Employer Guide to Navigating the Holiday Season in Hospitality

Why is seasonality important in the hospitality industry?

The hospitality industry always sees a busier period during the summer months, as tourists arrive on New Zealand’s shores and Kiwis get out and celebrate in their backyard over the Christmas period and beyond. Previous years have seen international arrivals in the summer double those of the winter season. With the borders open again for the first full summer and a raft of festivals and events planned country-wide, there’s going to be plenty happening.

For those in hospitality, being aware of these seasonal changes involves adapting with them. This often means bringing on casual or contract workers to meet the increased demand, and ensuring that they’re prepared for peak periods. For this season in New Zealand, it’s estimated that an additional 30,000 workers are needed for the hospitality season.

Common problems that the industry faces during the holiday season

While the holiday season can be an exciting opportunity to maximise revenue, it can also bring some challenges. Here are some of the problems frequently faced by restaurants, bars and hotels in New Zealand during the summer months:

Issue 1 – Having enough staff

As demand rises and the number of customers increases, businesses often have to take on additional staff. Finding those staff can be challenging, especially in a time of skills shortage. It’s also a time when employee retention is really important, since departing staff can exacerbate a staff shortage significantly. That’s not to mention the time and investment required in onboarding and training new team members.

Issue 2 – Managing shifts

Making sure there’s enough staff for each shift can be a challenge, particularly when various employees have taken holidays or are off on sick leave. It can become tricky to get accurate timesheets or to fill space at short notice.

Issue 3 – Ensuring compliant employment

For a small or medium business, navigating the murky waters of compliance around employment standards can be daunting – particularly if you’re hiring casual or contract employees. Making an error in calculating leave, pay or entitlements can lead to costly fines of thousands of dollars, adding additional challenge to an already tough time.

How can businesses prepare for the festive season and holidays?

There’s plenty that employers and team leaders in hospitality can do to get ready for the months ahead. Here are a few suggestions:

Assess the past

A quote from Confucius says, “Learn from the past if you want to predict the future”. Considering the last few years, this is the perfect time to reflect on your past challenges and consider what you can take from them.

All businesses had to adapt rapidly during the peak of the pandemic – was there anything from that time that you would do again? Anything you would do differently? The upcoming season will challenge you in both similar and different ways.

Upgrade your recruiting and onboarding processes

We know you can’t magically fix a skills shortage, but there are a few ways that employers can get ahead in recruiting. Creating savvy advertising for social media platforms and job boards and working on building a strong employer brand can put your business ahead of the competition. Not to mention focusing on the employee experience for your team from day one. Happy employees will make your business an attractive place for potential new additions.

Streamline timesheet and shift management

Organising shifts during busy periods is a real headache, particularly at short notice. Luckily, there are ways to make shift management and timesheet recording a bit easier. One way is through payroll software like Employment Hero Payroll, which allows employees to ‘bid’ for vacant shifts, request holidays and submit their timesheets electronically. It’s a good way to automate a lot of processes for payroll later on, reduce human error, and ensure that every shift is covered.

Consider how you can support your team

When things get hectic, it’s easy for the wellbeing of a team to take a bit of a hit. If employers want to ensure their team is productive and happy, there’s steps that they can take to support them. This includes offering additional benefits alongside pay, regularly checking in with surveys or in-person meetings, or facilitating an EAP service.

For more ideas for navigating the season, fill out the form to the right and download our complete hospitality guide. 

We’re here to help local businesses manage and support staff during the holiday season

Here at Employment Hero, we want to support New Zealand businesses and their teams through the busy periods. Whether you’re looking to optimise shift management, make payroll easier or streamline recruitment, we’ve got your business covered with an immersive platform.

Features in our HR and Payroll software include:

Speak to one of our team today and find out how Employment Hero can work alongside your business.