From the Frontlines: A Conversation with Brooke Gatton on Hospitality Talent Acquisition Strategies

Welcome back to From the Frontlines! In this series, Harri highlights members of our team who are up to big things and have inside insights into the hospitality industry. This week we chat with Brooke Gatton, Account Manager here at Harri. In this episode, we discuss how hospitality’s post-COVID labor shortage is a catalyst for industry-wide changes as well as how not to approach talent acquisition strategies. 

Hey Brooke, thanks for joining us today! What are your thoughts on hospitality’s post-COVID talent shortage?

Today’s talent shortage is nothing new, if anything it’s a sign that the industry will collapse unless serious change is made to the employee experience. Harassment training requirements, COVI-19, high unemployment benefits, and flexible career opportunities from new industries have sparked talent shortages in hospitality. Until brands put solutions in place to address reasons why employees are leaving the industry in the first place, the cycle will repeat itself every few years. 

Excellent point there. How does the employee experience come into play?

Historically, hospitality jobs were never seen as a legitimate career option, and employees were viewed as replaceable. But that way of thinking has caught up with brands as the younger generation demands better benefits and a change to company culture.

Take unit-level managers, as an example. They do so much more than they’re given credit for — they’re part-time operations managers, compliance gurus, facilities managers, HR team members, and so much more. They wear at least 6 different hats and aren’t compensated for it. If they’re given an opportunity to be properly rewarded, even if that’s in a new industry like retail, they’ll take it.

That being said, brands with employee-first initiatives are winning and will continue to win. That includes more than just better pay — it could be Chipotle’s tuition assistance program, Taco Bell’s career progression paths, offering predictive scheduling, or providing benefits like a 401K. If you’re not offering, somebody else will.

Those are great examples. Are you seeing misguided benefits that might be contributing to a brand’s talent shortage?

Absolutely. The industry has taken a reactive stance with band-aid solutions that can ruin credibility. You might hear a few success stories, but typically they’re not a sustainable way to grow your team with employees that want to stay with your brand. When you take the cost to replace an hourly employee into account, it ends up being much more beneficial to invest in long-term engagement and retention strategies.

We’re also seeing more and more operators adopt new technology thinking that can solve all hiring problems. There’s no silver bullet solution out there, the reality is that your team needs to work alongside the technology to create an experience that benefits everyone. At Harri, we’re actively challenging the way operators interact with technology.

Creativity is the key to success here. Employee referrals, for example, are popular. But what about extending that to customers and offering a discount every time they bring in a qualified candidate? Managers need to be more creative now than ever before.