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With the festive season fast approaching, many retailers, factories and industry sectors are preparing for increased sales by hiring temporary workers, and the hospitality industry is no different.
With the usual increase in trade that accompanies a holiday period, restaurant managers, chefs and catering suppliers across Scotland will be contemplating how they will configure staff rotas to ensure maximum cover and levels of service.
Samantha Cumming explains how to steer clear of the staffing pitfalls…
Christmas parties are the obvious example of increased staffing needs for a caterer or venue. With all sizes of guest list, differing food-and-beverage requirements and various locations all over the country, the last thing you want to happen is to be caught short-handed on the busiest night of the year.
Whether you've contemplated it before, employed them in the past or are looking at the option for the first time, the answer to staffing over Christmas lies in hiring temporary workers.
Taking on extra help – from chefs and kitchen porters to bar and waiting staff - can reduce the pressure on permanent staff, helping them to cope better with the increased workload while still maintaining a decent work/life balance.
Temporary solutions can free up time for managers, too, allowing them to concentrate on the day-to-day running of the business at the busiest time of year.
However, one of the common misconceptions is that agency employees are an expensive and complicated option that is only viable if the job is of a sufficient size to warrant calling them in. However, this need not be the case; recruiting through an agency can take the hassle out of hiring temporary workers, as the administration burden of the entire transaction, including staff-training and remuneration, is handled by the consultancy. With temporary workers paid weekly by the staffing agency, who also ensure that all staff presented for a job have the correct training and skills required for the position, the headache of people-management can be greatly reduced.
Search, for example, seeks two independent references from all candidates, and ensures their previous experience is commensurate with the role that is expected of them. If employers should encounter any problems, they also have the added piece of mind of being able to speak directly with the consultant to sort things out.
Christmas is stressful enough in the workplace as it is, but by letting a recruitment agency handle the appointment of temporary workers to support peak demands, it will leave you more time to concentrate on your key responsibilities.
Search Consultancy has a wide range of temporary workers for the hospitality sector, as well as other industries, over the Christmas period. Contact Samantha Cumming on 0141 272 7757, or visit www.search.co.uk
Samantha Cumming is a consultant in Hospitality & Catering at Search Consultancy
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine November/December 2007.
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