Erik-Jan Ginjaar: Winning team

The hotel industry is struggling with a structural staff shortage. At least that is now the general perception. Many hotels and other hospitality businesses are indeed understaffed, but is this because those people are actually not there or is something else going on? If you ask me, we as a sector currently have two other challenges where staffing is concerned. First of all, we are not sufficiently successful in keeping (good) people on board. In addition, we seem poor at explaining to talented people what a wonderful profession this is. The two are obviously related. The good news? They are two knobs we can effortlessly turn, once we really put our minds to it.

Let's start with the observation that fewer and fewer people still feel the love for the beautiful hotel profession. This is especially remarkable in light of the times we live in. Instead, the current generation is very sensitive to elements such as authenticity, connection and attention to the individual, and these are key ingredients of our industry. Apparently, as organisations, we currently do not radiate this sufficiently, missing an important group of young people who would feel right at home in the hotel industry. All too often, misperceptions about long hours, overtime and poor salaries dominate the image of working in a hotel. These have long since ceased to match reality in most organisations. Unfortunately, though, they are persistent. It is my conviction that you do not correct this image by going into denial, but rather with a positive counterpoint: show how a job in this sector can be a perfect match with your preferences as a human being. Show through storytelling, for example through the press and social media, the versatility of the profession using concrete examples and experiences. Also very effective is organising walk-in internships and open days, to give people a literal and figurative look behind the scenes of your organisation.  

The second issue the sector is struggling with is retaining valuable people. As mentioned, there is a strong correlation with the first dilemma. As an employee, you like to belong to a company where pride and self-confidence radiate. Where every time you see the logo go by, you are proud to belong. A certain degree of modesty is of course commendable, but that does not have to get in the way of radiating that (appropriate) pride. Being part of a winning team is something most people enjoy. So the team itself should actively name that. Another fact is that personal attention from managers remains key. A focus on the satisfaction, development and opportunities of each individual employee is a prerequisite for retaining people. Again, this is partly to do with the spirit of the times, in which personal development, challenge and fun are more important to a majority of young workers than things like salary and promotion. If you want to retain people in our sector, you must not lose sight of that reality.

Looking ahead, the hospitality sector can once again fully demonstrate its added value and what it stands for. To that end, there are two groups crucial to success: our guests and our people - in equal measure. We cannot mention this often enough. I mean that literally: if you want people to feel valued, then showing genuine interest, giving compliments and rewarding success are the prerequisites.