Future-proofing hospitality operations with temporary workers

As the hospitality industry finally starts to recover from COVID19, labor shortages and supply chain delays are holding organizations back. There’s a lack of on-the-ground workers during peak periods and it’s difficult to recruit new long-term employees when they expect higher rates than ever before.
The challenging landscape makes clear that a new, more flexible recruitment process is needed. And that strategy needs to be one that can adapt to both busy and quiet periods.
That’s why, in this article, we look at how hiring temporary workers could provide a solution and provide tips for how you can make this work.

‍

A closer look at the state of the industry

Hospitality companies know all too well the impacts of labor shortages. For example, research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that there were over a million job vacancies in the food and beverage industry in 2022.
And yet, within traditional hiring strategies, solutions are hard to come by. While over 75% of hotels are offering higher wages to incentivize workers, increasing operating costs in a time of supply chain issues and inflation is a huge challenge for most businesses. 
These two factors explain the rise of gig and temporary workers in the space. In a recent report, over 73% of hospitality organizations described a desire to make use of these types of working models going forward.  

Exploring the benefits of hiring temporary workers

Hiring gig workers offers a number of significant benefits to hospitality businesses facing labor issues. These include:

• Access to a larger pool of talent: With on-demand staffing, you can curate a talent pool of a size that you would struggle to achieve through traditional training methods.   
• Reduced costs: Since vetted gig workers come with prior experience and expertise, businesses can save on onboarding expenses and pay for only the hours they need.
• Minimized disruptions: By being able to access gig workers through an on-demand platform, you create a valuable buffer against disruptions caused by employee absences, turnover, or unexpected increases in demand. 
• Increased flexibility: When hiring gig workers, you can adjust to both peak seasons and quieter periods. 
• Reduced administrative burden: On-demand staffing platforms will handle tax and compliance for you when you hire a new temporary worker. 

Best practices for hiring temporary workers

Seamlessly onboarding and overseeing temporary workers requires a careful approach so be sure to follow these key steps:

1. Optimize onboarding

Though temporary workers in hospitality should come equipped with enough knowledge to get going right away, you can support them by creating a base of information about company culture, organizational processes, and role expectations. This could include a list of customer service standards and security measures, for example.  

2. Encourage interaction and collaboration

To foster a supportive work environment where temporary workers feel empowered to engage with full-time staff, you should implement regular team meetings and pair temporary hires with permanent employees. 

3. Offer regular feedback

To ensure work standards are maintained, it’s important to foster open lines of communication with temporary workers throughout their assignments and provide constructive feedback at regular intervals. An on-demand staffing platform such as Jitjatjo can also handle performance reviews for you. 

The role of an on-demand staffing platform 

An Ondemand staffing platform is designed to effectively match you with a base of skilled W-2 workers. Jitjatjo can do this in as little as 30 seconds by using hospitality-specialized recruitment algorithms to learn which employees can best meet your needs.

Get in touch to find out more.

‍