hiring for the future workplace you want.
In hospitality, we’re brilliant at responding to what’s right in front of us. We’re geared up for immediacy. Whether it’s a guest arriving early, a team member calling in sick or the sudden arrival of a party of 10, we’re here for it.
But when it comes to hiring, it’s not just about solving the immediate challenge in front of you. Your hiring should be informed by the future workplace you want to create.
The pressures of the hospitality workplace mean very often people leaders hire to ‘fill’ a gap, but every hire informs your future culture, capability, leadership and success. And if you’re only hiring for today, you’re missing the opportunity to strengthen the business you want to become.
hiring should be a future‑focused decision.
When you bring someone into your business, you’re adding to:
Your culture: how your team behaves, collaborates, and grows
Your capability: the skills you have in your workforce currently, the skills you lack, and the skills you’ll need in the future
Your succession pipeline: who has the ability to step up, lead, and carry your business forward
Your long-term performance: because the right hire will grow and deliver still greater value over time
I believe this is why hiring should never be driven by urgency alone. It should intentional and with the future firmly in mind.
culture: hire for the environment you want to create.
Culture is built through many moments, created by the people in your workforce. In fact, they ARE your culture.
If you want to create a workplace that’s more inclusive, collaborative, customer focused, team oriented and commercially astute (just some examples…), then you need to actively hire people who bring those behaviours with them. Thinking ahead will help you identify those skills through the interview process.
skills: hire beyond today’s job description.
Hospitality is always changing. The skills that matter today won’t necessarily be the same skills that matter tomorrow. So when you hire, look beyond the immediate and obvious.
Consider the skills that:
Your team lack
You will need in 12–24 months
Can take your business where it needs to go
succession planning.
Every time you recruit, you have the chance to strengthen your leadership pipeline. But that only happens if you’re thinking ahead.
Ask yourself:
Who could this new hire become in your business?
What and who could they lead?
Which role could they move up into?
How might they help drive the next phase of business success?
When you hire someone who has the potential to progress, you’re investing in the future stability and strength of your business.
where expert recruitment makes the difference.
Future focused hiring requires commitment, consistency and discipline, and working with a specialist recruiter (such as mum) makes it easier for you to hire with the future in mind.
The right recruiter will help you:
Define the future culture you want to build
Identify the skills you need now and later
Spot progression potential in candidates
Hire people who will drive and lift the business, not just ‘fill’ a gap
Create a hiring process that is driven by ambition not urgency
Hiring with intention and with the future in mind is an investment that pays your business back now and, in the years, ahead.
So, it’s worth stopping, thinking, and giving it the focus it deserves.