Cherish and appreciate them...

We increasingly hear reports that hospitality entrepreneurs, despite their success, have to close their business for an extra day. The hospitality sector is welcoming more and more guests, but the staff shortage in hospitality is enormous. How can this be?

When I worked in hospitality myself, I saw many colleagues who were extremely loyal to their employer and worked hard to make the guests as happy as possible. And it was hard work! Long days, performing under pressure, and a lot of physical activity. After your shift, you went home physically and mentally tired, but with the feeling: yes, we did it together again! Due to the high workload, a close bond quickly developed on the work floor. Both with colleagues and the employer. It felt as if you were on a survival journey together with the ultimate victory being a satisfied guest.

In hospitality, it is hard work, every hospitality employee knows that, and if you can do that together with a great team, it is fantastic. But what if you can barely make ends meet from your hard work? It’s not bad to come home tired after a good day’s work, but if you constantly have to worry about your income, it’s much less pleasant. And that while you are practising a profession.

In other sectors, you see wages rising, but in hospitality, it lags significantly behind. Unfortunately, hard work is not appreciated by every employer. I understand that hospitality stars start looking around for work that is less demanding and yet better paid, so you also have money and energy for the beautiful things in life. However, it would be better if these hospitality stars could continue working in hospitality and the sector becomes attractive again. Employers need to think carefully about how to recruit and retain staff. Cherish them and appreciate them, they are heroes!

Gezina van der Ven, regional employee South-East