Last-minute staffing shortages are a major challenge for hotels. When your staff calls out at the last minute or just doesn’t show up, you can find yourself scrambling without enough people to cover the next shifts, provide service at a special event, or perform the basic functions your hotel needs to run.
Being able to handle last-minute staffing shortages is a combination of proactive preparation and in-the-minute wizardry. When you’re managing a hotel, this is something you need to learn. Success requires both marshaling your resources to the greatest extent possible and knowing when to call for help.
In our list here, the first two items are things you should be doing beforehand to prepare for last-minute hotel staffing shortages, while the rest are things you can accomplish in the moment.
One of the most important tactics for managing your staff is having clear communication strategies. First, you need a system by which everyone receives their schedules and communicates acceptance. Minimize changes to an accepted schedule once it’s in place or else you can manufacture staffing shortages simply because people didn’t know they were supposed to show up.
The second communication strategy you need to make clear is how people let you know when they can’t make their assigned shift. Monitor this continuously so that you will know as soon as anyone informs you of a problem. That will give you the maximum lead time to counter staffing shortages.
The second strategy you should have in place to deal with staffing shortages is cross training your staff. Make sure that everyone in your hotel knows how to do and is willing to do multiple jobs. This maximizes your ability to plug holes in staffing by shifting people around to wherever they’re needed most.
When you are short staffed, let everyone know that you expect them to do their best. To the extent that you can, offer incentives and rewards as encouragement. People may surprise you with how much they can get done if they are properly motivated.
Many of your staff have never seen a manager put on an apron to work the kitchen, bus a table, or get on their knees and scrub a toilet. If they see you do it, it can silence anyone who would otherwise object, “That’s not my job.”
When you’re short-staffed, it’s time to separate the necessary tasks from the nice-to-haves. Rooms that aren’t needed can wait to be made up. Anything that’s preparing for future demand can likewise be postponed. Just make sure that you note the shortcoming and have a strategy for making up the shortfall before it becomes a problem.
As much as possible, cut these services where customers won’t see or notice them. However, if you must, you can simplify services in customer-facing positions, such as accepting longer lines at check-in or the concierge desk. You might switch events from plated dinners to buffet style to save on servers or close off areas you can’t properly monitor or staff.
If the above still isn’t enough to cover your shortfall, it’s time to resign yourself to solutions that are going to cost you, both in money and potentially in the goodwill of your staff.
Start by asking people if they can work a double if necessary. This will mean overtime, which isn’t good for your bottom line, but it also means that you will always get a few volunteers happy to make a little more on this paycheck. You might get some grudging acceptance, too, which might not be ideal, but is better than having a shortage.
Ask people who are already in the building first. Whenever you call people in, there is uncertainty about when or if they arrive.
Sometimes you can get people to agree to work a partial shift or just until the people you’ve called in arrive, whether that’s your regular staff or from a staffing agency.
Gauge the condition of team members on the phone. They’re on their day off, and they might have been drinking, playing a music festival with their band, or staying up 24 hours speed-running the new game that just dropped. If they don’t sound like they’re in good condition to come in, don’t ask them to.
If you can’t get your regular staff in or if your overtime is too expensive, you can get the staff you need by contacting a staffing agency.
Contact a hospitality staffing agency that you know you can trust to quickly deliver reliable workers who will give your patrons a great experience and will take care of your facilities as well as your normal staff.
Managing these last-minute staffing shortages can strain your resources to their limits. Sometimes you can manage it in-house, but it’s not always worth it in either the monetary cost or the personal capital. It might be worth it to bring in outside people to give your exhausted staff a break.
Xclusive Services provides staffing solutions for a wide range of hospitality positions at locations throughout the country. We can assist in any city where we have a presence. We can provide you with line level staff, including entry level and skilled staff, and our managers can help support the staff we supply.
When you work with Xclusive, you’ll benefit from our Xclusive Excellence™ commitment. This means that you will receive:
We’re here to be your dedicated hotel staffing partner. When you need short-term help to deal with last-minute staffing shortages, we can help. If you experience these issues regularly, we can also provide longer-term support to avoid problems in the future. This includes taking over all your hotel staffing needs so you never have to deal with staffing headaches.
Please request a quote or call a local office for immediate staffing needs.
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