At the start of the pandemic, 80% of hospitality workers were furloughed—the highest number out of all UK industries.

Many have been furloughed for nearly a year. But the end is in sight.

The UK government has announced a roadmap out of lockdown, and hospitality businesses are (finally) preparing to reopen and bring their teams back.

Team members may be anxious about returning to work after so much time away.

Use this time to ensure returning teams have everything they need to hit the ground running from day one.

Below is a framework for business leaders to support their teams, and make the transition back to work as smooth as possible.  :

Retrain teams

We’re not going back to business as usual. Hospitality operations have transformed. People returning from furlough will have a lot of new processes to learn.

Think about how you can break things down, and communicate clearly, so everyone knows what's expected without feeling overwhelmed. Start now with remote webinars on key processes.

Think of ways you can you get your teams to bond and operate well together again.

Trust your people

Train your employees well, empower them with the tools they need to succeed, and then get out of the way. This will help free up manager’s time to focus on supporting teams and building a positive work environment.

Give team high 5’s

Give out plenty of high-fives and boost team morale—shout out to your workers who are always on time, pass on the compliments to the chef—celebrate the wins, no matter how small.

Celebrate mistakes too

In today’s fast-changing world, we need to adapt and innovate to survive. So we need to create a culture of safety where mistakes are celebrated. Where employees aren’t afraid to take initiative and experiment with new ideas.

Automate processes

Automating repetitive tasks improves workflow efficiencies, allowing teams to focus on customers, rather than paperwork. Everyone feels more fulfilled, and customers will notice it.

Prioritise wellbeing

People’s wellbeing will likely be impacted by all the change over the past year. People have had different experiences during the pandemic—some may feel fatigued. Be aware of your team’s mental health when returning to work, and think of ways to make people feel less overwhelmed.

Can you create more flexibility around unsociable working hours? Maybe you could offer meaningful benefits? Speak to your team and understand what they need. Then deliver.

Invest in your team

Operators will be fighting for good team members right now as they re-open. How will you attract and retain team members?

Showing your team that there are opportunities for career development will help. Invest in their future, and they’ll stick around (even in a pandemic or Brexit).

How Trail can help

At Trail, we believe in empowering teams with the right tools to do their jobs well.

Here’s how Trail can transform your workplace:

• Empower teams: Trail gives a framework so teams can self-manage. Everyone knows what to so and feels confident delivering it.
• Free up managers time With team members empowered, managers are freed up from chasing and can focus on coaching and supporting team members.
• Communicate clearly: Communicate exactly what’s expected so teams know how to do their jobs well. New starters can hit the ground running from day one.
• Automate processes: Integrate Trail with existing systems—from tills to fridges—to automate repetitive admin. So team’s can spend less time on paperwork and more time on delivering unique customer experiences.
  
  

Helpful resources

The government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Mental Health UK on wellbeing and furlough
Healthy Hospo – Healthy Hospo has several online resources to support the mental health conversation in the hospitality industry.

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