Staffing the Hospitality Industry

It's another Brexit bonus. Hospitality relied on foreign workers. Brexit happened and most went home. Now there aren't enough people to do the jobs that they did. Hospitality has never been a popular choice for UK workers and once they introduced zero hours contracts it became even less appealing. Several years ago DH applied for a kitchen porter job in a hotel restaurant. They offered him a zero hour contract and told him that he had to be available 24/7 and always be near his phone because when they phoned him they would expect him to get there within 30mins and work until they said his work was done. This could be anything from one hour to 16 hours depending on the needs of the kitchen. Some weeks he would have not worked at all and other weeks he would have worked excessive hours. So some weeks he would have got no pay and other weeks he would get some but with no way of knowing how much until he got paid. If we'd had children and claimed benefits there would be no way he could have taken the job as he would have constantly been signing on and signing off with the wait for benefits that never came or came weeks later. As if the zero hours, on call 24/7 for as long as we want you wasn't enough they also wanted him to work for a week trial period for which they would pay him nothing. Yes they expected him to work for free! Needless to say he said thanks but no thanks.

Later we found that they had taken on a 16 year old boy who was far easier to exploit than a grown man.

I used to take on local flexible work as I run my own business and I have peaks and troughs but I like (mainly) a set number of SET shifts so I know when I am in and I don't mind being rang to go in around that IF it fits in with what I am doing.

Doesn't happen in this country anymore and all my local places are struggling for staff too.

Maybe we we want better working conditions and more notice than people from eastern Europe?

anyway if it is a result of brexit maybe it should have been considered beforehand

Not just the hospitality industry - crops are rotting in the fields because there are no migrant workers to pick them. I’ve a feeling the solution is in our ow hands somewhere.

'It's another Brexit bonus.hour hours.

Later we found that they had taken on a 16 year old boy who was far easier to exploit than a grown man'

does that really make any sense?

Yes, the cost will be passed on to the customer. I'd hope that I could see that and make the choice to pay quite a bit more for my restaurant meal, or Hotel stay- or fresh foot, meat, veg, fruit ...and I am fully aware that I am privileged to have that choice.

but I am not sure the majority will wish to do that, not in such difficult times- And I know many will not be able to do that.

So it’s ok for migrant workers to fill these low paid jobs but not UK workers?

personally I never supported zero hour contracts etc or diminished working conditions for anyone, if that helps

Kali2

'It's another Brexit bonus.hour hours.

Later we found that they had taken on a 16 year old boy who was far easier to exploit than a grown man'

does that really make any sense?

Yes, the cost will be passed on to the customer. I'd hope that I could see that and make the choice to pay quite a bit more for my restaurant meal, or Hotel stay- or fresh foot, meat, veg, fruit ...and I am fully aware that I am privileged to have that choice.

but I am not sure the majority will wish to do that, not in such difficult times- And I know many will not be able to do that.

Please explain what you mean by "does that really make any sense"

By its very name, Job Seekers Allowance surely means that the recipient is looking for work. If they refuse jobs for no valid reason then their benefit should be reduced or stopped. I recently watched a programme showing the difficulties UK crop farmers are having in getting their produce picked. Several people had applied for the vacancies but only 4 had stayed as the others found it too hard, so had left. I wonder if the 'celebrity' culture that influences so many youngsters these days shows them a glimpse of a lifestyle they yearn for but won't be able to have on the Government's 'living wage'. Also there are whole families in the UK where living on benefits has become their career choice. It ought to stop.

My grandaughter has happily just got herself a job in hospitality, as as her boyfriend. Local areas seem to be doing well with students filling these posts, as has always been done. All my kids worked in the hospitality trade, as I did. The only thing slowing down at the moment is the Covid pinging taking people out of the work area. Maybe cities are suffering due to Brexit, but local areas are thriving. People want the jobs in this area, maybe not so much in big cities. As an aside also , along with my mum and sister worked in agriculture, still hard but now easier with all the machinery at hand to help workers. Some people just don’t want to work.

It's another Brexit bonus.hour hours

Have I missed something here- as this makes little sense either?

