Hospitality staffing: sharing positive stories 'can challenge perceptions'

The inspiring stories of those working in hospitality should be used to showcase the industry as an employer of choice, attendees at The Caterer’s People Awards were told.

Trudi Parr (pictured), head of people and development at hotel and diner group Mollie’s, encouraged HR leaders to look within their businesses and share examples of the careers hospitality can offer. 

From her own workplace Parr highlighted the case of Liam, who had joined Mollie’s Bristol motel to work behind the bar thinking it would be a short-term job to earn some cash.

But he became involved in developing the company’s B-Corp application and went on to become its sustainability coordinator. 

Liam has since gone on to work in a senior role in sustainability and is forging a successful career in the sector.

Parr told the People Awards in London: “I believe we should start telling stories about hospitality to everyone. This one case shows the limitless opportunities for career advancement and progression in hospitality.”

She also encouraged hospitality HR experts to publicly praise their peers and shared her admiration for Dishoom’s policy of providing comfortable footwear for team members. 

She said her own assessment of the industry’s recruitment problem had kept coming back to perception and the fact just 12% of adults would recommend hospitality. 

But she said sharing real-life examples of success found in businesses across the country could help break stereotypes.

“The most powerful thing we have learnt is [about the power of] storytelling,” said Parr. “Telling people’s stories has a ripple effect because it’s real and authentic.” 

The sentiment was shared by UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls, who said the industry could address perception issues by speaking positively about the careers it could offer. 

Parr said it was important businesses ensured the experience of employees reflected the image the sector wanted to project. For example, by ensuring job descriptions are accurate, roles are truly flexible, teams are diverse, and team members are invested in and nurtured. 

The Mollie’s team has also been speaking to high school students about hospitality and showcasing the wide variety of careers it can offer.