Managing challenging times

The only certainty now is that unfortunately it’s a very challenging time for everyone.

Trio of challenges for hospitality

1. It’s challenging to recruit team members. All parts of the industry are under pressure.
2. The cost of produce, and of producing/delivering products are all affected by soaring prices. Some at eye-watering levels!
3. The consistency of customer numbers is a concern. Unknown numbers mean there is potential for greater wastage. It’s difficult to roster team members and stressful when planning shifts to accommodate peaks and troughs.

How will people spend their money ?

And if these three challenges weren’t enough… If customers have any disposable income, what will they choose to spend it on, outside home? This is question we ask ourselves. What to put on the menu and how many will we sell? As food prices keep rising, we can’t afford to waste any food. On moral grounds and because it effects the bottom line and ability to recover your costs.

Another concern for our teams, is how will their salaries cover the anticipated inflation? With so much uncertainty, we must appreciate the stress for the management and importantly the teams on the front line. This uncertainty makes for depressing news but there is a great support network at BM, so it’s worth taking a moment to consider the positives too.

Support you can trust

Because of the shortage of team members, companies must re-evaluate how they nurture the relationship with their teams. It’s something at the #bmFamily we have done since our first day. For us it has always been about people and Fundamentally Food. We have continued to reinforce this and let our teams know we are there for them. Our success in re-recruiting former team members demonstrates that you can never make too great an investment in your people.

In the past two years hospitality has been in a very uncertain space. We have had to adapt and be nimble. Team members are looking for companies that behaved well during the pandemic. Companies with strong values, communication, engagement and who are trusted to be open and honest (one of our values, by the way) are attractive employers.

Think outside the box

We must think ‘outside the box’. How can we best support and help our teams and clients? At the #bmFamily that means offering peer support, sharing ideas and most importantly open communication and practical solutions.

Be kind

Uncertainty is all around us, never more so than today. Whether it concerns a receding pandemic, raging inflation, health or job security, much of what lies ahead remains uncertain. We can’t control politics. We can’t control the weather. We can’t control the economy either. But we can control the thoughts we have, who’s in our life and what we do. So, my advice is – put yourself in the shoes of those you work with and above all be kind.