Well I’ve posted this before about jobs in agriculture.

Consider.

This job pays the minimum wage in most cases.

This job requires hard physical labour for up to 12 hrs a day.

This job is located on a site that has little or no public transport in the hours required: if you live off site you will need your own transport.
Or
This job requires you to live on site, away from your family in caravans or huts shared with several others. A deduction will be made from your wage for this.

This job is temporary. It will only last a few weeks. You will not be available for interviews for other jobs in that time.

When this job finishes after a few weeks, there will be a delay in benefit payments for you and your family.

Would you take the job? Honestly?

Yes, Peasblossom, I would have done so in my youth when I was physically fit and could not get nicer employment. .It never occurred to me I could get money for nothing.

But you weren’t trying to support a family maybe? Paying to stay on the farm while your family still had to pay rent and live on minimum wage less your deductions for food and accommodation?

We downgraded agricultural work to a series of poorly paid, temporary jobs instead of a career and then wonder why we don’t have people with the level of skill and physical fitness needed.

If we opened up the mines now, where would we find miners?

vampirequeen YES - I also see this as a Brexit bonus. It has not been right that we have relied on foreign workers when we have so many vacancies.
Zero hours contracts are an abomination - nobody can possibly plan their lives around this situation. Certain businesses feel that they can call people if they are busy - and at short notice.
Fortunately, crop harvesting is now becoming fairly mechanised and this will advance. Meanwhile produce picking is still suffering from a shortage of staff as well. These part-time jobs are much more difficult to fill.
Until we can see viable jobs with long term prospects in hospitality there will always be staffing problems.

Peasblossom, I do understand the horrid conditions of rural labouring work. Poor pay is one of them There is also the problem of tied accommodation, Also the problem of no public transport. Also the problem of second homes reducing the rural housing stock.
Infrastructures must be addressed and sorted so that rural workers can and will do the work.

I'm not sure the farmers where I live will find any local people to do the work during harvest etc.
I don't think the bankers, captains of industry and holiday home owners who have snapped up every vacant property in the area would be up for it.
The people who used to do it now live on sink housing estates near or in the big city 20 miles away.
Costs an arm and a leg to get a taxi to our area as there are no buses or trains.

If the industry cannot support a living wage then the industry has to change.

Some people just don’t want to work

If they refuse jobs for no valid reason then their benefit should be reduced or stopped

The benefit system is not the soft option many people want to believe it is, a few posters on here will attest to that. It is not possible to live a life of 'luxury', whatever your definition of that is, simply on benefits. If it is otherwise, there is non declaration of cash work which is another matter, and anyone who has paid cash for gardening, or cleaning, or taking rubbish is contributing to this criminality or degradation of wages for those trying to earn an honest living in these areas.

GillT57 & Namsnanny.
Well said.

Namsnanny You have it in a nutshell..... "If the industry cannot support a living wage then the industry has to change "
The only problem with this is that the extra cost would undoubtedly be passed on to the public. After all we could not expect the big companies to forego some of their profits, leading to less remuneration for the shareholders !!

gangy5

Namsnanny You have it in a nutshell..... "If the industry cannot support a living wage then the industry has to change "
The only problem with this is that the extra cost would undoubtedly be passed on to the public. After all we could not expect the big companies to forego some of their profits, leading to less remuneration for the shareholders !!

I agree with the sarcasm I detected in your last sentence gangy5
I know I would be prepared to pay more for the food on my plate in order for the producers to pay decent wages.
But as you point out, it's just not that easy.

gangy5

Namsnanny You have it in a nutshell..... "If the industry cannot support a living wage then the industry has to change "
The only problem with this is that the extra cost would undoubtedly be passed on to the public. After all we could not expect the big companies to forego some of their profits, leading to less remuneration for the shareholders !!

And I think if they can't get cheap staff, they will go for automation, In Agriculture first. But cheaper hotels in parts of the world already have automated reception, with a code you tap on the door of your room- sent by text. Same for tolls for tunnels and on continent for motorways- same for all supermarkets, even our small loca Coop now has self tills.

If labour costs too much- they will just get rid of them all. What then?