SafetyCulture’s fourth annual Feedback from the Field report highlights the pressures facing hospitality workers in Australia. The findings reveal a workforce stretched thin, battling inefficient tools, fractured workplace relationships, and increasing pressure to cut corners.
The survey found that 44 per cent of hospitality workers feel the most pressure to cut corners in order to save time or money, compared to 33 per cent overall. At the same time, 40 per cent reported dissatisfaction at work is causing anxiety, compared to 31 per cent in other industries. Hospitality workers are also unsurprisingly the most concerned about future health crises, with 41 per cent expressing concern about another pandemic.
“Frontline workers are telling us they feel unheard, overstretched, and compromised. On top of this, there is a strained relationship between employees and management that isn’t conducive to a healthy workplace culture or optimal outputs,” SafetyCulture chief product officer Sam Byrnes said.
“There will always be room for improvement within organisations, but leaders are doing themselves, and their people, a huge disservice by failing to understand frontline challenges, acknowledging and addressing issues, and communicating adequately.
“It’s time businesses woke up to the fact that listening to people on the frontline is one of the fastest ways to improve the bottom line.”
Despite these challenges, the report indicated some positive signs about the hospitality sector. Only 48 per cent of workers in hospitality feel there is an “us versus them” mentality when looking at the divide between managers and workers, which is significantly lower than the overall average of 57 per cent. Additionally, 55 per cent of hospitality workers believe continuous improvement is encouraged in their workplace, compared to just 44 per cent overall.
In addition to workforce concerns, the report highlights Australian workers express the highest level of concern about the impact of new technologies. The report showed two in five are concerned about emerging technologies such as AI and that their role will be automated in the future.
Nearly two-thirds are not fully satisfied with their tools and IT systems. Of these, more than one-third are dissatisfied with outdated systems, one-third say they have too many tools and IT systems, and 30 per cent say their tools and IT are unfit for purpose.