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Recruitment Industry: REC Campaigns and Policy news

The REC has commissioned a ground-breaking study looking at the economic and social impact of the recruitment industry. The Recruitment for recovery report and its findings should make us all proud. The report reveals that:

Someone finds a new permanent job through a recruiter every 21 seconds.
The work of professional recruitment firms supports £86 billion in gross value added across the economy, the equivalent of 4.3% of GDP, larger than either the accounting or legal industries.
Four in five (78%) people who found a job through a recruiter said it was a good match for them.
Each year, over 300,000 unemployed people use the recruitment industry to secure a permanent role, more than twice as many as those who go through the Job Centre.
Two in three businesses (63%) said that working with a recruitment agency had helped them increase the diversity of new recruits.

We hope the report makes you walk a bit taller and please share it widely. Use the findings to talk to your MP where possible to promote the good work that you do and let them know what you want from the government to help you do good work.

Light at the end of the tunnel
After a tense start to the year in every aspect, spring is around the corner and so is the sense of hope. For England, the PM recently announced a roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions with a full lift being planned for 21 June 2021. In Scotland, a significant reopening of the economy, including non-essential retail, hospitality, and other services is expected by the end of April, with more details to be revealed mid-March. In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced on Friday that stay-at-home restrictions could be eased in three weeks and we expect to hear more about Northern Ireland’s plan to lift restrictions on 1 March. Those all depend on strict conditions being met, the priority remains supressing the virus.

We welcome the announcements and the clarity it gives businesses to plan ahead. Business confidence in making hiring decisions has weakened throughout the pandemic and these announcements will help strengthen business confidence. To further business confidence the REC is calling on government to extend and enhance its Coronavirus Support package for business in the upcoming Spring budget on 3 March.

REC’s new JobsOutlook report is due on Friday with the latest insight on employers’ confidence and hiring intentions. Look out for that!

New UK/EU trading relationship following the end of the Transition Period
The Government has welcomed the European Commission’s draft data adequacy decision recognising UK’s data protection standards and setting out that the UK’s standards are ‘adequate’. This is a step closer for the EU to complete the technical approval process which, if done swiftly, will lead to a final data adequacy decision ahead of the 30 June deadline. We will be watching this space and you can find REC’s latest guidance here.

Following feedback from stakeholders, including the REC, the Home Office has published an updated version of its Right to Work leaflet which employers can use during the grace period (1 January to 30 June) to clarify requirements to EEA employees. The materials also include a RTW factsheet and information on the new Points-based immigration system with relevant Q&As as well as updated information on Frontier Workers.

New UK/EU trading relationship following the end of the Transition Period
To raise the concerns of our members on access to vaccines and testing, as well as issues around fair pay for agency workers, we have written to both the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in Scotland and the Minister of Health for Northern Ireland. REC member H1 Healthcare has also launched a petition calling on the Scottish Government to include agency nurses and carers in its COVID-19 bonus scheme. The £500 one-off payment, announced in November 2020, is restricted to NHS and social care employees – we would urge all members to sign the petition.

Please remember that all frontline healthcare agency workers in England can book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment direct with the National Booking Service.

New UK/EU trading relationship following the end of the Transition Period
This week the REC submitted our official response to the government’s consultation on the reform of non-compete clauses. Our response set out the reasons why the reforms should not be implemented and the detriment that restrictions on non-compete clauses could have for the recruitment industry. REC members can help to influence the outcome of this consultation by contacting their local MP. We have a template letter which members can use to explain why the proposed reforms should not be implemented.

University Kitchens To Host Roux Scholarship

The prestigious Roux Scholarship is to finally go ahead this autumn having been delayed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And the stage for the penultimate culinary battle will be at University College Birmingham, a longstanding supporter of the competition.

For nearly a decade, the University’s industry gold standard kitchens have played host to one of the two regional cook-offs in the nationwide search for a culinary star founded by the Roux brothers, Albert and Michel OBE, in 1984. This all came to a standstill with lockdown in 2020.

However, with the heat firmly back on, the competition is back at the University’s Birmingham College of Food, and on September 9, nine semi-finalists will go head-to-head to impress a distinguished set of industry judges.

Down south at University of West London, another nine talented chefs will also be showing off their classical cooking and presentation skills in a bid to win a place at the national final on October 25.

