Labor shortages are a recurring problem in the foodservice sector. Since the Covid-19 crisis, restaurateurs have been struggling to attract seasonal workers, and have had to be inventive to recruit and attract the attention of new candidates. Summer is fast approaching and you need to find concrete solutions to complete your team? Discover the tricks and tools available with these 6 tips for rapidly recruiting seasonal staff in the foodservice industry.
1. Catering: attract candidates by offering an attractive seasonal employment contract
Since the health crisis, some establishments have been unable to recruit staff for the high season. Recruitment difficulties are having a negative impact on restaurant operators' business, preventing them from having the full complement of staff needed to meet the increase in summer business.
To successfully attract candidates, you need to know what their expectations are. What do they want? And what are their priorities? Well, if we look at the studies published in recent years on young people's relationship with work, things seem clear. Young people still want to work in the summer. Most do so to finance their studies. Yes, but not under just any conditions. The new generations expect material security and well-being at work from their employers (Sources: Studyrama, L'Étudiant and La Tribune). Work itself is no longer their only source of motivation; they are looking for a fulfilling work environment.
To encourage future seasonal workers to apply, it's important to reassure them. You need to show that you have certain qualities and advantages that will make their day-to-day work easier. The idea is to learn how to "sell" yourself to seasonal workers, so as to be attractive. To do this:
- Write a clear ad: you need to define your requirements and explain the tasks in as much detail as possible.
- Present an advantageous seasonal catering contract: What type of contract? How long and what salary? How many days off per week? Offer attractive conditions to increase your appeal.
- Offer express training for your seasonal workers: Don't necessarily try to recruit experienced seasonal workers. For novice seasonal workers, offer a trial period with a short training course to assess the seasonal worker's skills and to see if the job is the right one for him/her.
🔧 Toolbox: everything you need to know about seasonal contracts in the restaurant industry :
- How to recruit a seasonal worker?
- Seasonal work
- What is the legal working time in restaurants?
- All you need to know about paid vacations in the restaurant business
2. Offer accommodation to your seasonal workers
Accommodation is a crucial issue for seasonal workers in the hotel and catering sector. The aim is to facilitate transport and accommodation for seasonal workers during the summer period. Large establishments often provide rooms or camping sites for their employees.
For smaller companies, however, the question of accommodation is less straightforward. They don't necessarily have the material or financial resources to house their seasonal workers, and seaside resorts often have accommodation that is too expensive. That's why some regions(like the Vendée) and tourist towns are making efforts to attract seasonal workers and find accommodation solutions. For example, the commune of La Baule offers mobile homes for around 60 seasonal workers. In the Brittany region, boarding rooms have been made available for the summer.
To find out what accommodation is available in your area, don't hesitate to call local organizations and authorities: town halls, agglomerations, local missions, youth information centers, etc. They may have accommodation solutions to offer. They may have accommodation solutions to offer. The government has announced its intention to create a platform to list low-cost accommodation for seasonal workers... Keep up to date with the solutions available in your area!
3. Publish your seasonal job offers on recruitment sites
"More than 3/4 of 18-35 year-olds use their smartphone to search for job offers" (source: Happy to meet you).
To recruit seasonal workers for the summer, you need to target recruitment sites to advertise your vacancies on a large scale. To do this, there are numerous recruitment sites and apps, known as "jobboards", which list all job offers and enable candidates to apply.
By posting your seasonal job offers on these sites, you give them greater visibility. The idea here is to broadcast your job offer on a very large scale, to reach as many people as possible.
HelloWork
This site is one of the leading players in the employment, recruitment and training sector. HelloWork was born out of the merger of RegionsJob, ParisJob and Cadreo to make job hunting easier. Today, the HelloWork group is the digital leader in employment, training and recruitment in France (with over 4 million monthly visitors!).
Indeed
Indeed is a multi-source platform that offers high visibility to employers thanks to the site's millions of users. Indeed not only guides candidates with job offers tailored to their profiles, but also helps recruiters save time.
Saisonnier.fr
Post a free job offer to recruit your seasonal workers. The advantage of this site is that your job advertisement won't be buried among all the offers for permanent contracts, internships or work-study programs.
Social networks
Very popular with millennials, social networks are good allies when it comes to recruitment. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok... 85% of active jobseekers have already applied for a job on social networks (Source: Ifop).
Social networks are gateways for potential candidates. Post ads and stories on as many media as possible, and share them as widely as possible. Don't hesitate to publish an original ad with the aim of making them want to join your team. You can break away from the classic job ad by using more creative formats: video, story, GIF, photo...
👉 To find out more: 9 tips for recruiting restaurant staff
4. Call on specialists to help you find catering staff
To help restaurateurs, recruitment specialists are setting up alternative methods to traditional CVs and job search sites. These include :
Brigad
Brigad is an online platform to help you find seasonal profiles in the hospitality sector. You post your job on Brigad in just a few minutes. Using AI, the offer is forwarded to the qualified professionals you need, with profiles verified by a team of experts. Brigad supports restaurant owners in the run-up to the summer season by helping you find passionate professionals to support you!
Extracadabra
This platform connects companies and verified profiles in less than 3 minutes, in the hospitality industry. Quick and easy, Extracadabra is the instant solution for strengthening your teams before the summer. Available in just a few clicks on the app or website, you'll receive applications from profiles that match your criteria.
Gofer
Gofer brings together a community of qualified temporary staff in the kitchen, dining room and reception areas. This digital solution lets you post your ad easily, via the app or the website. A team of hotel and restaurant specialists at your service 7 days a week.
5. Build loyalty among seasonal workers
Successfully meeting the challenge of retaining seasonal workers is a real "plus" for your business. It saves you considerable time during the crucial recruitment period before the high season. It's also a guarantee of stability for your business. Knowing that you can count on seasonal workers from one year to the next is reassuring.
To encourage your seasonal workers to return to work for you the following year, develop a relationship based on trust. 91% of 15-24 year-olds say they no longer want to work just to earn a living. The work atmosphere is a key criterion for joining a team for the season. The priority for them is to find a "team" and a good atmosphere. Seasonal workers also attach importance to values such as benevolence, trust, team spirit, solidarity... (Source: L'Étudiant). So many values to develop within your team to be sure of seeing your seasonal workers again next year!
6. Think about digitalizing your restaurant: a complementary tool
Even if they don't replace a qualified and motivated team, digital tools can help you make up for staff shortages.
Here are a few solutions to support your teams:
- To reduce pressure on staff by automating part of the process, have you considered QR codes? Placed on every table in your establishment, it empowers your customers. Your customers can place their order straight away using their smartphone, by scanning a simple QR code.
- To reduce queues and free up staff for other tasks such as reception or service, you can install ordering kiosks. They make ordering and payment child's play for your customers, whatever the day or time of day.
Digital tools are effective complements that can facilitate activity and improve the performance of your teams during the high season.
-
For customized advice, contact an Innovorder expert.
