Ways to Improve Staff Retention

This misinformation of course has a negative impact on the industry, and as a result the UK are challenged by staff retention in the sector.  

Three out of every ten hospitality workers leave their role within a year, which is double the UK average. The forecast is that this will get worse following Brexit. So what can we do? We have spoken to industry representatives and employees to find out how we can improve staff retention.

Recognition & Reward

Ensuring that staff feel recognised for their hard work is very important, and when appropriate reward them! This could be a simple thank you, birthday present, work anniversary celebration, discount scheme, a ‘five year club’ to empower long serving staff, or even an employee of the month award.

All of the above can be relatively easy to do and low cost. Ensuring your staff feel valued could not be any more important, Forbes found that 66% of employees said they would be likely to quit their job if they didn’t feel appreciated. This figure rises to 76% among millennials.  

Communication

Take an interest. Involve staff in discussions about department development, current hurdles and successes, let them bring ideas to the table and be heard.

Get to know your staff. One representative we spoke to gets their staff to fill in a ‘getting to know you form’. We thought this was fantastic! When you reward a staff member you’ll know those little things they like and dislike, making it personal is always more appreciated.  

Check in. Make sure you see how staff are doing, are they managing their workload? Need support? Have personal problems affecting the day to day? Are their any issues with other colleagues? Understanding and acting upon these issues is very important for staff retention. If you can, help them through it, resolve staff conflicts, and point them in the direction of appropriate professional support.

Flexibility & Opportunity

Find out what your staff want and need from the role. Are they a parent seeking flexible working hours? Are they motivated by career progression opportunities? Where possible alter shift patterns to suit staff and give each member a weekend off once in a while. Be aware of ambitious team members and help them realise their goals. A survey found that 63% of professionals said that career progression was ‘very important’, when considering a new role. Ensure your staff know what they need to do to progress and offer training to enable their development.