This is part 2 of a series of called A New Generation is Spending 10% more at Restaurants. In part of the series we’ll explore how restaurant operators can attract, hire, and maintain millennial talent. If you missed part 1 you can read it here.
With every new generation comes a new breed of workers and consumers with unique habits, trends and preferences that often contradict that of the generations preceding them. Millennials, however, are shattering and reshaping traditional workplace and consumer habits. Millennials recently became the largest generation in the workforce with over 53 million workers, ushering society into an unprecedented future. They account for $2.45 trillion in spending, and spend an average of 10.6% more at restaurants than any other generation.
With an attachment to technology and mobile phones from young ages, millennials are more tech-orientated than any generation before them. This impacts how restaurant operators both hire millennial workers and service millennial customers. In this 2 part series we’ll explore how restaurant operators can improve how they hire and serve millennials:
3 Tips for Hiring Millennials
In less than 10 years, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce, yet many employers face issues when hiring millennials. A study showed that the restaurant industry currently has an annual turnover rate of 94%, much higher than that of any generation before. Millennials are constantly in search of something better or just different, leaving many employers hung out to dry. If you want to attract, hire, and maintain talent, here are three things you need to know:
1. So long 9-to-5s – Millennials are looking for flexibility and autonomy when pursuing job opportunities. They like to feel like they have control over their own schedules, rather than fitting into traditional 9-5 norms. Today’s high-performing companies bake flexibility into the core of their corporate culture, letting employees set their own schedules as long as they get their work done. Employee scheduling software has surged in popularity in recent years on the back of millennials preference for flexibility and proclivity to use mobile phones. Employers can now offer employees an easy way to ask for shift swaps and to contact management about requesting schedule changes leading to a happier and more efficient workforce.
2. Keep them inspired – With millennials, it’s no longer acceptable to simply demand they do a task as their superior. Millennials want to know why they are being asked to do a certain task, and how it contributes to the overarching goals of the company. For example, if you need an employee to log inventory for you, it is important to explain the importance of the task and how it will ensure your customers receive fresh food. These explanations are not only needed for tasks, but also for any changes or restructuring decisions that you make for your restaurant in order to fully gain their trust and loyalty.
3. Training – Restaurants need to make a shift from the traditional sense of training. Training no longer exists solely to meet compliance or company-mandated policies. The best training program today is a multi-faceted learning experience that taps into employee interests, passions and career goals. Employee turnover can impact your business profitability, and high turnover seems to be the new norm at many restaurants, so it’s important to train new hires adequately. Restaurant HR software, allows you to implement and monitor adherence to uniform induction and onboarding processes across multi-unit restaurants ensuring that all employees are trained properly.
Food and beverage establishments need to make adjustments when marketing to millennials, and if you’re looking to hire young talent you need to understand millennials’ career aspirations and attitude about work as well. The ones that do this best will win the hearts, minds, and wallets of millennials.