Summer is a wonderful time to be in the hospitality industry, as people hit the open road, hop on planes, or take trains to see the world. But just as summer giveth, it also taketh away, particularly in the form of staffing shortages. In fact, summer presents all sorts of difficulties for the average hotel’s workforce, challenges that occur because of the following:
Summer Vacations Reign Supreme
Summer is the most popular time of year to take a vacation; roughly 81% of people travel when school ends and temperatures rise…and this includes people who work for you. Some members of your workforce may prefer to take the summer off (or at least take off a portion of it), leaving you with many positions to fill.
Your Demand Increases
Hotels flourish in the summer, as sightseers and sun lovers show up in droves. This increased demand is, of course, good for a hotel’s bottom line, but it presents a challenge from a staffing perspective. The more guests you have, the more employees you need.
Seasonal Positions are Tricky to Fill
Seasonal employment is not for everyone; job seekers looking for long-term careers or considering their long-term finances aren’t likely to jump at the chance to work on such a short-term basis. Fewer interested people mean fewer highly qualified candidates, ultimately making it harder to fill your open positions with those who can go above and beyond.
Summer Presents a Time Crunch
On average, the hiring process can take around a month to six weeks. While this might be workable during other times of the year, summer causes an issue: there are only three months in the season, so you’re on a ticking clock. This makes the hiring process much more difficult and ups the odds that you’ll hire the wrong person because anyone is better than no one.
Job Seekers Procrastinate Until the Fall
Just like people tend to start their diets on “Monday,” they also tend to start their job search in the fall. Because summer allows for travel, play, and fun in the sun, there’s less motivation for potential job seekers to hunker down and get serious about exploring the workforce. This thins out the pool of candidates and makes it more difficult and time-consuming to find the right person.
Summer shortages are a frequent problem in the hospitality industry. But they don’t have to be!
Hospitality Taskforce provides hotels and hotel management companies with a network of the highest quality, most experienced professionals in the areas of sales, catering, general and culinary management, and operations on a temporary basis. Contact us to learn how we can help your business grow.