Savvy Solutions to Recruiting Success for Sports & Social Clubs

The UK has undergone significant change and faced many challenges in recent years: leaving the EU, the pandemic, and more recently the cost-of-living crisis, changes of prime ministers and whole governments. All of these have affected every single one of us in varying degrees,

Uncertainty has left the hospitality industry facing a challenge: how to recruit good, experienced, and motivated team members while everyone is seeking more reliability, work-life balance, and better pay.

Meanwhile, the industry is fighting increasing costs, public belt-tightening, and a host of other economic constraints that affect the profitability of the industry. Bluntly, how do we attract and retain our biggest assets – our team, when the jobs offered are simply no longer as attractive to the available workforce?

One solution? Internal training and promotion can be a win-win strategy that benefits both employees and the organization. By investing in your team's growth, you create a more engaged, skilled, and loyal workforce, ultimately driving the company's success.

What do your current employees think of their job, their place of work, their experiences with your customers? Basic questions such as this can help to identify areas to improve or to highlight to potential new employees.

Wages and rewards are a big consideration for any new employee, but they need to be set correctly for the business to thrive. The current economic climate may dictate that increases in wages are not possible. But stay open-minded, keep under review. Be imaginative about reward and recognition. What other benefits do you offer? Even small things – free membership of your organisation for a set period, for example, can demonstrate that you value the employee.

Recruit from a range of catchment areas – do not just recruit from one specific location, and especially don't just use one method. Use social media, agencies, advertising in local shops. Consider social mobility & diversity – can a job with you help make a positive difference in the community?

Consider using technology to manage the team, it can not only make your business more efficient but can be liked by employees – especially those who like the convenience of simple online rostering or wage-management tools.

Make sure your brand is aligned with the image of a positive, happy employee – get your ESG policies & social values out there – celebrate them!

Encourage staff loyalty – want the staff to feel they are part of a team and that it is a wonderful place to work. A long-term career path, training & qualifications, technology, and good management can mean your staff feel valued and will stay longer.

No one method will fix a hospitality venue’s recruitment challenges. A blended mix will be the way forward, incorporating several of the suggestions may attract and keep good, reliable, and experienced staff.

The key, though, is to ensure that your team feel valued, and you are giving your business the maximum opportunity to recruit the best by widening the opportunity for job searchers to find your business.

Show that you have thought about how to reward and recognise your staff, and you will stand out from the crowd. Club Consult can help you make those inexpensive tweaks that can turn recruitment headaches into retention opportunities!