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!

LUXlife magazine have announced Daly Recruitment as the winner of Best Hospitality & Event Recruitment Company 2023 – UK & Ireland at their recent Hospitality Awards.

Now in its eighth consecutive year, the LUXlife Hospitality Awards is as strong as ever and completely dedicated to showcasing the best of the best within the hospitality industry.

From sumptuous menus to delightful stays, wonderful weddings to showstopping events, and so much more, this year we highlight a fine selection of businesses and individuals who each bring something unique to the table.

If we look back, we can see how far this industry has come in recent years. There has been an incredible surge in business in the hospitality industry as there is an increasing need for luxurious and outstanding experiences. All in all, it’s clear to see how truly deserving our winners are as they help us to make memories that can last a lifetime.

Nichola Daly, Director of Daly Recruitment commented “After the past number of turbulent years, Daly Recruitment are thrilled to be awarded with this recognition for the work and dedication we put into building careers within the luxury hospitality market. Daly Recruitment are passionate about everything we do, and are exceptionally proud of the calibre of candidates and clients we work with daily to achieve and drive our industry forward. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for acknowledging our place within the industry“.

Our Awards Coordinator Kaven Cooper told us: “It has been a fantastic time for the hospitality industry as we bounce back from an extremely tumultuous time. I’m pleased to have worked with our winners as they truly represent the luxury industry. I wish them a happy and prosperous future as they continue to serve their clients with excellence in mind.”

As always, LUXlife focuses on recognising businesses which provide a diverse range of services from event and hospitality management, restaurants and bars, recruitment, public relations as well as marketing services, to tour operators. LUXlife aims to represent the best talent from this dynamic industry.

To find out more about these prestigious awards, and the dedicated establishments that have been selected for them, please visit https://www.lux-review.com/lux_awards/global-hospitality-awards/ where you can view the winners supplement and full winners list.

About LUXlife

Published quarterly, LUXlife informs readers on all aspects of high-end lifestyle, including the finest, food and drink, hotels and resorts, health and beauty, automotive, jewellery, art and technology from around the world.

Whilst 2022 was the year of survival, 2023 is the year of shining an importance on workplace culture.

While all businesses faced a relentless survival journey in 2022 with massive increases in costs, labour shortage and supply disruption, this inevitably took a lot of focus away from staff and teams members well-being. In November & December, Daly Recruitment witnessed a huge increase in candidates seeking new opportunities in the New Year citing workplace culture and not feeling valued as the primary reason for exiting the businesses to which they belonged.

In 2023, as an industry in general, we can and need to do better. Many of our professionals who are still in hospitality (after the past three years) clearly have a true passion for our industry and we all have a responsibility to keep that passion alive.

Talented employees are attracted to a great culture. This is something we need to keep in mind as the war for talent continues throughout 2023. Top talent has a choice and candidates are ultimately going to jump on board with a business that takes its culture seriously. This doesn’t mean you have to offer lavish perks, or extortionate rates of pay. Your business just needs a real sense of self and to show both current and prospective employees that they are appreciated and valued.

As we close the door on what has been an exceptionally challenging year, January will provide the opportunity to plan for the year ahead. Based on the feedback and trends Daly Recruitment are noting, team wellbeing must be included and marked as a priority if it is not already there. Your ability to attract and retain team members will have a major overall impact on your business for the year ahead.

Take note: 2023 recruitment will be driven by your current workplace culture. As the saying goes “you are only as good as your best employees”; your team members are your assets.

You can be an employer of choice in 2023; you must ensure you have a positive workplace culture that will attract and retain good talent. As always, Daly Recruitment are here to work together and assist you with any requirements you may have as a client or candidate.

There is no clear vision of work life balance each individual has different values and visions of what it’s meant to be. Agree?

This is why when we hear this question, we ask for individuals to explain their interpretation of this, so we can engage and help them find a role that can achieve that goal on their career pathway.

Managing your expectations:
🔹 It’s important to accept that there is no ‘perfect’ work-life balance.
When you hear “work-life balance,” you probably imagine having an extremely productive day at work, and leaving early to spend the other half of the day with friends and family. While this may seem ideal, it is not always possible.

Don’t strive for the perfect schedule; strive for a realistic one. Some days, you might focus more on work, while other days you might have more time and energy to pursue your hobbies or spend time with your loved ones.
🔹 Balance is achieved over time, not each day.

Remember, It is important to constantly assess where you are versus your goals and priorities as these will change as you progress through life & your career.

What is currently your definition of work life balance – Family | Friends | partners | pets | gym | sports?

Given how much time most of us devote to our work, we want it to have meaning. Instead of just plugging away at jobs day in and out, we want careers.
It’s almost impossible to develop a great career without changing jobs along the way. Without change, there’s little room for personal growth.  The best careers sometimes come from changing geography or changing job functions. Other times, they require switching companies – or even starting over.

