How to Manage Labor Shortages this Summer

In the restaurant and retail industry today, good people are hard to find and harder to keep. Even prior to the pandemic, recruitment and retention have long been major pain points for owners and operators.

So how do you manage in a market with a labor shortage?

Cross-train current employees

To make up for a shortage in workers, many companies have begun offering training to their current employees, to tailor them to fill current gaps. This can mean training offered in-house, where a knowledgeable employee shares with others their valuable expertise. It is a great way for companies with a few good resources to increase their value without expending too much time and money.

Focus on staff retention

Your existing staff are never more valuable than when you are in the middle of a labor shortage. Replacing hourly employees is already costly, and when there are fewer job seekers in the market for new opportunities, the time spent, money spent, and revenue lost from hiring adds up.

Proactively request feedback from your current staff on what is working well, and what can be improved. Current staff can provide insightful information that can help improve operations, customer experience and develop a sense of employee loyalty. This approach will leave staff feeling supported and help solve problems before they grow.

Offer recruitment incentives

Referral programs are a great way to motivate your employees. Consider offering an incentive for current staff members that refer a friend, family member, or someone from their network to one of your open positions. Loyal current staff members are your best source for recruiting, acting as a brand ambassador - they can speak with honesty and authenticity regarding the culture, team and workplace environment.

Consider outsourcing

Outsourcing is an option that allows companies to focus on the many other day-to-day challenges they face when running a successful business. It is an option that works well to improve productivity and efficiency and keep on top of costs.

Partnering with an industry expert, like IntelliShop, can provide outsourcing solutions for your business in several key categories including:

• Loss prevention outsource services including audits, training, resolution and more.
• Online reputation management including social media listening, review tracking and management, real-time crisis management and alerts, and competitor intelligence.
• Customer experience access to our panel of 800,000 verified independent evaluators to help you get objective, first-person feedback on customer experience through onsite, omnichannel and telephone CX assessments, POS merchandising, share of mind, and competitor intelligence through compare and contrast reporting methodology.

The concern with a workforce labor and skills shortage is something that is worrying businesses all over the world, and for good reason. Companies who are not able to fill positions with talented team members will be left with stretched resources that result in damaging implications for both the short-term and long-term outlook of the business. Recruiting and retaining top talent is tough, but not impossible. With the right strategy, and the right partner, your business will continue to thrive.