I have said it before and I’ll say it again – when it comes to accomplishing success in business, you must invest in talent.
That’s why I found it painful to read the latest study that showed businesses regret almost half of their new hires as the UK’s skills shortage seemingly intensifies, with a worrying 46 per cent of leaders admitting they’d made a bad hire in the past 12 months.
Unfortunately, there are many industries that have been put in a terrible position because of the pandemic, and it seems a rush to bring in new staff means bosses simply don’t have the time – or money – to be choosy when it comes to recruitment.
This is something that’s particularly key when it comes to the hospitality sector as people are seeing it as a less attractive option when it comes to their career, not to mention the number of staff who lost their jobs during the pandemic and decided to embark on another industry.
In fact, it’s an issue that those behind collaborative movement Hospitality Rising have been aiming to tackle with their £5m hospitality talent campaign, as part of a bid to bolster the industry’s talent pool and create vibrant hospitality industry offers and positive career pathways.
Mark McCulloch, the brainchild of the campaign and former boss of food chain Pret A Manger, has suggested that hospitality operators are ‘fighting hard’ to keep the talent that they have, with their best staff members being poached to work among other industries.
During the pandemic, there were widespread reports of workers quitting their jobs more than at any other time within the past two decades.
After having a taste of flexible living and remote work, or perhaps having more time to spend with loved ones, people decided that the stress of some jobs simply wasn’t worth it anymore.
After a series of lockdowns, it’s apparent that people are reassessing their priorities and the ways in which they want to work.
Yet some hiring staff don’t seem to have been given the support required when it comes to the ways in which they go about recruitment.
Unsociable hours and long shifts are also a major turn off for many people who are now used to having extra time to do other things that don’t involve work.
While I agree that a balanced work-life is a healthy life, I also think it’s important that employees don’t get too comfortable with the more laidback ways of working and accept that there still has to be some come and go.
When it comes to choosing great hires, business leaders often have to think outside of the box and look for someone that’s not just good on paper but is a good match for the company and skillset too.
It’s a case of digging beneath the CV and making sure that recruiters feel valued during the recruitment process too.
A talented worker always knows their worth and should be treated as an addition to the team, rather than a subordinate.
The latest study only serves to highlight the key reasons why business leaders shouldn’t make hasty decisions when it comes to hiring a new staff member, even if they need someone to desperately fill a shift.
This only leads to wasted time, disappointment, and annoyance from other staff members who later have to pick up the pieces.
The Hospitality Rising movement is an excellent initiative, and it would be good to see similar rollouts for some of the other business sectors that are struggling to hire as we move out of the pandemic.
There’s no formula to ensuring every employee is a great one.
But providing further support and guidance for leaders during the process of hiring can be a small step in the right direction.
Lidl’s Community Investment Rewards Customers
Investment at a time like this is risky.
With many companies of all sizes and of every sector still getting back on their feet after severe disruptions over the past couple of years – I’m referring to Brexit and the pandemic in particular – it’s refreshing to see them put their money where their mouth is.
Of course, for some companies this is easier than others.
Businesses which continued to operate throughout the pandemic are in a far greater position than companies in retail or hospitality who were affected by the multiple lockdowns.
However, it’s still positive and refreshing to see organisations, especially on a large scale, continue to invest in Scotland and produce more jobs which we know is a necessity right now.
Lidl are heavily investing in Scotland and have already identified over 40 locations across the country as potential sites for new stores.
This is great news but what is really interesting, is that customers will receive a finder’s fee if they identify a viable new site.
The supermarket chain has made it clear that they want to continue building in Scottish communities to ensure there is always a Lidl locally, however what is unique is that they are also welcoming customers to play a key role in this.
If customers do suggest a suitable site, and it goes ahead, they’ll receive either 1.5 per cent of the freehold purchase price or 10 per cent of the first year’s rent – in simpler terms this could lead to £22,500 earnings if the site purchase was £1.5 million.
This is a unique take on investment, but I think it’s brilliant and in reality, it’s a win-win for customers.
It Made Me Laugh
Predictions about the far, far future always involve flying cars and more nonsense of that kind however we could be heading in that direction.
Well not quite, but that was my first thought when I read driverless buses are set to hit our roads, and in all honesty a little fear too.
However, Stagecoach’s pilot could be revolutionary in terms of new technology and if the testing goes well, these vehicles could be on the roads in the East of Scotland by summer.
For those interested, the buses will have ground-breaking sensors and control technology allowing them to run on pre-selected roads without a driver having to take control.
Either way, it’s great to see a Scottish company take the lead in this and do something ground-breaking.
It Made Me Weep
It’s tiring reading updates on the Scottish ferries issues since there is constantly just more bad news and no solution.
The two new, much-needed CalMac ferries are overdue and overbudget although Ferguson shipyard have said they will be finished next year.
However, they’re about five years too late and two-and-a-half times over the original budget.
There are now accusations regarding missing documentation and how the Scottish Government has handled the delays and the contracts – it’s hard to keep up.
The issue is that so many rely on Scotland’s ferry network that there needs to be further action if it’s not fit for purpose.
Those living on our islands as well as the businesses there deserve more, especially coming up to summer which is a peak season for many of these businesses.
