Communication is vital in any business, and none more so that hospitality firms. When consumers enter restaurants, hotels and other such premises, they expect to receive the very highest standards of service, and this cannot be achieved unless companies operate like well-oiled machines.
If people suffer delays in service or their wishes are not met because of mix-ups between personnel, they are unlikely to return to the establishment where the mistakes have been made. They may also provide negative feedback to their friends and family members, resulting in further lost custom.
It is no surprise then that many organisations now make use of staff-to-staff paging systems to help ensure communication between their workers is accurate and speedy. Indeed, demand for these systems may be on the rise at present. After all, new figures suggest employment in the hospitality sector is increasing.
Some stats
According to Caterer.com’s latest Hospitality Employment Index, jobs in the industry rose by eight per cent year on year in 2013. Over the course of the 12-month period, a total of 120,956 positions were advertised on its site from hospitality employers. Meanwhile, during the last financial quarter of 2013, there was an increase of 16 per cent in jobs compared with the same period in 2012. The website posted over 16,000 roles between October and December.
The firm also revealed that applications per job dropped by five per cent in 2013, and by as much as 26 per cent in the final quarter. It noted that this could imply candidates are becoming increasingly selective in their job hunts as they have more options open to them.
Meanwhile, the trend towards greater employment seems to be continuing. Caterer.com revealed that it is currently advertising 12,000 across a range of sectors.
An exciting time for the hospitality industry
Responding to the figures, the firm’s website director Ian Burke said: “As we continue to move away from high levels of unemployment and towards greater levels of economic growth, it’s going to be an exciting time for the hospitality industry. While it may present challenges for hospitality employers, it also provides us all with a real opportunity to place hospitality firmly on the talent map, something that many businesses have already come some way in doing.
“It’s a chance to attract more talented people into the industry, and show them the opportunities available for long term career growth. If the industry misses this trick, it will be faced with an ever growing talent gap, and a skills shortage which could seriously hamper the industry’s growth prospects.”
Meanwhile, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association (BHA) UfiAbrahim added that the hospitality and tourism industry has “made great strides over the past few years” when it comes to generating jobs and boosting economic growth. She went on to state that the BHA is “extremely positive about the medium and longer term prospects” for the industry.
Many hospitality firms may be seeking to improve their communications and looking to paging systems to help them achieve this.
Anna Longdin writes regularly about the UK hospitality industry. She visits sites such as LRS to ensure she stays up to date on all the latest industry news and developments.