Empowering frontline hospitality workers with the tech they need - and want

By Mark Williams, Managing Director EMEA at WorkJam

January 20 2025 - With operational costs still rising and changes to National Insurance contributions adding another unforeseen burden, the hospitality sector continues to face relentless financial pressures. Understandably concerned about extra costs, business leaders are having to reshape their post-Covid strategies yet again. Still recovering from the lingering after-effects of the pandemic, many feel there is no alternative but to curb plans for growth and retrench, at least in the short term.

To offset these additional expenses, some companies are holding back on recruitment and shifting the focus to mitigating strategies aimed to protect the workforce and to increase productivity. This includes reviewing options to help existing frontline employees improve performance and solutions that place emphasis on retaining and empowering experienced staff who can help steady the ship in this uncertain economic climate.

Between a rock and a hard place

When frontline staff become demotivated and feel overwhelmed with extra work, then sales will suffer, and any plans for recruitment to lessen the load will continue to be deferred. There's no denying that the hospitality industry remains stuck between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes. On one hand it needs to improve the customer experience to generate enough revenue to provide stability at the very least and potentially grow. On the other, it needs to look after its hard-pressed frontline staff through the ongoing cost of living crisis.

While the situation may seem impossible, focusing resources and training on the employee experience could be the answer. It is an approach that not only supports frontline staff but can result in a positive impact on the customer experience. It follows that, when staff feel appreciated, supported, and engaged in their work, they are usually more enthusiastic and motivated to give a higher standard of service. This can translate into a better customer experience, higher sales, and more returning customers.

Providing frontline support that matters

However, recent findings from WorkJam shows that while the hospitality industry appreciates the underlying value of employee engagement, employers are struggling to deliver what's needed. It revealed 99% of organisations agree employee experience has a direct and tangible impact on strengthening customer experience. What's more, over 80% also acknowledged employee experience impacts the bottom line. But, the sting in the tail was that the majority were not in a position to provide the types of support wanted by employees, particularly in the key areas of wage access and shift management. In fact, only 20% of hospitality employers provided staff with flexible wage schemes and only 21% offered shift-swap scheduling. Yet, these are choices that really matter to employees, especially when trying to juggle working lives with domestic arrangements and child care responsibilities.

This is where today's technology platforms and mobile apps can play an important role, helping both employers and staff balance working lives with the needs of the business.

Flexible shift scheduling

Specifically, Workforce Management (WFM) platforms, can save substantial time spent scheduling shifts, thus reducing costs while also increasing retention and engagement of frontline staff. Simple to use, these solutions automate tortuous manual processes and complex scheduling requirements, ensuring compliance with internal rules and regulations. As a result, managers are freed from the time-consuming tasks of trying to fill shifts in line with policies, accommodating requests for overtime or time-off without bias, and marrying up the right levels of experience needed with the right people.

Having all the relevant information in a user-friendly mobile app is ideal for frontline staff. It allows employees to have more control over managing their shifts with options for moving, swapping, and cancelling. If required, managers can enable functionality that shows availability to only those staff qualified to pick up work according to their role, location, skills and experience. As the system has customised rules already set up, such as overtime policies and local union agreements, workers are able only to select compliant shifts, personalised to them. This removes human oversight and manual errors when allocating work, resulting in a seamless shift management and staffing process.

Earned waged access

Enabling earned wage access (EWA) for frontline workers is particularly beneficial in the hospitality sector where staff often have unpredictable schedules which can lead to budgeting problems and money worries. An EWA app provides immediate access to earned wages without having to wait until payday. It can help alleviate financial stress, enabling workers to pay bills, meet urgent expenses immediately, and avoid relying on expensive credit arrangements. This can increase job satisfaction, reduce staff turnover and encourage higher productivity, as financially secure employees are more likely to feel happier and motivated.

Making earnings details readily available in an easy-to-use app helps staff to better manage their earning capacity to meet their own individual needs. It creates valuable workforce engagement, giving employees the tools and information they need to take more control of their working lives.

Technology gap

Delivering this level of employee experience depends on having the appropriate technical platform in place. WorkJam's recent survey highlights substantial gaps in technical capabilities within the hospitality sector, with nearly 70% of respondents reporting their organisations lack the necessary tools for flexible scheduling and efficient workforce management. Almost 80% concede that current processes for managing frontline staff need improvement, with the same amount stating their organisations should invest more in technology to support frontline workers.

If the hospitality industry fails to invest in automation, such as flexible shift scheduling systems and earned wage access platforms, it will struggle to weather, or even survive, these challenging times. With workers facing increased financial and mental health pressures, such tools can significantly improve retention, productivity, and job satisfaction. Allowing employees to take control of their work-life balance proactively addresses one of the issues causing burnout and high staff turnover rates. Earned wage access empowers workers to manage their earnings according to their own specific needs. These advancements not only enhance the employee experience but also streamline operations, enabling employers to better allocate resources and adjust schedules to fluctuating demands.

Modernising the approach to frontline work is essential in a people-oriented businesses. By embracing technical innovation now, the hospitality industry can make significant improvements in engagement and motivation within its workforce, which could prove critical for long-term viability.

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