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Recruitment in retail and hospitality is becoming an increasingly concerning issue. Retailers and other businesses must act now. 

The title of this article may have conjured up an image of a muddy battlefield - a group of terrified chefs sitting in the middle of the battlefield. To the west, a restaurant chain stands hungrily on the crest of a hill. They can see their prey. To the east, a hotel operator paces on their horses. They need those chefs in the middle just as badly. And then, as if orchestrated, the restaurant and hotel operator charge at the chefs - cries of “Come work for us” ring out whilst a solitary eagle, also known as a recruitment agent, circles high above.  

The image of this battlefield is unsavoury, but it can be used to represent the employment situation within retail and hospitality at this moment in time. Retailers and most businesses in hospitality have similar problems and will need to think outside of the box when it comes to attracting talent. Salaries will not be enough. The culture of the organisation will be important for potential employees. A culture that appreciates and values staff as well as developing their talents should be at the core of all retail and hospitality businesses and it is important in the process of hiring and retaining staff members.  

The other key component to successful recruitment will be knowing the immigration landscape for such roles. Many retailers and hospitality businesses believe that you cannot sponsor a retail shop manager to set up a new store, for example, into the UK as a Skilled Worker - but actually, you can. Many more businesses believe that it is very difficult to obtain a sponsor licence, and that managing the sponsor licence is incredibly difficult. With the right advice and planning, it is possible to obtain a licence and have it managed effectively.  

Sponsoring an individual is also not the only option for foreign talent - you could have someone work for you without sponsorship. For example, you could source some young talent out of university and potentially have them join the company on a Graduate visa!  

The point is that the war for talent does not need to be an unsavoury scene like the one described in the first paragraph. With the right planning, advice, and strategy you could build a model whereby you don’t need to go hunting for people - people will come hunting for you. As advisors, we often input into recruitment plans and strategies so that recruiting is sustainable and commercially viable.

Having effective recruitment strategies will also increase your prospects of attracting and retaining staff. Such strategies include: 

  • reviewing and promoting your brand values to appeal to and attract your target recruitment pool.  Prospective candidates are looking more and more at whether a brand’s values and practices are aligned with their own. Also, consider looking at your target recruitment pool to consider extending this to groups not previously targeted.  
  • considering your Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and ensuring you have policies and practices in place that are attractive to your target recruitment pool and that such policies are operated in practice by the business.  
  • reviewing pay and benefits for current and prospective employees. In addition to increases to basic pay, where possible, consider other options such as food allowances, offering paid leave for charity days, Perks box benefits, or offering additional annual leave days. Businesses looking to hire top talent may also want to consider alternative pay structures, for example by paying extra for overtime hours worked or moving to an hourly wage, making a change from the customary monthly wage where chefs regularly work hours which exceed their contractual hours without additional pay. 
  • looking at progression and training opportunities that will enable personal and professional development.  
  • offering flexibility with working hours where possible. Workers are increasingly looking for roles that offer an improved work-life balance compared to what was previously expected.  Consider reviewing and updating your flexible working policies and family friendly policies.  
  • speeding up your recruitment process and looking at how you can streamline the hiring process to include same day hiring. In the battle for talent, it’s important to move quickly. Same day hiring and ensuring compliance with the right to work checks, could give your business the edge over the competition. 

In short, recruitment doesn’t need to be a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings. 

To find out more about Howard Kennedy and the services they provide to the retail industry, click here.

This article was also published in The Retailer, our quarterly online magazine providing thought-leading insights from BRC experts and Associate Members.