The exodus of a sizeable part of the European workforce from industry multiplied by a reduction in confidence in job security for both stalwarts and potential candidates has created an unsustainable labor shortage that is wreaking widespread havoc.
Early in my career in the kitchen, I was told that one of the merits of being a chef is that you would always be secure in a job. However, in the current climate, in the wake of the closures and the realization that we can never have too much confidence in what tomorrow will bring, the knowledge that if we enter another lockdown, hospitality will be the first to take down. shutters once more. it is not a wonderful recruiting tool.
The fear of having your pay cut during leave, or worse, not being sure that your pub or restaurant will even have a job for you, has led many into the world of retail and beyond, where these concerns simply they are not a problem.
Potential for seat burns
This labor shortage inevitably has its repercussions. Fortunately, after spending a large part of the last 18 months locked up, along with a boom in 'home vacations', many are eager to get out and I think most pubs and restaurants have encountered many would-be homeless people in the seats. .
That's fantastic and we all aspire to be nice and busy, but if we can't find the staff that meet the right standards, there will be a pretty quick fall from grace.
The inevitable conundrum you face then is how to balance on-demand compounding, delivering the best possible product but also taking care of your team. If you're understaffed, that means the team you have is probably taking over. Getting together and destroying it is one of the joys of working in the hospitality industry that I love but, sooner or later, it can take its toll.
