Are you planning to make 2023 your best year in hospitality yet?
A new year can often come with a host of goals and plans as we look forward, including how we can make our job more than just a source of income.
After all, many of us would like to move from having ‘just a job’ to having a flourishing career that we find to be meaningful and a positive influence on our mental health and wellbeing.
Let’s take a look at how you can make 2023 your best year in hospitality so far.
Change your mindset
We know this might sound a little abstract, but changing your mindset is a major influence on some of the more concrete, practical methods you can take to positively impact your hospitality job.
It can be easy to quickly fall into a routine of treating your job as a means to an end, whether you’re viewing it as simply a source of income, a stepping-stone to another role, or as a form of experience.
This could, unintentionally, be holding you back.
Changing your mindset could be as simple as:
- Not dwelling on mistakes: we all actively learn from mistakes in our job, but treating mistakes as a learning experience rather than something detrimental can have a tremendous positive impact.
- Being proactive: if you’re looking to develop new skills or find new opportunities, don’t sit around and wait for them. Ask if there are any professional development opportunities in your workplace or if there are any ways to expand your skillset!
- Face (and embrace) challenges: if you’re not feeling challenged or moderately uncomfortable in your role, it’s likely that you’re not growing. Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be frightening, but it’s also where you’ll experience the most growth.
Set yourself some goals
Throughout the year, many of us will hit milestones and personal achievements we don’t even take note of because we’re so busy.
Sitting down and taking time to set goals that are relevant to your plans for the future, desire for growth, and ability to achieve, can give you something to work towards.
Are you looking to expand your skillset? To work your way up to a promotion? Or are your goals relating more to salary or job fulfilment?
Whatever your goals might be, it’s important to keep a record of them somewhere along with some steps you can take to achieve them.
If you want to expand your skillset, then what timeframe are you looking to achieve this in, and how can you do this?
You can split your goals into personal (e.g. setting aside time outside of work to focus on your wellbeing) and professional goals (e.g. a promotion).
Increase your salary
We won’t go too in-depth with this one, as we’ve already outlined in a previous blog post how you can constructively go about asking for a pay rise - but here’s a summary of the key points:
- Carefully consider aiming for a counter offer, as this is the most extreme option when it comes to securing a pay rise. Rather than potentially burn any bridges, you should take alternative steps first.
- Take note of your skills, particularly those that aren’t currently being utilised, as justification for a pay rise.
- Look for opportunities such as additional training or consult with your line manager to expand your skillset and show a willingness to learn.
- Do some benchmarking research to see what people in your job role and location are earning (it’s also worth considering your level of experience as a factor) as a basis for your salary negotiation.
Implement some mindfulness techniques
Even with all of the preparation and passion in the world, hospitality can be a stressful environment to work in at times.
Mindfulness is the practice (or discipline) around how we pay attention to our life – in other words, mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness.
When you’re contending with the multiple demands of a hospitality job, it can be exceedingly hard to ever be ‘in the moment’ because you might feel as though you’re being pulled in multiple directions.
Try practising your mindful listening skills – are you recognising the body language of your colleagues and customers? Are you responding to what they are saying and asking appropriate questions?
Mindfulness could also include taking a deep breath before specific tasks, such as engaging with customers, so that your full attention is focused on the moment.
Taking micro-breaks to gather your thoughts and reset between your day-to-day tasks can also go a long way in reducing stress and promoting the benefits of mindfulness.
Prioritise your mental health
Mental health is increasingly rising on the agenda for hospitality employers, and you should definitely make the most of this shift.
Some workplaces will have dedicated employees such as line managers to turn to for mental health support, alongside other resources that can be accessed online or in person.
If you aren’t sure whether your workplace offers any mental health support, it’s essential that you ask as you may be missing out on resources that you didn’t know were available to you.
Outside of work, there is a range of things you could do to prioritise your mental health, including:
- Spending more time with friends and family and making socialising outside of work a part of your weekly routine.
- Exercising regularly in a way that suits you and your schedule, whether this means walking, hiking, or a gym membership.
- Using apps such as Headspace to have support and resources as and when you need them.
- Taking breaks from work and using all of your holidays to ensure you don’t get burnt out.
Whatever your method, it’s important to make sure that your mental health is treated as a priority both in and out of the workplace to have the best work/life balance.
2023 can be your best year yet, and we can help
Your dream hospitality role could be just around the corner… and we can help you to find it.
Our team members at Talent Hive all have first-hand experience working in hospitality, so we know how challenging and rewarding the industry can be.
To find out more about how we can help you to secure your dream hospitality role, get in touch today.