ALWAYS BE NETWORKING AND INTERVIEWING . OFFER INTRODUCTION BONUSES TO STAFF FOR BRINGING PEOPLE INTO THE ORGANIZATION .
TRENDING
to be a two-way street . Working in a hotel needs to be fun , notdrudgery .
IMMIGRATION POLICY The hospitality industry is dominated by first generation immigrants . Historically , our industry has been a haven for many people immigrating to the U . S . The previous administration ’ s immigration policy put a considerable damper on the influx of people suited to hospitality type work . The Biden administration has done little to reverse this trend .
IDEA : We must be a force on Capitol Hill . Our industry employs a significant number of people and our voices need to be heard . Support the AHLA and its efforts to swing immigration policy back to a more normal rate . Closing the borders so that Americans can turn down entry level work is not a politically sound strategy . Most of us and our families were immigrants at one point . We need to bring back the American Dream .
CHILD , ELDER CARE Child and elder care have been significant impediments for some parents going back to work . The entire schooling and childcare systems have been deeply affected by the pandemic . Until we can safely and economically put those systems back in place , many people will stay on the sidelines .
IDEA : Local hotels and restaurants need to work with officials on child and elder care policy . Businesses need to band together to offer these services as part of employment and benefits .
PUBLIC POLICY One of the big discussions going through the business and political communities is the unemployment bonuses and other public policy that has influenced employment . With the pay in hospitality being traditionally low , staying out of work has better financially better (?) than returning to work . States such as Hawaii , New York , California , Nevada , and Connecticut have unemployment rates that are at least four percentage points higher than their pre-pandemic rates . Some of that is due to state and local policy that has demotivated people from going back to work .
IDEA : Over taxation and waste are going to hamper big cities from recovering quickly . Incentives to business owners and other significant employers need to be offered immediately . Small business has been the backbone of this country and will continue to be if municipalities get creative . Bonuses for returning to work and staying are better incentives than paying people to stay out of work .
TEEN EMPLOYMENT Summer and freelance employment that favor teens and students have been upended by the pandemic , and dramatically impacted hospitality companies ’ hiring practices over the past two summers . We suspect this will bounce back next year as employers and prospects will have more time to match with each other .
IDEA : Start thinking about next summer season and where students and part-timers will be . Get on campuses and local high schools early and promote our industry as a viable option .
FORECASTING The pandemic has made it difficult to near impossible to forecast demand . Decisionmaking in travel appears to be very last minute . As we previously stated , 70 %
ALWAYS BE NETWORKING AND INTERVIEWING . OFFER INTRODUCTION BONUSES TO STAFF FOR BRINGING PEOPLE INTO THE ORGANIZATION .
of Americans planned on traveling this year , but the where and when have been “ just in time ” decisions . This trend has made staffing incredibly hard on business owners . It appears that many hotels and restaurants are running with skeleton crews and “ on-call ” staff are used to augment rushes in business .
IDEA : Over the next two years , business owners need to have highly skilled fulltime staff coupled with part-time / on-call staff . Always be networking and interviewing . Offer introduction bonuses to staff for bringing people into the organization . Training needs to be a full-time role and the use of remote and online learning should be employed immediately . Simplify service standards , menus , amenities and protocols at every turn . Redefining quality is a must for our industry .
28 hotelsmag . com September / October 2021