Attracting and retaining top quality talent in F&B has long been a headache for industry leaders. Luckily, Mark Dickinson, of DONE! Hospitality Training Solutions, is here with nine top tips for breaking high staff turnover cycles in 2025.

“Wave a magic wand and say abracadabra!”

At least, that’s how many companies seem to think it works when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. I’m not going to pretend that one article can provide a failsafe solution to this well-documented, perennial problem. However, I do believe these nine top tips will help your organization on the path to success.

1-Avoid overselling the role

Enthusiastic advertisements for new team members are often hugely upbeat, describing exciting opportunities and not-be-missed chances to achieve a dream. Frequently the job criteria will require previous mastery of the role. The challenge with this approach is that the job or the workplace does not, in truth, match this idealized projection.

2-Don’t hide the truth

When hiring someone to come into an organization facing challenges, the recruitment process must make this clear. Words like challenging, demanding and complex should appear in the job ad, but rarely do. Whitewashing the role or misleading candidates often leads to broken expectations and early employee exits.

3-Be absolutely clear when hiring

Be honest about what is expected of candidates and what they are going to earn. Remember, the employee is selecting you. In most cases, hiring the candidate will marginally change the organization, but will exponentially change the candidate’s life. They need to be fully informed.

4-Exceptional culture is a magnet for talent

In previous articles we have spoken about developing the internal culture of a business by clearly articulating the mission, vision and values. When the culture is powerful and of top priority to the organization, it shines through in everything you do and great people dream of working with you.

5-Never overlook onboarding

Have an extensive, intensive, detailed plan ready so that when employees join the organization, they are shepherded through a program that truly prepares them for the work ahead. Think:

• extensive – ensure that new team members have a clear, accurate job description and create a timeline for the onboarding process.
• intensive – many organizations are in a hurry to get the new team member working. This is a grave mistake. Intensively introduce them to your culture, the team and the product and systems they are going to be using first.
• detailed – forget osmosis learning.

Ensure new team members are given a structured process that tells them exactly what to do.

6-Check back

Evaluate your new team members throughout their onboarding. Explain their strengths and areas for growth right from the get-go. Let them know that their growth is your priority.

7-Succession planning as a primary activity

Let the new joiner know their potential growth path. Show them examples of team members that have grown, and introduce them to the long term team members.

8-Don’t hire fast and fire fast

This approach destroys organizations. Hire thoughtfully, develop intentionally and fire decisively is a much better process. You will find that when care is given to hiring, better quality people join. By offering new team members a proper development plan and the opportunity to experience growth from day one, they will never want to leave.

9-Think fire prevention, not fire-fighting

By being honest with your new hires, offering them a well-organized onboarding process, showing them how much you care and developing them over time you will be investing time in growth and development. This, surely, is a better approach than burning time, having to solve emotionally driven problems.

Remember:

Systems run restaurants and people run systems.
Build awesome systems and great people will come and stay!