3 Tips for Retaining Hotel Staffing Talent Year-Round
We don’t need to tell you how hotel seasonality affects the hospitality industry, especially in regions like New England. And while much of the emphasis on seasonality is put on bookings and revenue, the changes of the season also affect hospitality jobs.
Read on to find our top tips for retaining talented hotel staff year-round!
Hotel Staffing in New England
No matter where you manage properties, it’s important to try to retain top hotel staffing talent for as long as possible. We know that employee turnover is a reality in the hotel industry, and by some estimates, there’s an annualized employee turnover rate of nearly 74%. To put that in perspective, that’s more than 6% of staff departing every single month!
Staff turnover is not only incredibly stressful, but it’s also a huge drain on revenue. Your property now has to pay to seek, hire and train a new employee in addition to losing the institutional knowledge and invaluable skills of a long-time staff member.
It’s especially important to consider hospitality jobs and turnover during the off-season in the hotel industry in regions like New England. In this case, staff turnover may be more apparent during the off-season as staff seek opportunities in other regions of the country (essentially traveling with the seasons to find the most profitable hospitality jobs). Luckily, there are some things you can do to retain more staff year-round.
3 Tips for Retaining Top Hotel Staff
Here are a few ways you can retain top talent year-round to benefit your organization:
1. Create Clear Career Progression
Professional development is an important aspect of every job, including those in the hospitality industry. Offering an opportunity for career progression and training or continuing education that can help your staff advance their career is one way to retain top talent. Having a plan to present to new and existing staff about their future career prospects allows them to look at their time with your company in the long-term and not just as a “for now” position.
2. Cross-Train Your Staff
While your staff is often hired for a specific role (i.e. dining services), it’s important to offer to cross-train where possible. This is especially true if staff members have vocalized wanting to expand their skill set. Cross-training not only provides your staff with more skills but also shows you’re committed to offering career development opportunities in-house.
3. Offer Good Benefits
Benefits are one of the first things people look for when accepting a job offer or choosing to make a career change. Offering strong employee benefits like health insurance, retirement benefits, paid sick leave, a flexible vacation policy, etc. can have a big effect on your retention rate.
Contact Us Today!
Interested in working with the Main Street Hospitality Group, contact the team for more tips and information on hospitality jobs and retaining top talent in the region.
