Workplace legislation to benefit restaurant & catering businesses?

AND lateral thinking needed to address staff exodus from the industry

It is vital that all restaurant and catering businesses (R&C), small, medium and large, gain an understanding of the changes and how they can benefit from them says R&C’s John Hart in April’s Hospitality Magazine. Members can continue to attend seminars providing industry specific information in metropolitan and regional areas across Australia till the end of May.

R&C Australia supports the workplace changes says Hart, “Essentially they provide additional flexibilities in employment arrangements that compliment the unique nature of the of restaurant and catering industry.”

R&C Australia also says that businesses that are companies, and those in Victoria and the Territories, will be immediately effected by Workchoices and every restaurant and catering business should consider whether it is worth opting into the new system.

Hospitality Magazine also reports on a survey showing average staff turnover for the Australian hospitality industry has jumped from 30% to more than 50%. The 2005/2006 Salary Survey from Pinnacle Hospitality and Travel People highlights the need for a more attractive work environment in order to stopped highly skilled and trained staff being lured away by traditional jobs with more traditional working hours.

Pinnacle’s Managing Director, Wendy Mead, says, “We are training up all these fantastic people to be so customer-centric and other industries are just coming and plucking them away from us. The Australian hospitality industry invests millions of dollars into training and so we have become well known for our high customer service standards.”

Wages are definitely an issue, but Mead says they are hearing that “people have outside lives that they are involved in so they want to work more regular hours. It doesn?t mean nine to five, that?s no possible in hospitality but it is about knowing they will have consistent days off and no more split shifts.”

There will be more about this survey in the May issue of Hospitality Magazine.