A lack of able, skilled and willing staff

04-Sep-2014 - Last updated on 08-Sep-2014 at 08:51 GMT

Related tags Income

Ashley McCarthy: "The challenge of running a financially viable pub and maintaining a regular income as a husband and wife team is not getting any easier"

Hospitality is one of the biggest employers in the country, but can we fill jobs with the skilled staff that we need? Not from my side of the fence we can’t, bemoans Ashley McCarthy.

Finding decent or even willing staff seems to be like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.

We have had two chef vacancies available, one since November last year, and not even a sniff of a CV. We have even resorted to using the dreaded agencies with their high fees and bully-boy tactics, but still nothing.

We may be located off the beaten track to a certain degree, but we have a main city just 10 minutes away.

Opportunities

Are we difficult to work for, harsh and demanding bosses or just not paying the money? We have asked ourselves these questions and many more. But having asked around other establishments, we are very much not alone.

There seems to be a tremendous shortage of staff especially when it comes to trained kitchen staff, or even those willing to make a go of it in this great career.

Pubs can offer opportunities, promotions and great rewards, but the work can be hard. Surely there must be some takers out there somewhere?

Our business has grown in the past year, just as it has year on year. But we can’t afford for it to grow and not have the manpower to give the service and standards we are known for.

Detriment

Turning away business is no good for any establishment but sometimes it is essential to maintain a level of professionalism.

We have even gone as far as offering accommodation to a couple wanting to work front of house and in the kitchen, in a bid to increase our chances of capturing the right individuals. But this again is to the detriment of the business.

We only have space that we currently offer as a self-contained studio apartment for bed and breakfast guests. So do we lose that revenue to help increase other revenue? Hopefully we can train the right individuals to management level and help in the running of the whole business long term.

I would go as far as to suggest the lack of able staff is another factor in the number of pubs closing their doors, especially in rural communities. Added to the well-documented high rents, competition from supermarkets and fallout from the smoking ban, it is another cross for today’s licensee to bear.

The challenge of running a financially viable pub and maintaining a regular income as a husband and wife team is not getting any easier. After all, there are still only 24 hours in a day.

Ashley McCarthy is licensee at Ye Olde Sun Inn at Tadcaster, North Yorkshire