This year, the first reserve selected at the paper judging stage in March 2020 will also get to compete in the cook-offs for the chance to win the crown.

The prize is £6,000 to support the winner’s career development and an invitation to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months.

Björn Frantzén from three-star Michelin restaurant Frantzén in Stockholm will lead the panel of judges, who comprise Alain Roux, MichelRoux Jr, Brian Turner CBE, Sat Bains, André Garrett, Simon Hulstone, Angela Hartnett MBE, James Martin, Rachel Humphrey and Clare Smyth MBE.

Hearing the competition was back on course felt amazing, said University College Birmingham senior lecturer Anthony Wright, the only chef lecturer to have been awarded the MCA (Master of Culinary Arts), the highest honour in the catering industry.

“What’s lovely about the Roux Scholarship is that, in my opinion, the Roux brothers have done more than anyone for the industry, especially the high end of the industry, and have trained legions of excellent chefs,” he said.

“University College Birmingham has had a longstanding relationship with the Roux family for over 20 years – I remember Albert Roux always used to order a whole, grilled dover sole when he visited us – and it’s wonderful to pay them homage through this competition. And may it continue for years to come.”

The scholarship, which was won in 2012 by former University College Birmingham graduate Adam Smith – now executive chef at Michelin-starred Coworth Park – is open to ambitious chefs working full-time in any establishment from a village pub to a fine dining restaurant.

What is essential is that they have mastered key skills including filleting fish, boning meat and making sweet and savoury souffles. They should also be capable of cooking under pressure and have ‘exquisite presentation skills’.

Chairman Alain Roux said: “At last, we can look forward to choosing our 2020 scholar, I can hardly wait! There was never any plan to cancel and give up on the talent we discovered in our regional finalists. This year, more than ever, our 2020 scholar will represent the tenacity, resilience, stamina and forbearance that defines us as chefs.”

Co-chairman Michel Roux Jr said: “I am so excited to put dates in the diary for the Roux Scholarship, especially after such a dreadful past 12 months. It feels as if there is unfinished business to be taken care of and I can’t wait to get our regional finals underway.

“As the saying goes ‘the show must go on’ and as chefs, we are ready to go!”

Discover our full range of food and hospitality courses at the Birmingham College of Food here.

The original version of this article was first published in The Midlands Business Network

Consider Employing Temporary Staff for Hospitality This Year

After almost a year of closures and disruptions, hospitality organisations can now plan to reopen, and with the benefit of pent-up demand for eating out in the UK at an all-time high, consideration should be given to employing temporary staff.

The pandemic has caused massive shockwaves across the industry, and we are now in a period of recovery. While there is a feeling of optimism in the air, business owners must now get down to the job of assembling their teams for 2021.

As a manager, you may have concerns over your team’s staffing, such as whether you have the right number of employees, can afford to pay them and have the best team members in place in line with the future vision of your business.

At KSB Recruitment, we work with temporary employees for catering or hospitality companies. We have been providing establishments with these contracts for over 28 years – but this year is different.

Employing temporary staff is indispensable right now, as companies figure out new ways of working – today we look at how vital temporary staff will be for your organisation this year.

Ease Your Payroll Worries

If you‘re thinking about the reopening stage of your business and haven‘t got a crystal ball to predict what‘s going to happen, the best way to ease payroll worries is by employing temporary staff – for now.

We have worked with temp hospitality staff for years, and we understand that the flexibility of these roles is a two-way street. The temp staff benefit from not being tied down to a permanent position, but as the employer, you benefit from the flux that you need right now until things settle down and you start to rebuild your permanent team.

Talk to us today about your staffing situation – we can provide the temp employees you need as and when you require them.

Meeting an All-Time High Demand

Boutique Hotelier recently published some extremely positive news about how busy UK establishments can expect to be this year. Farncombe Estate chief executive Andrew Grahame revealed that their bookings have increased by 450%, with similar pictures emerging across the UK.

The fact remains that there will be higher demand than ever on hospitality and catering establishments this year; even places that have never had to take on temporary staff before will need to consider it.

Temporary workers will help you meet your business’s fluctuating needs as you figure out your broader business strategy for the ‘new normal‘.

If you have never gone down the route of taking on temporary employees before and would like to know more about the process, we have created a guide to help. Click here to download the free guide, which explains everything you need to know.

