Reminiscing about that brunch – a wrap-up of Tech on Toast

On the 9th March we headed up to Manchester with Eploy and Sixty Eight People, for our very first Tech on Toast brunch. Coffee firmly in hand, we discussed how to tackle some of the recruitment and retention challenges so many hospitality businesses are currently facing.

From the importance of technology and the best channels for recruitment, to what content you should have on your website – we covered a whole host of recruitment and retention tips.

For those of you who weren’t able to join us, here’s a summary of what you missed: 

Abi Dunn – 2022 Recruitment strategy, storytelling & filling the funnel

Abi covered all of the key factors in the recruitment journey. From ‘Getting People to the Party’ to what happens at ‘The Main Event’. Some key takeaways being: 

• Don’t forget about marketing – this is crucial in attracting the right candidates and goes hand in hand with recruitment 
• Offer ACTUAL benefits, avoid the same old 
• Respond to all applicants, not just who get through to the next stage
• Make sure you know what ‘ACE’ looks like – do you really know what you’re looking for in the perfect candidate?
• Share your rotas in advance! There is so much to be said for employees knowing when they are working next, and well in advance
• Don’t underestimate the power of the GM – people leave managers, not companies

Bruce Groves – Candidate Attraction Report – Insights for Hospitality 

Bruce gave a whistle stop tour of some of the fantastic hospitality insights from Eploy’s Candidate Attraction Report. Here’s a sneak peak at what we learnt:

• Candidate scarcity remains the number one problem in hospitality recruitment, with 74% of businesses reporting it as their biggest challenge 
• 85% of hospitality businesses are expecting to see an increase in hiring levels over the next 12 months…
• But just 44% are expecting to see an increase in budget
• 0% of those hospitality businesses asked included interview hints and tips on their careers site…
• Yet the best performing careers sites are 3 times more likely to contain this content
• The channels used most by hospitality businesses for recruitment don’t necessarily get the best results!

For more recruitment stats and an insight into how hospitality compares to other industries, you can pre-order Eploy’s full Candidate Attraction Report here.

Carl Holloway – Employee retention in hospitality – Insights from industry experts

Carl shared insights from a number of Rotaready clients on what they have found helps them successfully retain employees. Here’s a summary of the key trends he uncovered: 

• Offer a warm welcome – Take time to get to know new employees and make them aware of the tools at their disposal
• Two-way communication – Show empathy, listen to & learn from your team 
• Honesty & transparency – Be transparent from recruitment right through to retention. Share the good and the bad news and give visibility where you can
• Consistency – Align your messaging and treat teams equally across sites
• Training & development – Pay extra attention to the first 90 days. And always offer clear opportunities for training & progression
• Good pay rates – Have clear pay scales, pay competitively and offer bonuses with achievable targets
• The icing on the cake – Offer a wide variety of benefits and consider ‘in the moment’ rewards

In summary… 

Make your employees feel welcome, be crystal clear with expectations and standards, and make sure they know about all the tools at their disposal to deliver a great guest experience. Learn what motivates them and lean into that. 

Give them timely and relevant feedback, especially in the first 90 days of employment. Even if it doesn’t work out, you know you gave that person everything they needed to succeed! – Maray

You can never stop and think you are done with employee engagement, you have to always be ‘on it’ – Manorview Group

And last but not least, here’s a short video of the morning from the Tech on Toast team – oh how good it is to see a room full of people again! 

If you’d like any more information on anything mentioned above, or the integration between Rotaready and Eploy, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at comms@rotaready.com.