Create a great place to work

It should go without saying that, if you want to keep staff with you in the long term, you need to create a work environment where they feel safe, valued and respected. The days of hospitality work being synonymous with burnout and bullying are gone; your role as a manager is to safeguard your team members’ physical and mental wellbeing so that they can be their best, most involved and creative selves.

“Having a positive, consistent and engaged team is a restaurant’s biggest asset,” says Chet Sharma, Chef-Patron at BiBi. “By treating staff fairly, you can improve retention rates, save money on new starters, increase sales and reduce stress from being understaffed. Prioritising our team means that we can sustain the restaurant and ensure longevity and quality.” 

BaxterStorey has partnered with Waste Knot’s new mental health campaign for hospitality staff, Waste Knot People, to provide additional mental health and wellbeing support for their team. Greg Bramwell, Director of Food and Beverage at BaxterStorey, says, “As a business, we have a duty of care to protect and safeguard our people, especially in these extremely tough times for society. We believe the answer to this is to give them the time and space to temporarily step back from the pressures of day-to-day life and reconnect with nature.”

Find out what makes them tick

From the moment you hire someone, make an effort to understand their strengths, their ambitions and what they enjoy about their work. Progression within hospitality doesn’t have to be linear; with the right support, guidance and training, there’s no reason why that bartender can’t end up as a procurement manager or as Head of HR. Pay attention to who your people are and what’s going to keep them interested in the long term.

Work with them to define career paths

A career path is essentially a roadmap for professional growth. A more evolved version of the more old-fashioned career ladder, career paths take a more holistic, modern approach, acknowledging that progression is no longer the straightforward route it used to be and that many people’s needs and desires will continue to evolve throughout their working lives.  

Mapping out individual career paths with your employees is an important part of retaining talent, since it shows them exactly where they can go and what they can accomplish. This helps employees feel valued and therefore motivated to work harder, learn new skills and step up to new challenges. 

From their early days with your company, allocate time to learning how and where your employees want to grow, working together to develop career paths and set their course. These should include short- and long-term goals as well as incentives for achieving these, providing encouraging milestones along the way.

Set annual (at least) reviews

Supporting employees as they progress means continuously evaluating and adjusting the support you offer them in terms of their professional growth. Schedule regular reviews with each employee, with clear direction and measurable goals; this allows managers to track progress, realign goals where necessary and ask for feedback on how they can better support team members in their development.

Revisit your organisational structure if necessary

Make sure that your company structure can provide an environment where career progression is nurtured. Put in some time to plotting out new roles that may emerge as your employees and your business continue to grow, and be prepared for this to keep evolving over time. 

Build potential career paths for each role, team, department and/or location, factoring in both vertical and horizontal movements that can support development and advancement. Create accurate, up-to-date job descriptions for current and upcoming roles; these should include key credentials, responsibilities and skills required. For each role, consider how you will measure success.

Build purpose into roles

The impact of covid-19 led many people to re-evaluate what they want from their working lives – and, for many, the answer is ‘purpose’. Where people feel like their work is making a difference, they feel more engaged, more motivated and more likely to stay for longer. 

Here’s where your restaurant’s sustainability work can play a big role: make sure your employees can get involved, no matter what level they are or what job they do. Involve them in creative problem-solving when it comes to practical initiatives like cutting down food waste or reducing energy use: some of the best ideas can come from team members who are on the ground, working within these systems every day. Community and charity work and team volunteer days are other great ways to inspire and motivate. 

Offer great training and development programmes

You’ve helped your employees to focus their direction – now it’s time to help them progress and learn the skills they need to move forward. People will want to stay at a company that offers opportunities for continuous development and growth, and access to quality training programmes is an important part of that. 

Creating a culture of learning and growth allows and encourages employees to try new things, learn more skills, gain experience in other job functions, network with industry peers and become well-rounded hospitality professionals. Regularly check in with your teams to see what training options they need and want. This can include in-house mentoring and shadowing programmes as well as externally-run workshops, courses and opportunities for further education. 

At Lexington catering, career development is a key consideration, and the company fosters long-term careers through apprenticeship and graduate schemes. “We believe strongly in ensuring that our employees not only feel valued but are also motivated to excel, with opportunities for growth at every stage of their journey with us,” says Katharine Lewis, Director. “This commitment to their development is not only a reflection of our values but also an investment in the personal fulfilment of our team members and the continued success of our company.”

Promote from within wherever possible

The best way to solve your staffing problem in the longer term is to focus on promoting from within. This isn’t simply a case of choosing managers from within your existing team rather than hiring externally, but means fostering a culture where employees are properly trained and coached in how to be future leaders.

Not only does this have a big impact on employee motivation and retention, but it makes good business sense, too. Internal candidates understand your company culture and what’s required, and already know the people they are going to manage, saving you valuable time and money that would otherwise be spent on induction and training.

Pay your people well

Never lose sight of the fact that the main reason people come to work every day is for the money – and that replacing good people is more expensive than paying them enough to begin with. 

You might considering rewarding long-term employees with other benefits, too: for example, at The Bull Inn, Totnes, every member of the senior management team receives a profit share as part of their package.

In 2023, Searcys announced improved benefits as part of their recruitment, training and retention strategy. These now include up to 38 days of annual leave, enhanced maternity and paternity payments and access to over 43 apprenticeship schemes and Searcys Champagne School.

Conduct exit interviews

A piece of the puzzle that is so often missed, exit interviews are a goldmine of valuable insights into where you may have gone wrong and where you can improve. When staff do leave, don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions: this is your chance to keep doing better.