As the year comes to a close, it’s time for hospitality businesses to begin planning for 2024. One of the most critical items to address during this planning is your staffing needs for the upcoming year. For hotels and other hospitality businesses, your staff plays a critical role in your success. They’re responsible for delivering the exceptional guest experience that will set you apart from your competitors and help you build a loyal customer base.
While hiring quality staff is an important component to delivering this exceptional guest experience, it’s not the only aspect of the equation. You also need the right staffing levels to handle your volume of customers at any given time. Even the most seasoned and skilled hospitality employees will struggle to deliver the quality service your guests expect if you’re short-staffed. Therefore, you must develop a staffing strategy that will anticipate your needs throughout the entire year. This will not only improve the quality of your service and enhance customer satisfaction, but also reduce unnecessary staffing costs.
The following considerations will help you identify and plan for your staffing needs for the upcoming year.
Analyzing your historical data plays a critical role in your ability to understand these seasonal demand trends. Evaluate the following items to identify the right staffing numbers you’ll need at any given time:
Understanding your typical staff turnover rates plays an important role in gauging your hiring needs for the upcoming year. There are two items to pay attention to:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual staff turnover rate in the hospitality industry is approximately 70-80%. Based on these figures, it’s critical to ensure you have a steady supply of new employees ready to go when your current team turns over.
However, by digging deeper to determine the exact times of year you typically experience staff turnover, you can better anticipate specific needs on a month-to-month basis. For example, if you know that you typically experience high levels of turnover right before your peak season, it will be critical to have a plan in place to not only get back to typical staffing levels, but also increase those levels to address your peak demand. However, if your major time for turnover comes after the peak season, you may be able to get away with more modest staffing numbers as you enter your slow season.
Financial planning and budget allocation play a critical role in your staffing decisions for the upcoming year. While it’s important to ensure you have adequate staffing to deliver the exceptional quality service your guests expect, you also need to figure out a way to make sure these needs are realistic within your staffing budget for the upcoming year.
For example, your staffing budget may dictate your willingness to offer employees overtime during peak seasons. It may also impact considerations regarding the number of full-time vs. part-time employees you have on your staff. A thorough assessment of the financial implications of your staffing decisions will ensure that your allocated budget aligns with your goals and operational needs.
There are benefits to both models. Outsourcing hiring to a staffing agency provides convenience, flexibility and expertise that often isn’t possible with an internal team. In addition, it frees up your managers to focus their energy on handling other important aspects of your business. Working with a staffing agency can also make it easier to beef up your staff on short notice when you experience unexpected turnover or you’re gearing up for peak season. On the other hand, keeping all hiring and recruiting with an in-house team gives you greater control over the process and may make it easier to hire employees who are a good fit for your company culture.
Ultimately, the right decision regarding whether to outsource your staffing will depend on the specific needs of your business. If you decide to outsource staffing, make sure to choose a staffing agency who you can trust to consistently deliver the reliable staff you need, whenever you need them.
Managing your staffing needs for the upcoming year is one of the most critical – and challenging – aspects of your operations to address. Keeping this important task in-house can create unnecessary headaches for your management team and take their time away from other important responsibilities that will elevate the success of your business. It’s often easier to work with a dedicated staffing partner who can help ensure your staffing needs are always handled properly. At Xclusive Services, we can take care of all your staffing needs.
Xclusive provides staffing solutions for a wide range of hospitality industry positions. We can fill line level (entry/hourly and skilled level) staff, and our managers are always available to support the recruitment, placement and partnership management of the staff we supply.
Our management team brings decades of hospitality experience in all areas of hotel operations, including:
You’ll benefit from our Xclusive Excellence™ commitment focused on your ongoing success. As part of this commitment, we consult on the best practices and strategies to manage your outsourced and supplemental staffing needs for the upcoming year. As your dedicated staffing partner, we go beyond the transactional tasks typically performed by a staffing vendor in order to elevate the success of your hotel.
With our Xclusive Excellence commitment, you’ll receive:
In addition, our team will handle all legal compliance matters for the staff we provide, including all paperwork.
To learn more about how Xclusive Services can help address your staffing needs for the upcoming year, please request a quote or call a local office for more immediate staffing needs.
