Critical HR strategies for success in the hospitality industry
The hospitality industry is known for its fast-paced environment and the commitment required from both front and back-of-house teams to deliver exceptional service. As businesses in this sector face evolving challenges, HR strategies have never been more critical.
From navigating recruitment and retention in a competitive job market to ensuring compliance with ever-changing employment laws, effective HR practices are key to building a resilient workforce.
In this article, I will explore HR in hospitality, offering valuable tips on recruitment, employee engagement, and creating a workplace culture that supports long-term success.
My journey in hospitality
I’m passionate about great wine and great food, and think back fondly on my time as a youngster working in kitchens and at hospitality events. I started working for my boyfriend’s dad as a teenager, waitressing, doing kitchen prep and pot washing in his restaurant in Richmond, London.
I loved the regular customers and making sure they had a wonderful time with us. As the outside catering part of the business grew, I loved prepping for events and doing food and drink service over long days. The buzz of seeing people enjoy themselves seemed to temper the exhaustion and the sore feet!
As a student, I’d always take any holiday work going in the hospitality industry, working in kitchens and front of house at football clubs, Fulham Palace, Hampton Court Palace and all manner of events. Having been there, I understand the hard work and commitment to amazing service involved and the dedication of the teams in both front and back of house and hospitality management.
From HR to wine enthusiast
As I’ve grown older and my professional life has changed to HR, so has my particular interest in great wine grown. In fact, this has become such a passion that I chose to study for my WSET Level 2 in Wines a few years ago and was thrilled to come out with a distinction! I’m now just finding the right time to upgrade to Level 3!
Wherever I am in the world, I’m always seeking out vineyards, local grapes, the best wine bars and wine & food tastings and tours. Discovering the brooding, dark-fruited joys of Plavac Mali on my honeymoon in Croatia or the unique, distinctive minerality of Lanzarote Malvasía Volcánica on a recent Canary Island holiday or exploring the myriad of delicious reds to be found in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, great wines, matched with great food, are always an essential feature of an amazing holiday for me.
Merging a passion for hospitality with expert HR solutions
Recently branching out from corporate HR after nearly 20 years to become a Consultant with My HR Hub, I now have the unique opportunity to combine my passion for great food, great wine and great hospitality with my professional HR skills, and I can’t wait!
Top people tips for SMEs in the wine industry
Taking the pain out of HR issues and compliance, supporting recruitment, developing great cultures and building manager capabilities in an industry I’m truly passionate about supporting, particularly in these challenging economic times, feels like a bit of a calling. Now backed by a consultancy with 10 years’ success, this feels like the perfect time, too.
Safeguarding
In both wine production and hospitality, safeguarding and compliance with employment law in this area are key. Ensuring you have great recruitment practices, up-to-date contracts, policies, and onboarding practices is crucial.
Compliance with employment laws
These are changing rapidly at the moment so make sure you’re ahead of what’s coming next and are getting the right support to prepare. A simple to use, low-cost system like Breathe, that’s specifically designed for SMEs can really help take the admin burden out of ensuring you’re legally compliant.
Hospitality recruitment
With the increases in the minimum wage and National Insurance contributions and the introduction of TRONC in hospitality, making the right recruitment decisions has never been more important when hiring in the hospitality industry. But recruitment is only one part of the equation. Equally critical are employee retention strategies in hospitality, which help ensure that your business doesn’t just attract top talent but also keeps them motivated and engaged long-term. By focusing on retention, you can reduce turnover and create a team that’s both experienced and dedicated, minimising the ongoing costs of recruitment while fostering a strong, stable workforce.
Keeping your best people
In both winemaking and hospitality, it comes with the territory that some parts of your workforce will move on after a short period of time. Make sure you focus on creating a positive workplace culture so your most talented team members choose to stay with you or come back to you when the time is right!
How expert HR solutions drive success in hospitality & wine
As we’ve explored, the hospitality and wine industries face unique challenges, but with the right HR strategies in place, businesses can thrive even in the most demanding times. Whether it’s ensuring compliance with rapidly changing laws, making thoughtful recruitment decisions, or creating an environment where your team feels valued and motivated, these HR solutions and hospitality training programmes are the foundation of long-term success.
By combining my passion for both hospitality and HR, I’m excited to help businesses navigate these complexities and build resilient, high-performing teams. As the industry continues to evolve, the key to staying ahead lies in creating great workplaces where people feel inspired to give their best.
If you're ready to take your hospitality or wine business to the next level with expert guidance for HR practices in hospitality, I’d love to help you turn your challenges into opportunities. Together, we can build a culture of success that not only attracts top talent but ensures they stay for the long haul.
