Hospitality group tries virtual reality cocktails to attract staff
One of Tasmania's largest hospitality groups is finding new and innovative ways to attract staff.
To mitigate against staff shortages that have crippled the industry over the last year, Federal Group installed a virtual reality cocktail-making machine at Molly
Malones in Devonport, where the Irish pub hosted an open house to give the public a behind-the-scenes look.
With a focus on recruiting staff for the busy summer season, the Group’s regional hotel manager, Renae Dunne, highlighted the wealth of opportunities within the industry.
"Hospitality is a career that can take you anywhere, and it's a fun career," Dunne said.
"A lot of our North-West pubs are local, so you get really good relationships with your locals and a lot of the time it doesn't feel like you're at work.
"It's an industry that can take you a long way. I've worked in hospitality for 30 years - it's all I've ever done and I started out as a waitress.
"[The open home] is something different that other venues don't do, and it's to get the brand out there."
According to culture manager Anna Krstevska the small pool of candidates in regional areas can be problematic.
"It's difficult because hospitality is fast-paced and busy when people want to be in restaurants, so it's a tug pool situation," Krstevska said.
"Because we don't have a bigger pool of staff to pick from - it's challenging. There are new cafes and restaurants popping up all the time, so there's lots of competition for a small pool of candidates.
"It's tougher in our regional areas than it is in our bigger cities. We also don't get as much of a travelling hospitality worker as our major cities.
"We have really great employee benefits - such as discounts that our staff needs."
Krstevska said the the virtual reality cocktail-making machine could motivate people to explore positions in hospitality.
"The great benefits of hospitality is relationships. We find that it's a relationships game and [the machine has] been kindly loaned to us by the Tasmanian Hospitality Association," she said.
Jonathan Jackson, 14th November 2024
