Retaining key staff in the leisure sector

Category: Leisure - Posted On: Mar 14 2022


For many years, it has been difficult to recruit and retain key staff in the leisure sector and the impact of Brexit has simply exacerbated the problem. Having high staff turnover can be costly and it is now more important than ever for leisure businesses to elevate their efforts to recruit and retain the best talent. Our leisure specialists examine some of the areas employers can look at to help combat these challenges head on.

Training

From our experience, investing in your staff’s professional development pays great dividends and ensures that they take great pride in their performance. While this may increase your training budget, the benefits of having a strong, positive team with the skills and tools needed to do their job to the best of their ability is invaluable.

Reward

Small acts of reward and recognition can go a long way to improving morale and staff retention, so it is critical to ensure that tips are dealt with fairly and further rewards are allocated where profits are earned. Sharing financial information with staff could also help to generate continuing commitment. It may be beneficial to review your remuneration planning to ensure that it still benefits the needs of your key staff.

Wellbeing

Working in the leisure sector can be hard, sometimes stressful and with long hours so an employer commitment to the wellbeing of staff is vital. This includes proper breaks, commitment to health and safety and ensuring working conditions are of the highest standard.

Other matters

There are many ways of retaining key staff, including the provision of high-quality staff accommodation, fair employment contracts, long service awards and career advancement opportunities. The list is endless, but you need to engage with your staff to find the right options to give your business the edge.

By investing time and effort into your team, your business will have the best opportunity to recruit and retain key staff. Knowing that they are valued by their employer, staff will typically offer the highest standards of service to their customers and act as the best advertisement for your business to be seen as the employer of choice.

Head of EQ Leisure, Scott Greig, commented,

“We act for a huge range of leisure businesses and can clearly see that those which are at the top of their sectors have one thing in common – a great team of happy, motivated and skilled people.  The payback from investing in your team can be immense.”

For more information or advice based on any of the points mentioned above, please get in touch with our EQ Leisure specialists by calling one of our offices or emailing leisure@eqaccountants.co.uk

Alternately, if you would like to discuss tax-efficient remuneration options further, please contact our Employer Solutions team on taxation@eqaccountants.co.uk.