Reinventing Your Team

So much has changed in the last year; there is a good chance that your hospitality team is now missing some of the key players you had before Covid.

There may be gaps in your team now, as some hospitality candidates have spent recent months searching for and taking new employment in the gaps that opened up elsewhere in the economy.

At the beginning of lockdown, job boards were linking up newly furloughed or sadly redundant hospitality staff positions in other sectors. If the employees you had in place before lockdown are now disjointed, now could be the perfect time to reinvent your team in line with a new direction for your business.

Again, temporary employees are a great way to do this as you are not tied into longer contracts; you can use this to your advantage as you figure out what works and what doesn‘t for your post-Covid business strategy.

Take Advantage of the Range of Candidates

Finally, the number of candidates that are looking for opportunities is at an all-time high. No hospitality business owner wants to see any employees made redundant. Unfortunately, this might be the case for individuals who pre-lockdown, were working for establishments that have since closed.

As a responsible employer, giving talented and hardworking individuals a shot at becoming part of your permanent team is a win-win for both you and the candidates currently looking for employment.

Speak to us today about the vision you have for your team and your establishment going forwards, and we will find you the individuals you are looking for.

Next Steps

We specialise in providing excellent temporary catering and hospitality staff to organisations and supporting businesses for over 28 years.

As the hospitality sectors look to open up again over the coming months, we understand that having the best team in place is going to be essential in getting you through to the other side.

If you need temporary hospitality employees at short notice to reopen your business, get in contact with us today on 0121 314 9365 to find out how we can help.

Thanks,

Dawn

About KSB Recruitment

We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 30 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with an obsessive attention to detail.

KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered.

We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire.

Preparing to Reopen in 2021: What Catering and Hospitality Businesses Need to Know Right Now

Finally, the moment Catering and Hospitality Businesses have been waiting for is in sight – they can now prepare to open to the public once again.

Catering and Hospitality Businesses have been significantly affected, but now with the vaccine programme well underway and the roadmap out of lockdown in place, we can finally look towards getting back to the way things were.

The hospitality sector’s determination to stay afloat has created an environment of hope and optimism for this year and the future ahead. The shared feeling among owners of Catering and Hospitality Businesses is that while things have changed, from this will come innovation and success.

If, like many other business owners, you are preparing to reopen to the public this summer, here are the key things you must consider.

Be Legally Compliant

The vast majority of U.K. adults will have been vaccinated by June 21st, when hospitality will open up fully again. And while the vaccine programme aims to eradicate the need for social distancing, there will be technicalities that you must implement to run a legally compliant business.

Unlike previous lockdowns, the roadmap out of the pandemic recently announced by the Prime Minister confirmed that no ‘substantial meals’ will have to be served. This freedom highlighted a change from last summer when there were Covid rules in place.

The news that this year will likely be a return to almost normality will come as a relief. However, you should still be providing hand sanitising facilities and complying with social distancing until these rules are relaxed.

How did social distancing work in your business last summer? Is there anything that didn’t work that you could improve on? We have all had plenty of practice by now, and your team should understand the implications of being legally compliant, but refresher training will be a good idea in the first few days or reopening.

The Government have updated their guidelines for opening the hospitality sector – make you familiarise yourself with the policies and ensure your staff are in the know too.

Be Market Aware

In each local area and sector, there will be certain Catering and Hospitality Businesses that sadly will not be opening up again.

Stay aware of your local market, who is reopening and what changes they have made to keep ahead of your competitors. Think about the layout of your premises, your menu and your offers – will you be putting on any special events this year? Think about local festivals, sporting events and the school holidays – there will be plenty going on this year.

It might be a good idea to simplify your menu to help kitchen staff, especially as this summer is set to be busy for most establishments.

Perhaps you could introduce new items to your menu or new ‘post-Covid’ deals? People will be on the lookout for something special when they return to dining out – work with your kitchen team to create something extra special for your reopening.

Prepare for the Influx

Finally, when looking at the data already coming through, it is no surprise that the public is planning on spending a lot of time exercising their new freedoms this year. This means preparing for perhaps your busiest summer ever.

Be smart with your bookings – some businesses are only taking booking with a deposit; this will reduce your risk of losing out in all-important business this summer. Is this something that could work in your establishment? You need a tight booking and service procedure in place and an excellent, switched-on team who can deal with how busy you will be this year and deliver your company vision.

