Operational teams still face significant challenges in attracting and retaining skilled professionals. High turnover, seasonality, and a lack of generational renewal are just a few of the compounding factors.

What is talent looking for today?

Flexibility, purpose, and a meaningful career

The labor market has evolved. Professionals today are not solely driven by salary or job security; they seek environments that combine professional development with personal wellbeing. Flexibility, work-life balance policies, and a clear sense of purpose have become key drivers in attracting and retaining talent in hospitality.

This shift calls for a transformation in the way recruitment processes are designed and managed. Yet many companies in the sector still rely on outdated selection models that fall short of today’s talent expectations—leading to long, impersonal processes with limited career outlook. To address this, companies must professionalize their talent attraction strategies and adopt a holistic view of the employee experience from the very first interaction.

But attracting talent is only the starting point. The real challenge lies in developing and retaining it.

1. Continuous training: strengthening talent and reducing turnover

An effective talent strategy must integrate ongoing training, mentorship, and real growth opportunities. Organizations that invest consistently in their teams not only enhance operational performance but also strengthen their internal culture and employer brand.

Continuous learning serves as a dual lever: it sharpens both technical and soft skills, and acts as a powerful retention tool. In a service-intensive industry where guest experience depends heavily on human performance, this investment becomes a true competitive advantage.

Training programs should be practical, tailored, and aligned with the career paths available within the organization. When this alignment is achieved, professional development becomes a genuine retention strategy—not just a vague promise.

2. Authentic employer branding: a competitive edge in a tight market

An employer’s reputation is no longer built from the outside in. In a context where skilled professionals are in short supply, effective employer branding stems from authenticity—from the alignment between what is communicated and what is actually experienced within the organization.

More than ever, candidates value honesty and steer away from narratives disconnected from reality. Building a strong employer brand means aligning your internal value proposition with your external message—and maintaining consistency over time.

Leading companies in this space excel on three fronts:

• Organizational culture that fosters inclusion, engagement, and career growth.

• Tangible benefits such as flexible schedules, internal training opportunities, and clear career progression.

• Genuine employee stories that transparently reflect everyday life in the company.

This approach not only helps attract top talent but also reduces the reputational risk associated with poor retention or unmet expectations.

3. Real commitment: avoiding empty promises

An employer brand’s credibility is built on action, not slogans. Overpromising—whether during the hiring process or onboarding—undermines trust, weakens engagement, and drives up turnover.

That’s why honest talent management means:

• Communicating competitive advantages realistically.

• Delivering from day one on the expectations set during recruitment.

• Creating active listening channels to identify improvements through the employee experience.

Companies that align their messaging with their internal reality build stronger, longer-lasting relationships with their teams—relationships that are more productive and ultimately have greater business impact. In the end, it is the frontline teams who embody the brand every day, becoming its most powerful ambassadors.