Hospitality Workers – We’re Here to Grant Your New Year’s Wishes

Okay, I know they say time flies but, can you believe it’s almost New Year’s Eve? If you’re anything like me, you’re already thinking about your new year’s resolutions.

New Year’s is the perfect opportunity to start fresh. Clean slate, the beginning of a new chapter, right? We usually come up with a list of all the things that we wish to accomplish or change for the upcoming year. It’s the perfect chance to upgrade to a better version of ourselves. And as I’m sitting here writing my list, I’m thinking how nice it would be to rub a lamp and get a genie to grant me three wishes just to help me out a little.

Can you imagine?

If you work in the hospitality industry, you know how challenging it can be to not only find staff but to keep it. As amazing as this industry is, when communication is not done right, you risk losing your staff.

This year, become your own genie and grant your team not three, but four wishes.

1. Ditch the old-school paper schedule.

You probably have it pinned to a board, or posted somewhere in the kitchen collecting dirty fingertips. It’s time to turn paper into magic. This year, you can turn paper into a digital schedule, where you can not only email it to employees (one or two weeks in advance), but you can save the template! So that the following week, you have more time to yourself and do not have to create a schedule from zero. It will also keep you in the loop in case anything changes.

2. Delete the text group chats.

Now let’s face it. Nobody likes having a ton of different group chats on Whatsapp, or people texting you about their schedule or their shift. Here comes your second wish: a customized group message and newsfeed. This way, you’ll have your whole team organized by role, location, or unit and create a space to communicate more efficiently. (Without having to blow up your phone!) You can also upload any kind of media to motivate your staff and use it as you would any other social media.

3. Clear your email notifications.

The third wish is something that we can all use a little help with. Have you ever been in a meeting when someone mentions an important email that you “never got”? To then realize that you got it but it got lost in the sea that’s your Inbox. Well, this year you will not miss any emails that contain important information. You’ll have in-app messaging and push notifications that will alert you of anything that you can’t miss. Like a change in schedule, or somebody calling in sick. No more feeling like you were left behind with any information.

4. Stop chasing after ghosts.

And as if this wasn’t enough help already, this year you get a fourth and extra wish. Are you ready? No more ghosting in the hiring process. As we all know, the onboarding process is the most important part of recruiting because it’s the first impression that your candidates have. It’s either going to make them stay, or make them consider running away.

To avoid this, you’ll be able to take care of the long and daunting process of filling out and sending paperwork to new hires, by creating a digital onboarding process. This way, it’s a two-way street between candidates and managers where they can communicate and receive feedback throughout the whole process. Plus, you’ll still have the chance to interview face to face, it will just simplify the process afterward. No more waiting for weeks to hear back if they were hired or if they disappeared. Now, they won’t have the chance to run away.

2023 is right around the corner. We might not have flying cars yet, but we sure have the best way to make sure that the hospitality industry can run smoothly and better every day. When you combine technology and human connection, you are creating the winning formula.

Make frontline employee experience tech part of your resolutions list this year. It will help you create a better and more magical talent experience.

After all, who doesn’t want a little help from a genie?

Maria Navarro is a new contributor to Harri. Born and raised in Mexico, Maria moved to the US with big dreams! Though only 27 she has a passion for hospitality and has worked in a variety of management positions for luxury hotels. Now Maria is pursuing her other love––writing and connecting with people ––and has launched her copywriting business, offering services in both English and Spanish. 

You can read more of her work at mariawriting.com.