6 tips to retain frontline employees through the recruitment crisis, with east coast concepts
At East Coast Concepts, 250 thriving employees ensure that guests have the greatest experience possible in their Victors and Neighbourhood venues. Their mission? Wowing guests in a vibrant atmosphere with excellent food and exceptional service. At Yapster, we’ve partnered with our wonderful friends at Wagestream to offer East Coast Concepts’ teams the best frontline communication and financial wellbeing tools on the market – so they can deliver unparalleled service in return. If we’ve learned one thing from working with East Coast Concepts, it’s that to retain frontline employees, supporting them is key.
Following the recruitment crisis that unexpectedly struck the UK job market after COVID-19, more employers have decided to step in and work hard to retain frontline employees. Successful businesses put their people first. This is why we’ve decided to partner with Wagestream, a market-leading solution providing employees all around the UK with unique financial wellbeing tools, like being able to access their wages in advance. To keep the hospitality industry up and running, we’ve got to retain frontline employees – and it all starts with one thing: care.
With 92% of its workforce onboarded on Yapster, East Coast Concepts has become a champion of Social Leadership – the practice of using digital tools to influence people at work. Smooth communication for frontline workers is key to boosting engagement levels amongst your teams and, ultimately, retaining them. According to McKinsey research on the Great Attrition, 53% of employers declare experiencing higher turnover rates than before COVID-19 and 64% believe the situation may worsen in the future. Here are the steps you can take to ensure your employees not only want to stay with you through the recruitment crisis but also choose to grow within your business. Get buckled up – it’s quite a ride!
1: Be clear about your employees’ KPIs
To retain frontline employees, being clear about their KPIs is key. Employees whose success can be easily measured – and therefore fairly rewarded – show higher levels of job satisfaction. At East Coast Concepts, employee success is measured through a balance scorecard and expectations are regularly communicated to teammates.
How can an employee perform to the best of their abilities if they aren’t clear on what success looks like? By setting measurable goals for the success of your employees and holding them accountable, you’ll in turn be able to reward their progress and encourage their growth.
2: Implement a solid communication strategy
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According to Forbes, good communication has been proven to help retain frontline employees. But how does this work, in practice? At East Coast Concepts, communication is not only used by employees to relay company updates but also as a tool to share content that embodies their values. Through Yapster, ECC employees can share updates or celebrate each other’s success at site or company level through their newsfeed. They can also seamlessly access their company’s directory and send private or group messages to anyone within the business. To maintain transparency, ECC leaders use the poll function to ask frontline employees questions regarding hard-hitting subjects such as wellbeing and compensation.
But communication doesn’t stop there – it’s also about breaking down the barriers between headquarters and venues! ECC employees report feeling close to their support office and being able to reach out to them easily through Yapster. At one touch of a button, they can discuss any issue they’re facing at work and receive adequate support!
3: Be open about growth opportunities
Tom, bar manager at East Coast Concepts, started out as a barback and made his way up the corporate ladder over the years. With many employees choosing to build a career at ECC and grow from frontline to leadership positions, the company encourages development and understands that talent isn’t disposable.
Growth opportunities are clearly communicated to employees, who are encouraged to view ECC as a place where they can develop their skills and build a long-term career, if they choose to. This, in turn, motivates frontline employees to view themselves as part of a team and bring their best to the table – no pun intended – on a daily basis!
4: Be grateful and celebrate frontline employee success
This one’s a given: if your employees’ success is never acknowledged, engagement levels will plummet. But how should success be celebrated? On their Yapster newsfeed, ECC leaders can instantly share an image or video highlighting the accomplishments of their teams. Sharing positive stories and recognising your teammates’ success isn’t simply about individual job satisfaction – though it is crucial – but also about reinforcing a sense of team spirit and camaraderie.
At ECC, multiple employees report feeling supported by their colleagues and knowing that, even in stressful situations, their teammates are there to help. They’re all in the same boat… but the fun doesn’t stop there! Every month, selected site heroes get to partake in ‘spin and win’ games allowing them to receive prizes such as £100 gift cards redeemable against any airline, £150 towards a wake-up light, Mattress toppers, Gousto subscriptions, gym memberships – and even theme park tickets! Perks are definitely a great tool to retain frontline employees!
5: Welcome frontline employees’ new ideas
Anna, reservations manager at ECC, reports feeling encouraged by her leaders to share her ideas with her team. ECC believes in employees ‘acting like owners’ and holding themselves and each other accountable for the success of their company. Their ideas are welcomed and valued. For instance, ECC’s core values weren’t dictated by headquarters but built by frontline teams themselves, who discussed their beliefs, team dynamics, and goals to come up with tenets that felt authentic to them. To retain frontline employees, listening to them is vital!
6: Provide frontline employees with benefits that actually serve them
This is no secret: benefits can make or break an employee’s choice to remain within an organisation or go seek work elsewhere. But what exactly makes a good benefit? At ECC, benefits are centred around employees’ needs and wellbeing. According to Bionic, the most sought-after benefits in the UK – after flexible working – fall under the umbrella of healthcare, compensation, or annual leave.
At ECC, employees have access to a mental health support service, an extra day of holiday on their birthday, longer full-pay maternity and paternity leave, 5 extra days of holiday after 3 years of service, and the ability to access their wages before payday through Wagestream. Randomised savings contributions to employees’ saving pots have also been put in place through Wagestream. These benefits work for ECC’s teams because they are built upon real employee pain points and answer crucial needs. Surveys are a powerful way of establishing the needs and wishes of your workforce! To retain frontline employees, you’ve got to prioritise their financial needs and wellbeing.
To find out how Yapster can help you reduce labour turnover, click here. Let’s start Yapping!