There are currently around 400,000 vacancies in the Netherlands. Of course, not only in the event and hospitality sector, but there is also a great demand for staff here. During King’s Day 2022, the Dutch were faced with the choice of partying or standing behind the bar themselves. After two years of Corona measures, the choice was quickly made… Should the threshold for recruiting staff for events be lowered or should the salary be increased? On this page we look at the challenges within the entertainment industry, the possible solutions and the way in which Moneycomb manages to overcome these challenges.
Building together
Moneycomb has been the expert in cashless payments during events for over 10 years. Together with event organizers, we have experienced great heights and we have all gone through a very deep valley in the last two years. Now that the festival season is flourishing again, we are working with entrepreneurs and event organizers to find structural solutions and smart ways to organize events. We would like to hear about your challenges in the field of wireless pin and connectivity during events. Contact us today for the solution of tomorrow!
People are lazy
Horeca entrepreneur Won Yip gave the answer to a shortage of staff that people are lazy. (Quote from De Ondernemer.) This is a quote where context is certainly important. He was not (only) referring to the prosperity in society and ‘spoiled’ staff, but he also put his hand in his own bosom. He indicated that as an employer you have to stay involved with your business and not shout from your holiday that the staff has to go the extra mile. Together we put our shoulders to the wheel, that is quite different from ‘lazy people’. The solutions for staff during events cannot be solved by sitting back and waiting to see what happens. That is certainly not the case, staff are not lazy. Certainly not if they get hungry…
Is money the solution?
With no festivals for two years and hardly any activity in the hospitality industry (except for takeaway and delivery restaurants), many young people have looked for a job elsewhere. However, they would rather return as staff during events. In addition, there is a large group of young people who are now old enough to tap beers and walk around with a mobile payment terminal. This is clearly noticeable in the number of applicants and the supply at employment agencies.
A common criticism of personnel policy is the compensation for staff. Can you recruit more staff with a higher hourly wage? To some extent yes, but money is certainly not the only solution to the staff shortage. A fun job within a close-knit team with employees and employers who strengthen each other. Flexibility in particular is the key word here. If someone can take a day off and then help out on a holiday, you can share the burden as a team. This strengthens team spirit and ensures that staff develop a better bond with the employer. Constantly training new employees is certainly not a cost-saving solution.
Staff is not a disposable product
The specialists at Moneycomb work closely with event organizers. We know the board members, the team leaders, but we also see many different faces during festivals and events. Day workers who work long hours for a weekend at most and then go back to work elsewhere. Sometimes you come across familiar faces. These are flexible employees who come and go but show commitment. They do not want to be tied down but secretly gain a lot of experience. They learn from this and the organization benefits from this knowledge. In addition to financial compensation, appreciation should not be underestimated. “For you, ten others” is the old economy, this no longer works in many sectors. And this is certainly not a bad development. Just as we at Moneycomb experienced the transition from festival tokens to digital payments, we also see a different dynamic among staff during events. Not always better, certainly not always worse, but simply different. A new step in a new economy. And we are happy to contribute to that. As a service provider with a specific expertise that you as an event organizer do not have to work with, but want to work with.
Quality comes first
Everything used to be better, every older generation says. The facts show otherwise. Children no longer play outside … The enthusiasm for open air festivals shows that ‘playing’ outside is indeed popular among young people. Young people are not social with their smartphones … Yet they spend hours chatting, there is someone on the other end of the line. The mobilization of society has been very fast, too fast for some. The convenience of paying with your smartphone thanks to an RFID chip and a mobile payment terminal is a development that has been very fast. As with everything that develops quickly, you have to be careful that the quality is not compromised. For example, if the connection fails, or if someone in the service gives the wrong order. Connect the smartphone of the serving staff to the central POS cash register, which is wirelessly connected to the network for payments during a festival. By optimizing all links, you deliver more quality and that is appreciated. Want to know more about creating an ad hoc network during an event or festival? Contact Moneycomb for a customized solution.
How do you recruit personnel?
Event personnel are often relatively young. In the same age category as the visitors. This makes recruiting personnel a challenge. Young people have to choose between earning money and spending money. What are the ways to recruit good personnel?
1. Employment agency
For temporary personnel, you can go to an employment agency. There are various agencies that focus on events and festivals. These are often students who would like to earn some extra money. You can outsource the recruitment completely, but this does mean that you as an employer have a less close bond with the personnel. This does not have to be a problem, but it is something to take into account.
2. Payrolling
Have you found someone you would like to hire more often, but you can’t take the risk of a permanent position? Then payrolling may be a solution. This is a form of employment in which the payroll company provides the salary including insurance, tax payments, etc. Calculate approximately double the rate of what you would normally pay in salary. You certainly run considerably less risk as a small organization.
3. Self-employed persons
A Chamber of Commerce registration can be arranged quickly. That is why there are so many Self-employed persons in the Netherlands. This seems good for events and there are indeed a number of advantages. However, there are a few points of attention that you should take into account. For example, a self-employed person must have multiple clients, otherwise the tax authorities will still see it as a regular employment contract. Hiring a self-employed person does not simply mean getting the benefits without the costs.
4. Off-site staff
This is not a new development, but it is a way of using staff that offers many more possibilities thanks to internet technology. In addition to a call center with operators in India, there are also many new possibilities. For example, a fast-food company in Canada uses a cashier who works in Central America via webcam. With contactless payment, similar decentralized services can be provided. For example, you can let customers order and pay without table service. This not only saves costs, it also increases efficiency during busy events.
5. Staff from abroad
You can also have staff come from abroad. The rules for employees from outside the EU will be relaxed in 2022 to address the staff shortage. There are certainly obstacles to overcome, such as a different language and cultural differences, but it can provide a (temporary) solution for events. Recruitment and selection requires at least the same attention as for Dutch employees, especially in the hospitality sector. You can learn the language, customer-oriented action requires ‘soft skills’ that you cannot master overnight.
6. Permanent core, flexible staff
As a company, you run a greater risk with only flexible staff than with permanent staff. Solutions can be devised for absenteeism due to illness and disability, but if your flexible on-call staff do not respond, you really have a problem. Consider putting together a permanent team with on-call staff in combination with companies that have a specialism. At Moneycomb we know everything about cashless payments, in addition to installing the infrastructure we can also provide staff training. Inquire about the possibilities without any obligation.
7. Automation
Then there is automation. There are many links in the process that can be automated. The starting point should not be to replace existing employees, but to lighten the workload of staff or change it in terms of content. Think of a self-scan checkout in the store. It does not eliminate the need for staff, but it does make the workflow more efficient.
We do not live in a world in which everyone has a standard basic income and we can all party at the same time. There will always be a need for service providers, employees and executives. By working together smartly and using the resources that are available, the gap between supply and demand of staff can be closed. And this will certainly be necessary in the current festival season!
Do you have any questions about this article? Please feel free to contact us.