If you’ve got big ideas for this year, but you haven’t got the right team in place to deliver them – we can help.

Many establishments are already taking bookings for this year, while some other businesses wonder how they’re going to manage. For many Catering and Hospitality Businesses, the reality is that they haven’t got the same team in place; and some have to rebuild their entire team again from scratch.

If you need excellent, dedicated hospitality employees, from a single head chef to an entire catering team – we can help.

Thanks,

Dawn

About KSB Recruitment

We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 30 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with an obsessive attention to detail.

KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered.

We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire.

New Recruitment Process Trends Could Hurt Your Hospitality Business

If you are currently assembling your post-pandemic hospitality team, then get ready for a new kind of recruitment process.

Catering and hospitality employees faced massive uncertainty, as employers endured a year of disruptions. This has had a significant impact on those working in the industry and, subsequently, the general attitude towards recruitment.

Talented individuals have been left wondering about the future of their careers, while hospitality business owners have struggled to get staffing levels right and plan for the future. And these events have been a catalyst for an unprecedented recruitment crisis.

Today we explore how hospitality recruitment has changed and how to side-step the potential difficulties in finding the talent you need to reopen this year.

The New Recruitment Process Risks

In a recent article, recruitment expert Greg Savage explained that the shift we have seen in recruitment would harm many businesses.

He stated, “This year, we will see a disturbing rise in candidates accepting counter-offers. They will ghost recruiters and employers alike, accept multiple offers simultaneously, not turn up on the start date, inexplicably ‘go silent’ in the middle of a job search collaboration, only to re-appear as if nothing was amiss.”

This is a nightmare scenario for any hospitality business, especially here in the UK, where many are preparing for their grand reopening this year.

Never before has excellent hospitality talent been in such high demand, yet the ‘normal’ recruitment processes that businesses once used were under threat. You can expect to see changes such as too many applicants for some roles, not enough for others, and difficulty getting hold of quality candidates in your recruitment process.

A Dwindling Talent Pool?

For some former catering and hospitality employees, the pandemic was the catalyst for leaving the industry altogether. The year of restrictions meant that furloughed employees or those who had sadly been let go had no other option but to look for work in a different sector entirely.

The Office for National Statistics found that the number of employees in the hospitality sector who were made redundant in 2020 rose by 58,000 to 171,000. These redundancies represent a third of all job losses associated with the pandemic.

With such a significant number of individuals losing their hospitality jobs, it is understandable that many have gone on to find employment elsewhere. Will employees be willing to return to hospitality positions after such a difficult year? Only the employers who can offer excellent employment packages will be able to tempt the best candidates into their roles.

But the pandemic has reduced the overall hospitality and catering talent pool – some employees understandably couldn’t live with the uncertainty. And we are seeing this playing out already.

Hospitality and catering businesses that are planning to reopen and are looking for employees now are struggling to find the high-quality candidates they need to open with aplomb this year.

Ghost Candidates

‘Ghost’ candidates – who disappear during your recruitment process, or even sometimes shortly after their contract begins – have been a problem in the sector for some time.

We wrote an article about this growing problem before the pandemic, which you can read here.

But this issue has now escalated significantly.

As I mentioned, the hospitality sector made nearly 60,000 redundancies due to the pandemic; and now we are seeing the tide turning. As the route out of lockdown allows businesses to start making plans to open up again, there is a recruitment drive happening in our industry on a mass scale.

There will undoubtedly be candidates applying for several vacancies at once, and we already see this. One of the top reasons our clients work with us is that they need employees they can rely on to deliver.

It is incredibly disruptive when an unreliable staff member doesn’t turn up for their shift, which can happen when you hire the ‘wrong’ candidate. Imagine this happening on the opening night of business after the pandemic.

What Can Hospitality Employers Do?

When embarking upon your hospitality recruitment for your post-pandemic revival, it is essential to recognise that things have changed.

Your recruitment process this year needs to see you get closer to candidates than ever before. Take more time than you would have before the pandemic to get to know your candidates and build relationships with your talent pool.

How much time per week do you spend on social media building your brand presence? For many employers, this task is often low down on their list of priorities, but it will be essential for your Covid recovery.

