The problem of personnel in the catering industry was discussed at the WorldFood Moscow 2024 exhibition held in September

The issue of people is incredibly important in the development of service culture. The following joined the discussion on the personnel problem at the WorldFood HoReCa platform:

Moderator:

Tatiana Simonova
Founder of the Academy of Service and the laboratory of business games Training Café; co-founder of the center of business psychology reunion; curator of the school of service and HR practitioner Novikov Space; external director of SDEK for service development

Speakers:

Oleg Podgorny
General Director of Shokoladnitsa Group of Companies

Nurislam Sharifulin
Head of the Representative Office of FRiO in Kazan and the Republic of Tatarstan, restaurateur specializing in chain restaurants

Irina Orlandini Avrutskaya
Founder of the international consulting company in the hospitality industry LIKE4LIKE and trend-hunting agency GFT.agency

The first point of discussion was the question of what factors influence the industry so strongly that the catering industry in particular is experiencing an acute shortage of personnel.

According to Nurislam Sharifulin, the staff shortage has been growing for the last 10 years, but the industry was greatly undermined by Covid, when a huge number of people discovered delivery services. Due to the delivery boom, the restaurant industry fell out of the competitive field in terms of salaries, and the remaining staff was taken by distribution centers.

Oleg Podgorny added that HoReCa has also lost its advantage of flexible hours, as delivery services now offer similar conditions. In addition, internal competition is increasing.

Irina Orlandini Avrutskaya noted that work in the HoReCa sector, among other things, does not provide the rapid career growth that the younger generation expects. At the same time, if there is a strong and attractive HR brand, people go there. This is the point of becoming a market leader.

The migration legislation also affected the personnel shortage. Oleg Podgorny assessed this situation as extremely difficult for the industry. This is compounded by the issue of inflation, registration requirements, and constant inspections. The problem is partially solved by creating a training center and training personnel internally, but the personnel drain is growing (150% per year). But this, at least, gives the opportunity to give a person their first experience in the industry.

An internal forge of personnel is one of the ways to solve the acute problem of personnel in the industry, according to Nurislam Sharifulin. It is necessary to create mentoring programs, highlight success stories and give young people a clear and transparent career track.

Irina Orlandini Avrutskaya suggested several ways to resolve the current situation both at the level of the entire country and in a separate market.

One possible solution could be to retrain public sector workers who perform automated work. It is also necessary to launch subsidy programs for business automation.

The session ended with a blitz question for the speakers: “What mistake in working with people would you like to warn yourself and your colleagues against?”

Nurislam Sharifulin: "I would definitely not work with people who are not officially employed. Since the moratorium on inspections will be lifted next year, and this already poses a risk to the existence of the business."

Irina Orlandini Avrutskaya: "I would not spend more on marketing than on HR. Investments in the development of the HR brand give the best effect."

Oleg Podgorny: “I would focus not on how to manage, but on how to involve people.”

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