How do you deal with staff turnover and retention issues in hospitality?

- Recruitment is key - Succession planning - Training and development - Investment in people - Honesty and understanding - Regular catch ups with your team - Opportunity mindset

Most companies hire extremely experienced profiles and try to fit them into their organization charts. Instead, hire individuals with a desire to learn and train each other. Attracting talent to your company should be based on two premises. Firstly, respect and value what you already have inside. Increasing loyalty is better than hiring someone to prevent it from growing. Secondly, if you have to go to the market, hire someone who wants to grow with you. While completed profiles can be spectacular, those yet to be completed will always be more ambitious and can help your business grow.

The most important thing you can do to prevent employee turnover is to hire the right people and create comfortable conditions for their work and development. This may sound general, but the topic is vast, and it cannot be addressed in just a few words. What I have learned from my experience is that every detail matters. It is crucial to explain all the nuances and challenges of the job during the interview to deter those who are not a good fit. It is important to guide the person through their immersion into your business so they feel supported and helped. Providing the team with comfortable uniforms and break rooms to reduce fatigue is essential. There is no silver bullet—details matter.

"Hire the attitude, train the skill" Hire for cultural fit: Look for candidates whose values and goals align with the organization’s. Set realistic expectations: Clearly outline job responsibilities, growth opportunities, and challenges during the hiring process. Streamlined onboarding: Provide structured training and orientation to integrate new hires smoothly and set them up for success.

Assessing situation also requires a good introspection on the business owner's part. More often than usual the staff is not being taken care of the way an employee of some other field is taken care of by their company. Its extremely important for a business owner to identify if they are fulfilling their duties to the best of the standards. Additionally, if someone is just working for making some quick bucks, those kind of people will never stay for long.

Cette étape est particulièrement importante et j'apprécie particulièrement l'utilisation du mot "processus". En effet, quand on veut éviter le turnover, alors on doit se donner les moyens. Ce n'est pas une question de chance. C'est une somme de décision, d'organisation, de préparation qui amène au résultat d'une équipe stable et qui reste longtemps.

Réussir à garder son personnel est chose ardue. Quelques pistes: un bon salaire, un planning respecté (et ?a c'est difficile), un respect au sein de l'entreprise et des formations régulières pour que les employés ne soient pas sans outils face aux clients difficiles. Pour resumer: salaire+respect+formation

Este es un factor muy importante además de que las formas de transporte o su movilidad casa-trabajo, no sea difícil, inseguro, son básicos para que el personal se sienta a gusto y no generen la desicion final de cambiar de trabajo

Improving your hiring process is essential to attract candidates who are a good fit for your business. Start with clear, appealing job descriptions and use multiple channels to reach the right audience. Screen applicants based on key criteria, and conduct structured, behavior-based interviews to get a sense of how they’ll handle real scenarios. Be transparent about expectations, values, and goals, and give potential hires an honest preview of the work environment. Finally, check references and backgrounds to ensure alignment, setting up new hires for a smooth, successful start.

Investing in staff training is the cornerstone of thriving in hospitality. It's more than skill-building; it's empowering our teams with confidence and problem-solving prowess. This investment pays dividends, fostering a workforce that's not only more productive but also deeply engaged and committed to our mission. Well-trained employees navigate challenges with ease, safeguarding our bottom line. By championing growth and development, we cultivate a stable, enthusiastic team eager to contribute to our success. Let's transform our workforce into our most valuable asset, ensuring their growth mirrors our own.

Offering training and development is crucial for helping your staff thrive and feel valued. Use a mix of on-the-job coaching, online courses, workshops, and mentoring to cover both technical skills and soft skills like customer service, communication, teamwork, and leadership. Show employees that you’re invested in their career growth by encouraging them to set and pursue personal goals, and support them with feedback, guidance, and resources. This approach not only boosts performance but also strengthens loyalty by demonstrating that their development matters to you.

