How to Improve Employee Performance at Your Workplace

Running a successful hospitality business is all about the team behind it. A great team doesn’t just keep things running—it elevates your business, helps it thrive, and enhances your reputation. However, hiring skilled hospitality professionals is only step one. The true challenge lies in nurturing, developing, and retaining that talent for long-term success.

If you want to tackle these challenges head-on, we’ve got you covered. In this post, we share the top strategies to help your hospitality business attract, retain, and grow exceptional professionals.

Tips for Hiring and Retaining Top Talent

Let’s review some of the essential ways that your hospitality company can attract the best people – and encourage them to stay for the long term.

1. Strengthen Your Training Practices

Training is the foundation of success. Investing in strong training programs not only builds your employees’ confidence but also helps them better understand their roles—and the roles of others on the team.

How often do your employees receive training, and when was the last time you updated your programs? Regular, relevant training is essential, no matter how long a team member has been with your business. Hospitality trends shift rapidly, and so should your training materials. Cross-training employees to understand different functions can also create better team cohesion and adaptability.

Gather input from your team about their training experience. What was useful? What wasn’t? Use their feedback to fine-tune your programs. When employees feel heard, they’re more engaged—and your training gets better, too.

2. Offer Opportunities for Growth

Talented employees crave growth and development. Whether it’s climbing the ladder to management or exploring new areas of the industry, they want to know their future is bright with your company. Offering clear paths for growth shows them they don’t need to look elsewhere to achieve their career goals.

Take the time during evaluations to talk with employees about their aspirations. Work together to create a roadmap for their development. Investing in their future is truly a two-way street—they get the chance to grow, and you develop high-performing team members who strengthen your business.

For this to succeed, your business also needs to prioritize growth. Build scalability into your company’s roadmap to open new opportunities for your employees. Creating room for advancement within your team ensures your talent stays motivated and committed.

3. Build a Positive Workplace Culture

Workplace culture isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the heartbeat of your business. While competitive pay gets people through the door, workplace culture is what keeps them there.

A 2024 survey revealed that nearly half of all job seekers listed workplace culture as a deciding factor in choosing a job. Additionally, 86% admitted they avoid companies with poor reputations or toxic cultures. Hospitality leaders must prioritize creating a positive workplace environment where employees feel valued, supported, and fulfilled.

What does a great culture look like? Here are some ideas to get started:

• Leaders who genuinely care about their team’s well-being.

• Collaborative teams are driven by mutual support and shared goals.

• A focus on solving problems rather than assigning blame.

• A workplace that encourages open feedback without fear of retaliation.

• Delegating tasks to highlight individual strengths and nurture talent.

• Respecting work-life boundaries to ensure balance.

When you create a workplace culture that is supportive and inspiring, you’re building an environment where employees want to stay and thrive.

4. Focus on Two-Way Feedback

Every strong relationship thrives on communication, and the same holds true in the workplace. Feedback is the backbone of growth, and it flows in two directions. Regularly provide employees with constructive feedback on their performance while also creating space to hear their input about their experiences with your business.

When offering feedback, don’t just point out areas for improvement; highlight what employees are doing well. Lead with praise and express appreciation—it sets a positive tone. When addressing areas for improvement, focus on solutions. Instead of saying, “You’ve been struggling with this,” try asking, “How can I help you improve here?” This approach encourages ownership and collaboration.

Finally, ask employees for their input on your processes and culture. Are there pain points you weren’t aware of? Are there ideas they have to make operations smoother? Listening to their insights and acting on them fosters respect and builds trust.

Why TBM is Your Ideal Partner for Hospitality HR

Building a team of top-tier hospitality professionals doesn’t have to be a challenge you face alone. At TBM, we’ve supported hospitality businesses and countless other industries since 1993 by offering custom HR solutions tailored to your needs. From payroll and benefits management to recruitment and retention strategies, we help you focus on what you do best—running an exceptional hospitality business. With our expertise, you can build a team that drives outstanding service and keeps customers coming back.

Investing in talent is investing in success. Let’s take your hospitality business to the next level together.

Reach out to TBM today to discover how we can help you hire, retain, and grow exceptional talent.