Vitality Fortify your workforce through flexibility, personalized benefits and anti-violence initiatives. Filling hospitality jobs is challenging, even in the best of times, and finding an engaged and dedicated workforce Case Study will remain top of mind for hospitality businesses. While the lodging sector saw employment pressures ease somewhat A HUB motel client periodically gave in 2024, 82% of operators on the food and beverage side employees cash rewards for jobs well done. entered the second half of the year still on the hunt for new Instead, HUB suggested a reward to engage staff. The hottest commodities: chefs and cooks, represent 7 employees’ help in identifying potential safety 30% of open roles. issues on the property. Each month, the entire Improved pay is only a partial solution, though average hotel staff would focus on identifying an area of wages have outpaced others in the overall economy by more property risk, such as lighting failures or 8 than 20% since the pandemic. Increasingly important in this environment are benefits that are personalized and deliver water leaks, for the maintenance team to fix. an optimal employee experience. Hospitality workers highly Each quarter, all participants are entered in a value flexibility: 52% of hotels have adjusted work hours and rafÒe for a single prize, like a small flat-screen location policies accordingly. television, resulting in a morale boost and a And more than “benefits,” per se, matter. Restaurant heightened awareness of safety. employees, for example, cite bad managers (37%) and lack 9 of recognition (44%) as reasons for leaving jobs, which policies and training can help counter. DifÏcult working conditions, toxic cultures and abusive customers can hinder recruiting. One study found 37% 7. Expert Market, “Food and Beverage Industry Trends 2024: Trends, Challenges and Future Predictions,” August 19, 2024. of female and 14% of male restaurant workers had 8. AHLA, “AHLA workforce report: Hotels add 700 jobs in May,” June been sexually harassed, while 53% of hotel workers had 7, 2024. 10 9. Toast, “How to Survive the Restaurant Industry Labor Shortage,” experienced workplace aggression. accessed September 23, 2024. However, the challenges go beyond merely keeping workers. 10. Florida International University, “The costs of workplace violence According to the HUB International 2025 Outlook Executive are too high to ignore,” April 25, 2024. 11 11. HUB’s Outlook Executive Survey polled 900 C-Suite and VP-level Survey, 75% of hospitality executives most often identified executives on the issues facing them on profitability, employee employee productivity as their top HR priority for 2025, vitality and organizational resilience. compared with 69% of executives overall. A focus on training does more than improve job readiness and enable career advancement. It keeps workplace vitality invigorated. This should include manager awareness training and a hard look at hiring practices about workplace violence and how to de-escalate violent situations. Doing so will improve the workplace culture – and recruitment and retention. Additionally, better access to mental health benefits will positively impact overall employee satisfaction. 4