Hey, I'm Shaun from Open Pantry Company and this is the prep list.

Your 10 minute or just under 10 minute Monday hit of hospitality Insights.

Each week I'll give you four sharp ideas to kick off your week.

One trend that I'm seeing across venues in hospitality one tool or system that's actually working, one real world operator move and one question to bring to your team or toolbox chat this week.

This one's all about recruitment.

Not just filling roles, but building teams that stay, grow and actually help the business run.

Trend to watch for this week the rebound of Employer branding There's been a big shift lately.

More venues are finally thinking about how they show up as employers.

Because let's be honest, in this labor market, people aren't just applying anywhere, they're applying where they feel seen, supported and like they won't get thrown in the deep end.

But what's the good news?

You don't need a marketing agency or even a HR department to build a better employer brand.

Here are three simple places to start.

Show your face.

A short video from the owner or manager introducing the role.

Even just 20 seconds on your phone can build that trust fast in your brand.

Show your team Instagram stories reels behind the scenes shots TikTok it's the little human stuff that sells a bigger picture about your brand.

And finally, show what you stand for.

Even one clear line in your job ad like we train well, support each other and believe hospitality should be sustainable for staff gives candidates a reason to care about your business even before they've started.

This isn't fluff, it's the difference between someone skipping your ad or clicking to apply the tool for the week.

Employment Hero and other onboarding tools let's talk about the part after you hire someone onboarding.

Because if your onboarding still looks like sink or swim or here's your login.

Good luck, you're leaving money and staff on the table.

I've been working with a few venues trialing Employment Hero lately.

It's an all in one system that combines contracts, payroll, onboarding modules, policies and hr.

And it helps it easily and makes it easy to track compliance as well.

Other great tools in this space are Tander and Deputy, which also have onboarding flows built in.

Some even help with performance tracking and engagement.

So the point is this.

A tool doesn't replace a great culture, but it helps build consistency and makes sure that no one falls through cracks in week one.

And when you've got 30, 40 hundreds of staff, that's really important.

Especially when you're growing or managing multiple venues.

Systems like this give you a way to scale your expectations the Operator Move for the Week Harvest Hotels Approach to Hiring across All Roles One of the groups we've supported recently is Harvest Hotels.

They operate pubs and venues across regional New South Wales and South Australia.

What I really admire about their approach is their level of thought.

It goes into every single hire from venue managers to GMs through senior roles like their CMO, executive chef and Head of People.

They rewrote their job ads with us with clear role expectations.

They highlighted team culture and focused on what they offer beyond the job.

And it worked.

They attracted talent that aligned with their values and they built a pipeline of great people across their business.

You don't have to be a group of 10 to 15 venues like these guys to take this approach though.

Even if you just run one cafe or bar, think about how your job ad feels to read.

Are they welcoming?

Clear, Aspirational.

That is the starting point for building a team that actually sticks in your brand.

Okay, finally the team question for the week.

Where are we losing good people?

Here's a simple but powerful one for your team in your next weekly meeting.

Where in our hiring or onboarding process do we lose good people?

It might be a job ad that doesn't actually reflect the role.

A clunky trial shift with no structure.

A lack of check ins in that first week, which is so critical.

And ask yourself the question what?

Really listen to your team's answers and then test one small fix this week, even if it's just writing a better welcome email or updating your job ad that you've currently got live.

And that's your prep list for this week.

If something here has helped you think differently and you'd love to share it with someone in the industry, whether they be a venue manager, an owner, please feel free to send it to them.

You can also DM us on LinkedIn or Instagram with ideas or tools you think we should feature on this Monday podcast.

And if you're deep in hiring mode, don't forget onboarding isn't a chore, it's your best recruitment tool.

Thanks again for listening.

Have a great week ahead and I'll see you next Monday for another round of the prep list.