Staffing Challenges in Food and Beverage Operations

The Role of HRM in the Food and Beverage Industry

In today's dynamic and competitive industry, economic agents place increasing emphasis on the role of staff members. Employees generate customer satisfaction, deliver services, create products, and support the company in reaching its overall objectives. In this context, the practice of human resource management (HRM) has become more important for companies, generally reflected in four specific ways:

HRM responds to the need for searching out new ways of working. HRM promotes the role of managers in driving change. HRM supports the treatment of staff members as individual human beings rather than a collective force. Finally, HRM promotes a system of beliefs through which employees come to regard managers as peers, rather than as a separate group with separate and potentially conflicting goals (English for Management).

The role of human resource management within the food and beverage industry is also growing, as this sector is one in which employees directly interact with customers and therefore directly influence customer satisfaction. While the quality of food and beverage products is important, the manner in which they are served and the value created through the customer experience are equally important. As a result, more and more emphasis is placed on the functions of human resource management within this industry.

The functions of HRM are multiple and complex, encompassing virtually every stage of the relationship between a firm and its employees — from identifying the need for a new hire to managing the period after a contract between the parties is no longer valid. Staffing is one of these core functions and is addressed in various publicly available sources.

Core Staffing Challenges: Qualifications, Temporary Staff, and Training

One important source on this subject is the article HR in Food Industry, available at the Scorecard Metrics for HR website. The article emphasizes the role of personnel not only in helping attain organizational goals, but also in rescuing firms from difficult situations through innovation and beneficial problem-solving.

"Only people can save business. No computer or machine will come up with an innovative decision. That's why it is imperative to have loyal and well-educated personnel" (Scorecard Metrics for HR, 2010).

In the food industry, as in any other industry, it is necessary to approach staffing issues — and any other HRM issues — through the lenses of motivation, performance, and job characteristics. Through these lenses, the article proposes three specific issues to be considered:

First, the professional qualifications of staff members. The importance of this factor is directly tied to food quality and, by extension, to the safety and satisfaction of customers. Second, the number of positions requiring temporary staff. Unlike most industries, the food and beverage sector has pronounced seasonal characteristics based on time of year, holiday periods, geographic positioning in tourist locations, and similar factors. Third, the training of staff members. This is essential in the food and beverage industry because food and beverages, when improperly handled, can cause health problems, which in turn may result in legal and financial repercussions for the company (Scorecard Metrics for HR, 2010).

Managerial Responses to Staffing Challenges

Each of these challenges can be addressed at a managerial level and administered in such a way that it becomes an organizational strength rather than a weakness. Recommended strategies include the following:

With respect to qualifications, the recruitment, selection, and hiring of people with highly developed skills is advised. This involves identifying the skills, knowledge, and qualifications required for a specific role and selecting candidates who possess what the firm needs.

Regarding temporary staff, it is recommended to recruit qualified temporary employees and limit overall reliance on temporary labor. Given the sensitivities of the food and beverage industry — including the technologies involved and the high standards required — temporary staff may not always possess the skills needed to handle operational complexities. It is therefore advisable to hire skilled temporary workers, to minimize the total number of temps employed, and to assign temporary staff to positions requiring lower skill levels.

In terms of training, managers are advised to maximize training programs to ensure adequate preparation for all employees. It is also necessary to continually evaluate training needs and assess employee performance following the completion of training programs. The Society for Human Resource Management provides extensive guidance on best practices in employee training and development applicable to service industries such as food and beverage.

Conclusion

Human resource management functions are increasingly important in all fields, but even more so in the food and beverage industry, where organizational success is strictly tied to the value of the customer experience. In order to enhance that experience, managers must — among other responsibilities — identify and efficiently address staffing challenges. Whether managing a standalone operation or a franchise arrangement, the ability to recruit qualified staff, manage temporary labor strategically, and invest consistently in employee training are the defining factors that separate high-performing food and beverage operations from those that struggle to meet customer and organizational expectations.

References

Senior Care Franchise. (2009). Avoiding staffing issues in the franchise business.

Scorecard Metrics for HR. (2010). HR in food industry. http://www.hr-scorecard-metrics.com/hr-in-food-industry.htm

English for Management. Human resource management in McDonald's.