As the festive party season draws near (and quickly), it is a perfect time to remember the importance of looking after hospitality professionals within our industry, bearing in mind this will be the first Covid free holiday season in almost 3 years.  This means that many hospitality staff will be experiencing their first party season and as such will be busy finding their feet in such busy times.

Alongside this, attracting and retaining staff remains a huge problem, and if we don’t navigate the coming weeks with an empathetic approach, we stand to see this trend grow deeper in the new year. We all have a role to play in ensuring we retain and guide hospitality professionals in our sector.

To employers,  observe your team and their hours of work, do not let the business of the party season cost your business it’s most valuable asset – the team . Burnout is not good for business, as well as the long-term knock-on effect it has for those impacted, it will also demoralise other members of your team. Remember, reward your team members for their extra dedication and most importantly, ensure they are paid for their extra hours (salaried or not). Acknowledge that individuals are contributing to the success of your bottom line – i.e. your business’ survival.

To party goers, please be patient with hospitality staff this holiday season, many are working hard to provide for their loved ones, many missing family occasions to ensure you and your friends have positive experiences . Be patient, be kind and be thoughtful of actions and words on others.

Looking forward, it is vital we retain these wonderful professionals within our hospitality industry for the days ahead ; Valentines Day , St Patricks Day, Easter & Summer business will be upon us again soon and we must be ready to continue to deliver the high levels of service our customers expect.

Sadly, I predict a mass exit of the best hospitality staff in the new year if we do not treat them well , so let’s all play our part in ensuring this is not the case! Let’s inspire these people to remain within our industry and become future leaders of our industry!

Over this holiday season, as employers and customers , we must all do our bit for the better for hospitality!