5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Your Hospitality Temps
As an alternative to traditional hospitality agencies we have become one of the largest employers of ANZ’s largest casual hospitality workforce (or Sidekicks as we call them) we know a few things about them that may surprise you.
Here’s 5 things you probably didn’t know about your hospitality staff…
1. Hospitality staff are educated!
Have you ever thought that your temp bar staff or temp wait staff are choosing to work flexibly over a permanent casual position because they are inexperienced or unskilled and no one wants to hire them?
If you have, prepare to be amazed.
Our survey found that 58% of our Sidekicks have a Bachelor’s degree, and 98% have completed high school.
Sheryl who has a Postgraduate Diploma in Earth Sciences. She joined Sidekicker so she could work flexibly around her exams and assignments as she completed her degree.
2. 44% of your hospitality staff study hospitality
Almost half of our hospitality Sidekicks are formally studying hospitality and tourism management, 26% are studying to be a pâtissier or chef, and 13% are studying hospitality service.
And they happen to be studying at some of the biggest hospitality institutions in Australia, including William Angliss, The Institute of Culinary Excellence and The Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School.
Sheikh (below) is a Sidekick based in Sydney who is is currently pursuing a Masters in Hotel Management. He has practical training in fine dining, and loves the fast-paced environment and variety that comes with being a part of the hospitality world.
The moral of the story is do not underestimate your hospitality temps, they’ve got it all–skills, ambition, and a whole lot of awesomeness.
3. 82% work flexibly to help them achieve their broader ambitions
A common misconception about temp workers is that they are young, inexperienced, and lacking in ambition.
But, one couldn’t be more wrong!
Here at Sidekicker, our mission is to give people the power to reach their potential. A majority of our Sidekicks thrive in a flexible work environment because it is stress-free, allows them to earn extra money, and most importantly- gives them full control over their schedule.
Chances are that your hospitality temps are doing so much more than just their shifts- from studying, to working a second job, or even launching their own business.
Almost like superheroes, don’t you agree?
Hemma a law graduate and Sidekick. She recently launched her own ethical fashion business and is currently working towards venturing into the legal tech space! She uses Sidekicker so she can pick up hospitality work on her own terms.
4. 74% of hospitality temps are working temp jobs in addition to permanent employment
Many may think that temp work is the only form of employment for those who choose to use an agency or tech platform to find it, however upon running a survey to our Sidekicks, we found that:
- 74% use Sidekicker in addition to permanent employment
- 73% of Sidekicks support themselves, or earn bulk of their income for their household
- Only 3% suggested they needed more pay than they were currently receiving
You’d think hospitality temps would be motivated by higher pay, as would any worker?
However, our survey told us that only a small 3% wanted higher pay than they currently receive.
In fact, one of our creative Sidekicks, Trood Wendt, told us that the #1 reason he loves working flexibly in the hospitality space was not money, it was because he gets to meet amazing people, which has helped him build his character.
He says, “I love what I do, because I love meeting and networking with more people. Flexible work has given me a great opportunity to do that. But most importantly, it allows me to be more creative and inspire other people to always do what they love.”
5. The top preferred job benefit was a supportive boss and team environment
We’ve spoken a lot on the Sidekicker blog about how important workplace culture is not only for a productive workforce, but also for a happy, positive, and resilient workforce.
Our survey results confirmed that the #1 preferred benefit in a job was a supportive boss and a team environment.
This statistic is SO important because temp workers often feel that they are treated differently even though they have the same experience as other staff.
