus on the relevant job tasks, but should also promote an understanding of the broader organization, its goals and culture so that the employee understands their role and fit within the operation.
Training should be thought of as an ongoing commitment and be maintained throughout the employee’s tenure. Opportunities for personal and skill development, as well as wellness and career planning, will add value for employees and demonstrate the organization's ongoing commitment to them.
David Swanston is a hospitality and foodservice consultant, principal of Focused Industry Training Seminars and is an instructor at major Canadian university business schools. He has helped organizations develop and launch new concepts, turn around troubled operations and improve sales, profits, controls and efficiency. Contact him at 905.331.6115 or contactfit@fitseminars.ca. |
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