When was the last time you changed up your interview process or questions? Consider adding in extra stages to refine your approach and ensure that every candidate who stays the course is serious about your vacancy. But not so long that the process begins to drag out – it’s a delicate balance.

For any hospitality business, recruitment is going to be a critical part of your success this year. Hiring quality staff is necessary, yet it will be a challenge, and this is where we can help.

As expert recruiters in the hospitality sector with 30 years’ experience, we help businesses plan their recruitment and find the talented, reliable staff they need. If you would like to know more about how we can find the candidates you need – call us today on 0121 314 9365 or contact us here.

Thanks,

Dawn

About KSB Recruitment 

We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 30 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with an obsessive attention to detail.  

KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered. 

We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. 

The Redistribution of Talent: Why Hospitals, The Education Sector and Care Homes are in Danger of Becoming Short Staffed as Hospitality Opens Up Again

Key workers in the hospitality industry have kept the country going during the most challenging time in a generation. And as such, there has been a huge scale redistribution of catering and hospitality staff to support hospitals, care homes and the education sector with the necessary staff levels.

During the pandemic, all shape and size resources have been distributed to where they were needed most. It has been a period where the country has pulled together for a single cause, which has resonated across different sectors.

As the country prepares to return to some semblance of normal, there will be another period of mass movement within the hospitality sector. Those who were deployed to help out in emergency catering situations will now be returning to their commercial catering and hospitality staff roles.

But where does this leave the care industry and the education sector? Is there a real risk of a shortage of catering and hospitality staff in critical roles? Let‘s take a closer look.

The Role of Hospitality During the Pandemic

The hospitality sector has played a vital role in the fight against the pandemic.

A recent article published by hospitality news site Shorttermrentalz.com highlighted the arrangements that have been made between the NHS and the UK hospitality sector.

They shared that guest houses, B&Bs, and self-catered accommodation have been called upon to conduct the safe transfer of patients and key workers during the pandemic to reduce the NHS bed shortage crisis. Thousands of patients have been transferred safely out of hospitals and into separate accommodation to stop the NHS from becoming overwhelmed, all thanks to independent hospitality companies.

Additionally, the rules around self-isolation have been another challenge for catering and hospitality teams. Hospitality employers have struggled with staffing levels, as whole teams were having to self-isolate in the event of a single positive test.

These factors combined have meant there had been a lot of staff movement in hospitals, care homes and educational institutions. Emergency staff have been deployed to help out in these critical situations, and hospitality employees who would otherwise have been still on furlough have been glad of the opportunity to work.

However, with the successful vaccine programme underway, the commercial hospitality sector will soon be welcoming back thousands of workers – where does that leave the care and the education sector?

Hospitals and Care Homes – A Catering and Hospitality Staff Crisis?

As reported in the Guardian, last year, the UK hospitality sector furloughed 80% of its staff shortly after the pandemic struck.

And while it has been a long year of waiting, hospitality organisations are now finally able to prepare for their grand re-opening. In a recent survey of over 2,000 Brits conducted by High Speed Training, eating out was named the third top event people are most looking forward to after the pandemic. Business owners are aware of the public‘s appetite for this and are planning to take advantage this summer.

But where does that leave hospitals, care homes and education?

Care homes have struggled with staffing levels throughout the pandemic. Many employees who had previously worked in different catering roles helped out. However, they will now be returning to previous positions.

The government recently provided £269 million of support to the care sector to increase staffing levels. Despite this, many care homes have a battle on their hands to find quality employees. This unprecedented funding means that care homes now have a perfect opportunity to assemble expert, quality teams. If you would like to discuss how we can help you find the catering staff you need for your care home – get in touch with us here.

Locating the Right Catering and Hospitality Staff for the Education Sector

In the education sector, the picture is very similar.

Schools and higher education organisations have been at the centre of some of the highest-profile decisions during the pandemic. As the guidance continually changed, many schools and universities were thrown into repeated lockdowns and periods of self-isolation; getting staffing levels right has been a significant challenge.

As these establishments now look forward to welcoming back students, teachers and the wider staff, avoiding another staffing crisis will be high on their list of priorities.

The simplest way to avoid a staffing crisis is to work with a recruiter to implement a flexible plan for your recruitment. In doing this, you avoid the headache that comes with your organisation’s fluctuating needs; you always have the right level of quality staff as and when you need them.