Tener la disposición de invertir tanto tiempo como dinero en el desarrollo profesional de tu personal es de suma importancia para que se sientan valorados en la empresa. El problema que he visto es que muchas compa?ías temen capacitar a su gente por miedo a que exijan más sueldo o que se vayan a otro lado. Sin embargo, si el equipo mejora y los rendimientos aumentan, entonces es una situación de ganar-ganar. Siempre habrá quien se vaya, eso es inevitable. El punto está en hacer que quien se quede se sienta valorado y al mismo tiempo desafiado a mejorar.

Pour créer la meilleure formation en accueil, je recommande de synthétiser en une phrase le bouche à oreille que l'on rêve d'entendre au sujet de son établissement. Une fois cette phrase écrite, on peut créer la formation en accueil. Si on forme à "bien faire", "être professionnel, "souriant", "disponible" on perd de vue l'essentiel du métier : on veut marquer l'esprit du client. La qualité de service ne suffit plus.

Hospitality professionals are built a little different. Yes, we are working for a wage, but we're also working with pride & a desire to learn. FOH staff cherish teachable moments when a manager shows them how to diffuse a tense situation at a table;BOH staff thrive when a chef shows them a faster, cleaner way to work. Turnover is natural, though learning can extend an employee's tenure with the company. It's important to identify each team member's goals, then provide them with the mentorship necessary to achieve those goals. This kind of mentorship creates a culture that is self-renewing. Team members must also be coached through the transition to management, which requires an entirely different set of communication & organization skills.

Rewarding and recognizing staff is key to building a motivated team. Competitive pay, bonuses, incentives, and perks like discounts can show appreciation, but a consistent recognition program also goes a long way. Ensure rewards are fair, timely, and align with employees' preferences. Regularly express gratitude and celebrate achievements and milestones personally, showing your team that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. This approach fosters a positive, engaged work culture where employees feel valued and motivated to stay.

Las nuevas generaciones quieren surgir y tener las oportunidades de crecer laboral mente no quedarse en el mismo cargo en el cual fue contratado, hay que dise?ar estrategias para reconocer las buenas cualidades y aportes que hacer al proceso.

Algo que hice en una empresa en la que trabajé fue desarrollar un sistema de medición de productividad para el personal. El objetivo de este sistema era crear un ambiente de juego en el equipo, donde ellos mismos se retaran a mejorarse para subir sus puntajes en las diferentes métricas. El ganador, determinado semanalmente, recibía tiempo libre y un poco menos de trabajo. Idealmente, se debería dar una compensación más grande, pero trabajaba bajo los límites que me imponía la empresa.

To foster a positive work culture, focus on engaging and empowering your staff. Actively seek their feedback and involve them in decisions and problem-solving to show that their voices matter. Share regular updates and cultivate a sense of purpose, helping everyone see the bigger picture. Empower staff to take ownership by giving them autonomy, flexibility, and trust to handle their roles. Finally, promote teamwork and mutual respect so that employees feel they’re part of a supportive, collaborative environment. This approach not only enhances job satisfaction but also strengthens team cohesion and loyalty.

Retaining and rehiring staff helps build a stable, loyal team. Regular performance reviews, career advancement opportunities, and flexible work options show employees you’re invested in their growth and well-being. Address issues promptly to maintain a positive work environment. For those who leave on good terms, consider rehiring—staying connected through alumni networks, social media, or events can make it easy to bring back familiar, skilled employees. This approach not only reduces recruitment and training costs but also preserves valuable experience and strengthens your team.

A recruitment pipeline (continuous interviewing) must be part of every business. Only interviewing while actively hiring is terrible planning. Reserve a fixed time weekly for your managers to actively interview and recruit future team members. As a top leader or owner, get involved occasionally to give it the necessary weight and focus.

Consider also accepting some turnover and being ready for it. In the QSR world turnover over 100% is normal. So what you need to do is create easy to understand processes so that new hires can quickly get up to speed. Make sure your training process is codified and the training is quick but covers what is needed. Consider automating processes where it make sense to reduce needs as well. For example integrating 3rd party orders (DoorDash, Uber Eats etc...) into your POS will remove the need for your staff to manually enter them.