Recently, any talk of employee benefits almost certainly revolves around mental health, flexible work, and family leave. One of the most surprising priority shifts since the pandemic for companies and workers has nothing to do with personal life. According to reports by SHRM and NSHS, career development has grown significantly as a priority for the majority of employers and job seekers.
For hospitality companies of any size looking to edge out the competition for talent, here is how they can create a career development program that will draw in valuable employees:
Job Rotations
Tuition Reimbursement
Career Maps
Mentorships
Frequent Job Redesigns
Create Job Rotations
A lot of workers who take a hospitality job do not have a clear idea of what they want from their careers. Hospitality companies, especially larger ones, have a unique opportunity to expose their employees to a variety of skilled, technical, or operational career paths. Rotating roles also provides employees with a greater understanding of the business’s big picture. This will lead to a deeper sense of fulfillment when major milestones and achievements are reached.
Reimburse Tuition
Tuition reimbursement can be a financially daunting prospect, especially for smaller businesses, but it does not have to be all-or-nothing. Common practices include putting a cap on the amount reimbursed, making it contingent upon grades received, or even requiring employees to remain with the company for a certain amount of time after receiving reimbursement.
Create a Career Map
Career maps and corporate ladders are not just for large hospitality organizations. Even in the smallest of restaurants, there are growth opportunities for ambitious workers. Could someone be groomed to take on a new location? Could they pursue a culinary degree on the side and take on more culinary responsibilities? Explore with the employee different ways to grow their career within your company, instead of letting them venture out to another company. Even if an employee does not have grand ambitions, use individualized goals to guide growth and engagement (we’ve got a helpful blog on goal-setting here).
Mentorships
Larger, corporate companies may already have a mentorship program in place. If yours does not, or nobody utilizes it, take time to assess how you could better connect employees with more experienced leaders. Smaller, more localized companies can still help employees find a mentorship that can guide them, even if that just means more one-on-ones with their supervisor.
Job Redesign
While small restaurants or boutique resorts may not have much of a ladder to climb, they still can provide career growth for individuals. Challenge employees by broadening the scope or increasing the depth of their existing roles. Just be sure to do this in collaboration with the employee and adjust their compensations to reflect the new skills they will be gaining and using.
Recruit Experienced Hospitality Leaders
Any size hospitality company can find ways to mold and inspire its teams. All it takes is the right attitude from leadership. The hospitality recruiters at Horizon Hospitality can find management professionals that inspire your entry-level team. Contact us today to learn more.
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