Labour shortages have been at an all-time high within the hospitality industry, so we thought we’d speak to an expert to get the low-down on reaching and sourcing new talent.
Ben Kazakoff is the General Manager of Human Resources at ahs hospitality, Australia and New Zealand’s leading outsourced housekeeping provider. Since the pandemic began, Ben and his HR team have been re-assessing and re-working how they approach talent sourcing.
Insights from an Expert – Ben Kazakoff
The labour market has changed significantly over the last 18 months. Previously we saw large numbers of applications for any role advertised, driven largely by international students.
Now we are witnessing limited number of applications and businesses are now competing to attract and retain local talent.
Investing in Innovations
We turned to technology to resolve issues that impact our housekeepers day-to-day. One industry innovation that we’ve scheduled to roll out to our sites this year is Tanda. Tanda is effectively a time and attendance system however the features included within the system will enable better optimisation of our workforce.
There will be increased efficiencies for our managers, including:
- being able to roster shifts
- cover shifts
- communicate with team members from their mobile
This will free up our managers to be supporting our team members and ensuring the day is running smoothly.
From the team member’s perspective, they will be able to:
- see their rosters
- apply for leave
- update personal details
- opt into any additional shifts that may be offered
Incentives & Recognition
At ahs hospitality we are fortunate to be part of the Chandler Macleod Group, this means we can leverage the scale of the larger business in terms of staff incentives.
Staff incentives and staff recognition go hand-in-hand. We have MyDiscounts which gives team members discounts on everyday shopping with retailers, we also have ‘recognition for you’ which is based on our company values. These incentives give us an advantage when attracting staff. Then we have activities such as our Operations Managers and State GM’s having team get-togethers and celebrations of anniversaries etc. We see these culture building activities support recruitment as our team members make a large number of referrals.
Learning & Development
We found the public hesitant to start, or re-start, a career in the hospitality industry. So, we have revamped our learning and development offering to provide our team members with clearer career paths within the hospitality industry. To further reassure our team members of our investment in the longevity of their employment we offer formal industry recognised qualifications.
The days of simply posting to a job board and waiting for the applications have gone. Today, a greater emphasis is now being placed on referrals, social media, and experimenting with new advertising formats and platforms. Then, once we have the talent, retaining and growing our talent pools is our focus.
If you would like to enquire about ahs hospitality’s employment and services please contact:
Justin Jones (NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD)
P: +61 403 172 235
E: jjones@ahshospitality.com.au
Laurie Jerome (TAS, NT, SA, WA)
P:+61 409 350 397
E: ljerome@ahshospitality.com.au