Staffing

Restaurant employees want 'flexible hours, healthy work-life balance'

Photo: Adobe AI

June 3, 2024

Flexible hours, a healthy work-life balance and camaraderie were just as important to workers in the hospitality industry as financial incentives, according to "What Restaurant Employees Want," a report created by 7shifts, an all-in-one team management app for restaurant operators.

"This report from 7shifts outlines the key areas to focus on if you want to craft an exceptional experience for your restaurant team," Danny Meyer, founder and CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group, said in a company press release. "They have curated insights that will take the guesswork out of building a great team so you can hit the ground running in developing your own intentional culture. I encourage you to read through and consider how you might take action to improve your team's experience."

In addition to the findings above, 7shifts' report also uncovered the following insights:

• Restaurant employees crave recognition and feedback.
• Team members are seeking more of the benefits typically associated with 9 to 5 jobs, like health insurance, paid sick days, vacation and retirement accounts.
• Service professionals prefer shorter, more condensed training so they can start the job more quickly.

Employees in hospitality are looking for long-term careers with growth opportunities.

"This report answers a lot of the questions that restaurant owners and managers have about why their workforce might be dissatisfied and why they may be experiencing unhealthy rates of turnover," Jordan Boesch, CEO at 7shifts, said in the release. "But it doesn't just focus on problems. Instead, it uncovers what restaurant employees need and want today, and specific action steps that management can take to improve their team member experience. By tapping into these opportunities, restaurants can better attract and retain the kind of talent that will make their companies thrive."