If you would like to know more about how we can help you formulate a catering staffing plan for your education organisation, get in touch with us today.

Thanks,

Dawn

About KSB Recruitment 

We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 30 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with an obsessive attention to detail.  

KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered. 

We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. 

Preparing for a Staycation Summer – Why the Need for Hospitality Staff is Greater than Ever

After a year of waiting for positive news, it is finally time for the UK hospitality sector to think about welcoming customers back this summer.

And while this is positive news for the economy, UK hospitality sector business owners and staff, and of course, the public, there is a lot to consider first.

Only in rare circumstances will the same hospitality teams be returning to the same establishments this year. The pandemic uprooted so many individuals and businesses that some employees have now taken on new roles (sometimes in new sectors). Some companies will be opening under a different guise, and others will be looking to re-invent themselves.

And when you consider that this year will likely be one of the busiest on record for the hospitality sector, the need for top talent is a pressing matter.

So, as UK hospitality sector businesses everywhere prepare to open their doors to the public this summer, we look at the possible staffing supply problems and what employers and business owners can do to ensure they are ready and equipped to re-open successfully.

First, let’s look at some positive news for summer 2021.

Re-Opening the UK Hospitality Sector for 2021

The past year has been one of uncertainty, but we can be sure of one thing now, and that is that the summer of 2021 will be the year of the return to dining out.

Whether that’s fine dining, pub grub, grabbing a coffee from the train station – all of the dining experiences we used to take for granted will be returning with abundance.

And by all accounts, things aren’t going to go ‘back to normal’. There is going to be a greater demand than ever before.

As people have been isolated in their homes for so long, the appetite for dining experiences has increased.

Staycation Summer

In many of the tourist hot spots in the UK, hospitality businesses are filling up with bookings. According to holidaycottages.co.uk, 4 in 5 Brits (84%) are planning a staycation this year.

The combination of the end of lockdown freedom and the fact that overseas travel is set to be heavily limited has meant that UK holidaymakers are looking to enjoy themselves closer to home.

A new law introduced in February 2021 means that anyone travelling to and from the UK via any country on the ‘red list’ of locations will face up to 10 years in prison along with heavy fines.

The risk of overseas travel in terms of catching the virus is a contributing factor to the increased interest in staycations. We have seen first-hand the devastation of the virus, and now the UK is winning in the vaccination stakes; the risk of travelling to different countries is too high.

A simple search on any well-known holiday booking website shows that rooms in major tourist destinations are filling up. Cornwall, Devon, and popular resorts on the South Coast and the Lake District and the Peak District all show that accommodation is in high demand. Prices are sky-rocketing as the majority of the UK population look to holiday at home.

So, what does this boom in UK 2021 bookings mean for your hospitality business?

It means that you need to be sure you’ve got excellent hospitality staff you can rely on.

Do You Have the Right Team in Place?

The importance of providing an excellent experience to the public coming back to your establishment for the first time since the pandemic, cannot be overstated.

It some ways, it will be like your customers are experiencing your business for the first time again – in a post-pandemic world.

The need for excellent services spans all hospitality businesses, from serving a group of friends coffee on their first socially-distanced outing in over a year to providing a top-class dining experience to a couple on their first post-pandemic date night.

You can see how vital these early experiences will be in cementing your company as one to revisit again and again in our post-pandemic world. Not only are the public looking to be surprised and delighted by your staff, the service and the menu. They are also looking to be genuinely taken care of safely, protective of what will essentially be a strange new environment.

Do you have the right team in place to be able to guarantee this level of service?

Tripadvisor reviews in a post-Covid world are going to be critical. As the public dips their toe into dining out again, there will be much speculation on Tripadvisor about the companies who are getting it right and those who are falling short.

Can you afford to be getting negative Tripadvisor reviews upon re-opening? When you think about how critical these next few months will be, having a top team in place needs to be at the top of every hospitality businesses’ list of priorities.

How We Can Help

There will have been a lot on your plate recently as a hospitality business owner, from serious considerations about the entire sector’s future to planning out your grand return.

If excellent staff is what you need – we can help.

With over 30 years’ experience recruiting in the hospitality sector and providing employees to some of the UK’s biggest food and beverage names, we can provide you with the staff you need for a triumphant return to trading.

