Sustainability: key to driving staff retention and teams’ motivation
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Stephen Nolan, Chief Executive of leading foodservice technology provider, Nutritics
It’s no secret that staff shortages remain a significant challenge for the hospitality industry.
And whilst there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to the staffing situation, new insight from our latest report with insights consultancy CGA by NIQ, Sustainability Matters: Why your teams take it seriously, reveals that investing in better environmental practices, could be part of the answer.
Over three quarters of hospitality staff (76%) – and 88% of those in management positions – stated they are more likely to stay in a job for longer if their employer makes a positive environmental impact. And what’s more, good sustainability practice can bring significant commercial benefits as well. More than two thirds (70%) think positive action such as reducing packaging can help save their business money, and over third (31%) of staff think action on environmental issues can boost revenue, with many consumers willing to pay extra for practices like ethical sourcing.
So, what can operators do to capitalise on this retention opportunity and how can they engage staff and work together to help make the sector more sustainable? Here are a few thoughts.
Align your businesses practices with employee values
From our insight, we know that sustainability is increasingly important to staff in both their personal and professional lives.
91% say actively living a sustainable life is important to them and if they feel their employer is not delivering on this, they are willing to take action. More than two in five (43%) would consider resigning from a job due to their employers’ lack of sustainability initiatives, with 19% saying they have already done so, including almost a third of those in management roles.
This demonstrates workers are aligning their career decisions with their personal values – and for many, sustainability reflects the integrity and long-term vision of a business. If those values aren’t in place, staff are willing to seek employment elsewhere. Given the competition and the high cost of recruitment, this is a real opportunity for operators to capitalise on an issue that matters so much to current and potential employees.
Take staff on your sustainability journey
Employees want to work in an environment that reflects their own ethics and values.
However, with so many potential areas of focus, it can be difficult for operators to know where to start. Our report seeks to point businesses in the right direction, by asking hospitality workers what they feel are the most important subjects to tackle.
Reducing food waste (45%), sustainable packaging (44%) and improving recycling (39%) emerged as the top priorities, so better stock planning and menu management, making recycling facilities easy and visible, cutting the use of plastic and identifying recyclable alternatives are all ways in which an employer can take action.
There is also a real enthusiasm for staff training and education with nearly half (47%), identifying this something they would like to see from their employees to help inspire them, a welcome sign that frontline teams want to be part of the sustainability journey. For employers, training is a good way not just to improve the delivery of initiatives but to prove their commitment to it too.
Final thoughts
There is a real opportunity for operators to engage their staff and work together to help make hospitality more sustainable.
Staff, in particular young workers, are highly stimulated by environmental issues and are therefore more likely to be loyal and attracted to a company sharing these values. By investing in sustainable practices which matter to staff and involving them in this journey, operators can not only boost retention and keep their teams motivated but accelerate meaningful change.
Sustainability Matters: Why your teams take it seriously is available to download on the Nutritics website and is the second annual report in the Sustainability Matters Series. Alongside the employee findings, the report will also include a look into consumer and business leader’s attitudes towards sustainability, with the aim to deliver an exclusive and holistic analysis of the issue across the hospitality sector. These findings will be released soon.