The Editor's Hospitality Blog

I found a dusty old book at my parents' house this weekend, which set me thinking about the hospitality industry's continuing problem with public perceptions of its potential to offer a worthy career path.

Called Careers for Boys, the book was published in 1938 and features a range of insights into the various jobs and professions open to young men seven decades ago that are quaintly dated. "It is a mistake to assume that the coming of the motor age has done away with the necessity for veterinary surgeons", begins one chapter; while another states that "Today, as ever, the sea has an irressistible appeal for the manly, adventure-loving type of British youth".

I scanned the contents page for any mention of catering and hotelkeeping, and found none. Finally, under a concluding round-up at the back of the book entitled "Other careers", I found hotel and restaurant work listed among other such marginal pursuits as brewing, the Ministries and plantation work ("Life in distant parts of the Empire always has a strong appeal").

When I left University in the late Eighties, it never occured to me to enter the world of hospitality. Indeed, when a friend of mine accepted a full-time job managing a restaurant in Bristol after we graduated, I remember thinking her choice a very odd one. In the four years since I joined the Caterer, my views have altered hugely, to the extent that, if I had known 20 years ago what I do now I reckon I would have spurned journalism in favour of a career in hotels.

I can understand why hospitality held such low currency for careers officers seventy years ago. Hotels were far fewer in number than now; and the restaurant and contract catering booms were still decades away. But why does the image problem persist in 2007?

I think we need more role models the general public can relate to. When youngsters think about hospitality, Jamie, Gordon and Marco spring to mind, along with the poor, beleagured drones they bark at. But these public figures are atypical of the industry.

Instead, we need to ensure that the mention of hospitality conjures images of job satisfaction, international travel, creativity, even glamour - for these are all pleasures that a career in hospitality can offer. Do children appreciate that GMs can live in style in exotic locations around the globe? That sommeliers are courted by wine merchants and get to tour vineyards and champagne caves? That hotel reception staff get to speak to a huge range of people, anonymous, famous and infamous? And that all these job functions, carried out well, can create enormous personal fulfilment? Probably not.

How we alter misconceptions, I don't know. But I have a nagging doubt that hospitality is no better at shouting about itself now, than it was in 1938.

Yesterday I wrote a blog in which I bemoaned the lack of role models in the hospitality industry, other than the usual TV-chef suspects.

It subsequently occurred to me that Springboard's forthcoming Buddy Day offers you and everyone else working in hospitality to become role models for a day.

Each year, on Buddy Day, hospitality workers bring a companion in to work, to highlight to them what a great place the world's fastest-growing industry is to work in. For employers, the initiative also offers the chance to showcase jobs and careers in your business and to meet potential new recruits.

Springboard describes its 3663-sponsored Buddy Day as:

"a hands-on work experience day that involves the candidate (The Buddy) shadowing an employee for a day. Buddy Days provide candidates with a taste of what a particular job involves, the skills and attributes they would need and a chance to sample the atmosphere of a particular working environment. It could literally be anything from shadowing the MD to helping out in a kitchen or assisting in a leisure club. In fact, it could be just about anything involved in your business operation."

Buddies are typically either potential recruits (youngsters in school, college or university, the unemployed, career changers and returners) or influencers (parents, teachers, career advisors, Jobcentre Plus advisors, councilors - or anyone in a position to promote the sector positively).

Springboard's Buddy Day takes place on Thursday 1st November. To get involved, contact Springboard directly.

Have you ever wanted to know the secret to attracting the very best hospitality workers to your company? Or wondered what other companies do to be selected as one of Caterer's Best Places to Work in Hospitality? Look no further.

Hospitality recruitment specialists, HR on Tap have sent me a list of reasons why some companies fail to find good staff. There's some good stuff here, I think:

Are you looking in the right place? An advert in trade press will hit people in the right industry, but most readers will statistically be outside your region and most will probably not be looking for a new job. Local papers have similar problems – you get the location right, but not the industry or job seekers. Spread your net wider and it’ll be easier to catch the right people.

Are you offering the right package? Too much money is just as bad as not enough! You need to be competitive but without either making applicants suspicious or imagining the job is more senior than it really is.