Get in touch with us on 0121 314 9365 or contact us here to talk to our team about the talent you need.

Thanks,

Dawn

About KSB Recruitment 

We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 30 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with an obsessive attention to detail.  

KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered. 

We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. 

A Perfect Storm: How the UK Hospitality Sector Could End Up Struggling to Find Quality Staff in the Wake of Brexit and the Pandemic

It’s been a year of change for many sectors in the UK, and perhaps the most significant shifts we have seen are within the hospitality sector.

The pandemic has caused a ‘reset’ on the food and beverage industry, taking things to levels we have never seen before. We’ve experienced almost a year where the doors have been mainly closed on dine-in restaurants. The way people eat both in and outside the home has changed significantly, which is likely to have a long-lasting impact on hospitality across the country.

Add to this the fact that Brexit occurred during the pandemic, which also has severe repercussions for the hospitality industry, and we find ourselves in dangerous territory.

These two major events have created a perfect storm regarding finding the right talent for your hospitality business – today, we discuss how hospitality employers can now approach hiring.

Challenges for Post-Pandemic Re-Opening

As the pandemic unfurled, hotels, restaurants and pubs in the UK furloughed 80% of their staff, as the hospitality sectors became one of the worst-hit industries. Continually changing lockdown restrictions meant that it was an increasing challenge for business owners to plan effectively in terms of operations, staffing, opening times and menus.

After the last UK-wide lockdown was announced at the end of 2020, most hospitality business owners decided that the only way to plan for the future was to wait until local restrictions were more clear-cut. And for many, this has meant waiting until now; with the vaccine programme underway, the vast majority of food and beverage organisations can realistically plan for opening this summer.

But what has happened to the teams that were in place last year? As I mentioned, many have been furloughed; sadly, some have been made redundant; others have moved to a different role or sector entirely.

Hospitality businesses right now face perhaps the most challenging situation they have ever encountered. They need to open successfully this year, but they have lost the infrastructure of the team they once had.

Hospitality business owners have not historically struggled to find willing recruits, although finding the highest-quality of talent has often been tough. Many are finding that the number of applicants is also dwindling – let me share how Brexit has made the situation even more difficult.

The Brexit Effect on the Hospitality Sectors

A recent Financial Times article revealed that since the start of the pandemic, 1.3 million foreign-born workers had left the UK. Of this number, around 158,000 were in the accommodation and food service sector, with a further 217,00 in the wider retail space.

This is a significant portion of individuals who have been wiped from the talent pool. Pre-pandemic and Brexit, many of these individuals would have been working in and applying for hospitality vacancies across the UK.

Brexit was not the sole reason for this mass exodus – as I mentioned, it was a combination of the new working rules and the pandemic.

It was understandable and unavoidable that the sector shut down in this way, but what impact will this reduction of workers have – how can hospitality businesses find the staff they need as they prepare to re-open?

Finding the Hospitality Staff You Need for a Post-Pandemic World

After such a long time living under strict restrictions, it is with excitement, anticipation and a renewed optimism that the hospitality sector is preparing for a summer of celebration.

The controversial ‘substantial meal’ rule has been scrapped for the re-opening, and business owners are looking forward to a record-breaking summer. Peak District hospitality investor Alistair Myers said, “We are ready to be booming”.

In holiday hot spots across the country, bookings are already filling up in places such as the South Coast and the Lake District. As foreign travel will still likely be off-limits, millions of UK holidaymakers will be looking to make the most of a staycation.

So, are you ready for one of your biggest summers ever?

If your team have now been dispersed, it is a high probability that you will be welcoming back a new set of employees this year. Do you have some returning members? For many hospitality businesses, opening means starting a team almost from scratch – and this is where we can help.

We understand that right now is perhaps the most crucial time in the hospitality sectors history. When you open your doors this year, you need to ensure that you have the best possible team in place; people will be expecting excellence.

Not all hospitality businesses have made it through the pandemic, so when you open up again, you need to prove your worth to your customers – that you are the type of establishment that they can return to again and again in a post-pandemic world.

For this, it is a necessity that you have only the highest-quality staff within your team – anything less, and you could put yourself at risk of failure during what will be your most business-critical time.

