Golf club managers are working in kitchens due to vacancies
A survey has found that there are widespread vacancies for front of house and kitchen staff at the moment, so much so that golf club managers are increasingly on rotas to work in kitchens.
The UK Hospitality research shows that the shortage of workers, which has significantly increased since the pandemic started, has resulted in 45 percent of venues saying they have cut opening hours or reduced capacity in order to cope.
The survey reveals that the highest shortages are for front of house roles, with 81 percent of those operators with vacancies looking to fill these roles. Chefs are the next most sought after, with 76 percent of operators with vacancies looking to recruit these positions, followed by kitchen porters (67 percent), and front of house managers (53 percent).
Golf club managers have been forced to work in front-of-house roles such as in the bar, says Matthew Orwin, director of Promote People. who added: “The findings are aligned with feedback that we are getting from golf clubs on a daily basis, with senior golf club managers and staff from other departments helping out in hospitality. Of course, it is great that managers are hands on and help maintain the morale of the team, especially at peak times when it is all hands on deck. However, when the manager starts doing regular shifts, is even on the staff rota to do so, then that’s a whole different matter and poses the question – is this sustainable for the longevity of the business?”
Golf club industry food and beverage expert Steven Brown recently addressed this issue by saying clubs need to invest more in their staff.
“A London-based client has increased their offer for a chef by more than £15k above the norm,” he said. “A West Country club, seeking an F&B manager, has offered £10k more than the usual rate simply to generate interest. But I am told that the people that are applying are clearly inexperienced and not necessarily of the calibre required.
“We need to adopt the ethic used so well by John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, who invest in their workforce and seemingly have little difficulty in attracting the right people to work for them and in retaining them.
“These people do not work for these organisations just because they are nice to work for, they work for them because they are cared for, respected, listened to and valued. They are supported through training. Their mental welfare is protected and their input valued.
“What’s stopping us doing something similar? Is it all about money? How much money did you budget for last year to spend on training and how much of that did you actually spend?
“A wise man once said: ‘What happens if you train your staff and they leave? But what happens if you don’t train them and they stay?’ Invest in people, don’t simply employ them.
What we found was too many managers, insisting on “doing the jobs” than solving the problems !! There ARE solutions out there !! Often I’m told, “we’ve tried everything” only to find, they’ve tried little !! We took a manager to a 55 and older community to recruit, after being told, they couldn’t find people !1 We found 10 in one morning !! Onboarding, training and engagement will make these 10 a good addition !!