Are you looking for Mr / Ms Perfect? Be realistic – it’s really rare to find the absolute perfect match of experience, skills and qualities that you imagine the role needs. How much of it is essential and how much can you train? The more open-minded you are, the more candidates you’ll have to choose from.

Are you flexible enough? If you offer flexible working, flaunt it! It’s a major plus for many people to know that they’ll get a decent work/life balance or be able to work around the school run. Be explicit about this in your adverts

Do you have to advertise? You might find that your perfect candidate isn’t actively looking for a job. Do your homework and you might just find that gem hiding away somewhere, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to coax them away.

Are you prepared to train someone? It might not be as painful as you think. How about someone from a completely different industry? Just because they’ve never worked in your industry before, doesn’t mean they can’t. And if they have transferable skills from another industry, you’ll probably find training doesn’t take nearly as long as you’d think.

Are you well known as a good employer? If not, why not? It’s not all about the money. For some people, switching employers is a big deal and they need to know they’re doing the right thing. You don’t have to be a huge corporate to have a strong employer brand! Get known as a great place to work and you’ll soon reach a point where great people approach you, rather than you having to hunt them down.

Think like a marketing expert! If you can get your head around how to attract customers, then attracting staff isn’t so different. Understand your audience, know where to find them, give them what they’re looking for.

Don’t try to change people. If you want to find real star performers, put talent first (the behaviours and actions that come naturally and are hard to teach) and skills, experience and qualifications last. It might take a couple of days longer to train the person in the skills you need, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. Trying to change behaviours might succeed to a degree, but rarely to any great extent.

Yesterday's Mail on Sunday quoted the British Hospitality Association's chief executive, Bob Cotton as saying that his industry considered British applicants "unemployable".

Cotton's comments were made at a recent parliamentary inquiry into tourism. Now he has written a response to the Mail on Sunday article, which I'm reproducing in full below. What are your thoughts on the issue? Do many British youngsters lack a decent work ethic? Do workers from overseas provide a long-term solution to staff shortages in hospitality? And what should be done to draw greater numbers of British workers into the sector?

"Last week, in giving evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Tourism, the high incidence of employment of migrant labour in the hospitality industry was raised.

I believe that this is one of the major challenges facing the industry. Hospitality employs so many migrant workers because it is clear that few British youngsters want to make a career in the hospitality industry – at a time when unemployment among British young people is high and rising, and when too many others are on benefit.

Of course there are many British workers, like overseas workers, who are highly motivated, very willing to work and eager to learn new skills. The industry would far prefer to recruit these young people if they were available but many employers have found, too often, that British youngsters lack a work ethic and the motivation to learn. When migrant workers are knocking on their door and asking for a job, then it is little wonder that hospitality employers look to overseas workers to fill the many excellent and worthwhile jobs that are available.

The industry has always been highly cosmopolitan. The current wave of migrant workers is nothing really new. It follows a similar influx of workers from other countries in the past, and the industry – and the general economy - has gained hugely by their presence.

If the education system could produce more young British people who are more motivated to work, want to learn new vocational skills and are keen to make a career in one of the most important of this country’s economic drivers, then employers would snap them up.

Gleneagles chairman and Institute of Hospitality president, Peter Lederer conducted an illuminating straw poll at this week's General Manager's Conference, which suggested that hotel managers pay lip service to valuing their staff without actually taking steps to do so.

At the start of the Managing Talent panel debate, Lederer asked for a show of hands from all delegates at the conference who agreed that the hotel business is a people business and that people are its key strategic asset. Predictably, he was greeted with a forest of upstretched arms.

But when he asked how many delegates knew what their training expenditure amounted to, per head, no more than 5% of them raised their hands. A similarly small number were able, hand on heart, to say they were proud of their induction process. And only two people out of an estimated 220 delegates said they would be comfortable to stand up on stage and deliver a one-minute presentation on the 14-19 diploma. (I fear one of these two might have been Hotelier of the Year Michael Gray, who sits on People 1st’s steering group for the introduction of the diplomas!)

The message was clear: managers need to stop talking a good fight and start working harder to promote the hospitality sector and ensure it retains its best employees.