Are you preparing to re-open this year and need to find the right talent to look after your business? We can help – contact us today to find out more about our expert hospitality recruitment services. Call us on 0121 314 9365 or contact us here.

Thanks,

Dawn

About KSB Recruitment 

We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 30 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with  obsessive attention to detail.  

KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered. 

We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. 

The Post-Pandemic Hospitality Challenge: Getting Business Strategy AND Staffing Levels Right

As a hospitality business owner, 2021 will be a year you will never forget. Despite the challenges of lockdown, hospitality organisations planning on returning from the pandemic stronger than ever have the perfect opportunity to showcase how good they are.

Hospitality organisations have remained the most affected industry in the UK, and because of this, there is a need to get it right. There will be no room for error when catering and hospitality opens up again.

Fact: Businesses must have the best possible team in place; having an excellent team will be a ‘must do’ rather than a ‘nice to do’ activity.

But after so long with doors closed and teams dispersed, getting your organisation service-ready might seem like an impossible task.

The main issues hospitality and catering have to contend with are getting their business strategy AND staffing levels right. There’s no blueprint for what we are going through – businesses will need to be savvy to succeed.

Today we look at how hospitality businesses can react to overcome these unique challenges this year.

‘Best’ Year Ever for Hospitality Organisations

We might have lost the first few months, but the public’s desire to eat out, plus the re-opening of schools and corporate businesses everywhere, means that the demand for top-quality catering this year has never been more crucial.

For the vast majority of the public, their dining experiences in 2021, whether it’s a pub lunch with friends or a meal at a work conference, will be a momentous and symbolic occasion.

This means one thing for hospitality and catering – preparing for customers in high numbers. Many businesses are expecting to have their busiest summer ever – planning for such a year means being able to rely on your team.

With foreign holidays yet to be safe and secure, millions of Brits are preparing for a summer of normality at home, spending their holiday funds in UK businesses. Never before has there been such a UK-focused summer ahead of us – bookings for hotels in August have risen by 239%.

Catering and hospitality companies have a huge task ahead of them. If you need new catering and hospitality team members this year – from a single chef to a whole team, we can help – get in touch with us here to find out more.

What Post-Pandemic Service Needs to Look Like Now

The hospitality experiences the public will have this year will be etched into their memories for a long time – no-one will forget their first meal ‘out’ after the pandemic.

Eating out and meeting friends and family outside the home are two of the most anticipated events, and people who have missed these experiences are looking for two things.

They want to be wowed by the food and service,

and they also want to feel safe.

Social distancing and Covid rules are now a part of our national psyche, and although we are turning the tide on the virus, the official guidance is that we should be cautious until it no longer poses a threat.

Therefore hospitality organisations have a big responsibility to manage social distancing and creating a safe environment for customers. You need to be sure that you have the right number of staff and excellent, dedicated, and talented employees on your team who will deliver your company vision in a safe and compliant way to customers.

Taking an ‘Eyes Wide Open’ Approach

Every organisation will have its challenges in assembling teams, but considering the points I have raised here, there is massive scope for success in 2021.

As I mentioned earlier – getting your business strategy and staffing levels right will be the most challenging part for business owners and managers.

That is why here at KSB Recruitment, we are offering expert, flexible recruitment packages and services to UK hospitality businesses this year.

Companies must not head into the summer with a blinkered approach – they need to have their eyes wide open to the challenges ahead and have contingencies in place.

When working with KSB Recruitment for your catering and hospitality recruitments, we take on responsibility for your staffing levels. This means you can then take control of your business strategy without the added worry that you will have a last-minute staffing crisis.

Success will come from getting the core parts of your business right – and this will need time, planning, and continually revising in our socially-distanced world. Providing the right safety measures, getting your new menus right, training staff, and getting rotas right will be almost like starting a new business, which needs your full dedication.

When you need to dedicate your time to getting your business strategy right, we can take care of your recruitment.

Talk to us today on 0121 314 9365 or contact us here to find out how we can provide the dedicated staff you need this year.

Thanks,

Dawn

About KSB Recruitment 

We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 30 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with an obsessive attention to detail.  

KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered. 

We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. 

University & NEC To Help Hard-Hit Hospitality Professionals

A training hub packed with vital support for food and hospitality professionals struggling due to the pandemic is being launched by University College Birmingham in partnership with the NEC Group…