When there’s no more room for advancement at your company, you may hit a massive road block. When that happens, it pays to look elsewhere rather than risk hurting your professional mindset.  It’s a well known statistic you learn the most in your first few years on a job, changing jobs can develop a broader knowledge base that makes your CV stand out.

–  Career development is an ongoing process that involves self-awareness and improvement.

–  Career growth is the process of climbing the career ladder. Most often achieved through promotion in the one company.

–  Growth is achieved in the long-term, development is ongoing. You may not succeed in your career growth plan for several years, but you’ll undergo development continually.

Changing jobs at least once every four years can help with both growth & development. It also makes your CV more attractive to employers for several reasons:
🔹 It says, ‘I’m willing to try new things and not get too comfortable’.
🔹 Staying at the same job for a while can also make your CV look stagnant and give employers the impression that you lack drive and don’t enjoy learning new things.
Changing jobs can reset your passion & make you feel more committed to your work & professional development.

Whatever your end goal, draw up a plan that shows where you want to be and how you intend to get there and you’ll find your career becomes a far more rewarding experience.

Daly Recruitment are dedicated to building and making an impact to hospitality professional careers and building on successful stories within our industry. 

Most interview panels will ask job candidates questions about their career aspirations. Understanding your career aspirations and being able to relate them to each position you apply for can help your chances of being hired. When preparing for an interview, you should consider how you would answer this question about your future goals.

Why employers ask about your career aspirations:

Employers ask about your career aspirations to identify how well your goals align with theirs. They want to get an idea of how committed you will be to your job and how long you plan on staying with the company. They also want to see if the position you are applying for makes sense for your ideal career.

Examples of career aspirations:

People develop their career aspirations based on their skills, personal values and other factors. Consider your interests and goals when brainstorming ideas for your response to questions about your goals. Career aspirations can be influenced by whichever factors are most important to you.

Here are some helpful aspirations that you can use to integrate as part of your answer to this interview question:

• Being exposed to managing a team.
• Being exposed to new parts of the business.
• Being able to gain new skill sets that are applicable to future career opportunities.
• Being able to be more hands on with the companies operations.
• Being able to obtain a stronger track record of result making.

Senior management / executive level

• Managing a hotel | Large conference centre | Tourist Attraction
• Executive positions
• Owning a business
• Becoming a consultant
• Managing Director of company.

Talking about your career goals can be challenging, especially if you are still considering different career options. When interviewing for a job, stay focused on how well you would benefit from the job and vice versa. Here are some guidance steps you can take when developing an answer to interview questions about your career aspirations:

1. Consider why you want the job. Think about how this job will support your long-term goals.
2. Relate your aspirations to the position. As you discuss your career goals, relate them back to the job that you are applying for.
3. Focus on your career.When answering this question, avoid mentioning goals that are not related to your career.
4. Show dedication. Telling the interviewer that you plan to commit to a career path for a significant amount of time.
5. Demonstrate ambition and development. Regardless of your aspirations, you should describe some sort of growth in order to show the interviewer your ambition and potential.

When answering this question, try and personalise the answer to the position as much as possible –  having many goals in common with the job description / company values.

Questions about your career aspirations can help employers understand your motivations other than salary and benefits.

IMPORTANT:

Sit down and think through what personal career aspirations you have before coming up with an answer, or even before interviewing. If your career aspiration as a professional doesn't align with the job opportunity why interview? Recognise what your personal career path is, and ensure the job you're interviewing for aligns with that.

The Importance Of Work Life Balance.

Have you ever considered why some people are much more able to handle stress than others?

It turns out that one of the most important factors is how well you’re able to switch off after work — something a lot of people struggle with.

Let’s look at how important it is to switch off?

There’s nothing wrong with thinking positively about work or mulling over a problem that you want to solve.
But when you can’t stop thinking about work, you wellbeing, relationships & productivity suffer.

It’s never been more difficult to do one task at a time at work because, on top of the usual daily distractions – Emails, calls & notifications on your phone now make it very tempting to switch between tasks before they’re finished.

One result of this is that, by the end of the day, you might have 20 browser tabs open, ten half-written emails & an important project you’ve put off yet again, which means that you’re likely to be thinking about these tasks in the evening.

🔹Another result of multi-tasking is that you become slower & decision making becomes cloudy.

🔹 It’s a well know fact that when you feel distracted & overwhelmed, you make bad decisions, which means you’re more likely to take on more than you can handle & leave tasks unfinished.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO SELF:

Being able to switch off from work is as much about how you spend your time at work, as what you do afterwards.

Many people are obsessed with time management & trying to maximise how they use of every second of the day.

In fact, what we should be obsessing about is the quality of our attention, & the amount of attention we give to the people & problems that matter to us most.

That will result in you bringing your best self to work, & to your friends & family. 

In return you will be more productive in work & continue to lead by example as the wonderful leader you are and wish to be!

Taking care of yourself is an essential part of taking care of others.

The healthier the tree the healthier the fruit it can offer!..