{"id":25427,"date":"2021-10-13T13:10:23","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T17:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/labour-and-staffing-4-ways-to-hire-and-retain-staff\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T10:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T14:46:11","slug":"labour-and-staffing-4-ways-to-hire-and-retain-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/labour-and-staffing-4-ways-to-hire-and-retain-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Labour and staffing: 4 ways to hire and retain staff"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Restaurants struggling to find help can start by protecting their own workers.<\/h2>\n<p>Call it a labour shortage. Call it The Great Resignation. Whatever the name, no one knows when the restaurant staffing crisis will end. For now, a smart path is focusing on the employees you have to meet their needs and yours.<\/p>\n<p>Finding workers is a struggle in the best of times. Forecasts aren\u2019t predicting a return to those days anytime soon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Restaurants Canada estimates that 800,000 foodservice jobs have been lost across Canada.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>The Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC) survey shows only 42% of displaced hospitality workers intend to return to the industry. The rest report they have sought work elsewhere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are several areas operators can address to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.menumag.ca\/2020\/12\/11\/invest-in-your-restaurant-staff-and-your-future\/?utm_campaign=BITE%20E-News&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=161966811&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8XIGJu_GskkaXDS_i4KrVFBsxQY2wCueeIZg8PCZfo4rl_D8AEm2TGOBZ8DA84QkMGLacQVsYoa2drEpLFK_DlFXiyWA&amp;utm_content=161966811&amp;utm_source=hs_email\">bolster employment now and in the future<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Address employee wages<\/h3>\n<p>During the pandemic, many people took higher-paying jobs in other industries. The good news is that restaurant operators can still compete:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Increase pay.<\/strong> It\u2019s becoming unavoidable\u2014restaurants face labour shortages despite a 10% increase in hourly pay, according to recent study by Blackbox Intelligence and Snagajob.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Attract and retain.<\/strong> Solid wages will lure job candidates and build loyalty among existing staffers\u201487% of Snagajob survey respondents want a set liveable wage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protect profits. <\/strong>Pay hikes cut profits, but Snagajob notes that consumers accept higher prices at restaurants, where menu prices are up more than 4% during 2021.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Highlight the positives<\/h3>\n<p>Restaurant employment offers advantages many people desire. As they apply, pitch these to prospective employees:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Work-life balance.<\/strong> Consider part-time work, flexible hours, choice in scheduling and accommodations for those who need it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Benefits.<\/strong> Childcare, tuition, scholarships, etc.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Training, development and promotion. <\/strong>This appeals to career-minded foodservice workers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Strengthen your culture<\/h3>\n<p>Restaurants are all about teamwork. Use that mindset to make yours a place where people want to work:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Communicate.<\/strong> When recalling laid-off staffers, ask about their safety concerns. Restaurants Canada reports 50% of foodservice employees are concerned about their own health and safety while working with the public.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Recruit by networking.<\/strong> Encourage happy staffers to bring friends onboard, perhaps offering a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrn.com\/quick-service\/papa-john-s-investing-25-million-hiring-and-referral-bonuses-year\">recruitment bonus<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Each one, teach one.<\/strong> Utilize cross-training so everyone can fill multiple roles.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Coach for success.<\/strong> Be a mentor to engage your best and brightest. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.menumag.ca\/2020\/12\/11\/invest-in-your-restaurant-staff-and-your-future\/?utm_campaign=BITE%20E-News&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=161966811&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8XIGJu_GskkaXDS_i4KrVFBsxQY2wCueeIZg8PCZfo4rl_D8AEm2TGOBZ8DA84QkMGLacQVsYoa2drEpLFK_DlFXiyWA&amp;utm_content=161966811&amp;utm_source=hs_email\">A 2019 survey by 7shifts<\/a> asked 1,900 Canadian restaurant workers what led to workplace frustration. Most \u201cat-risk\u201d employees cited poor management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Get creative<\/h3>\n<p>In today\u2019s climate, extras can make a difference:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Employee of the week\/month.<\/strong> Offer a cash bonus for top performance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Team outings.<\/strong> A picnic, bowling party, movie night or team-builder builds loyalty.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Meal discounts.<\/strong> Work with other operators in your neighbourhood (or restaurants in your multi-unit company) to offer price breaks.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Restaurants struggling to find help can start by protecting their own workers. Call it a labour shortage. Call it The Great Resignation. Whatever the name, no one knows when the restaurant staffing crisis will end. For now, a smart path is focusing on the employees you have to meet their needs and yours. Finding workers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,123,112,69,111,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business","category-healthcare","category-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Labour and staffing: 4 ways to hire and retain staff | Gordon Food Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/labour-and-staffing-4-ways-to-hire-and-retain-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Labour and staffing: 4 ways to hire and retain staff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Restaurants struggling to find help can start by protecting their own workers. Call it a labour shortage. Call it The Great Resignation. Whatever the name, no one knows when the restaurant staffing crisis will end. For now, a smart path is focusing on the employees you have to meet their needs and yours. 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