Tackling Workforce Challenges is a Team Lift.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now. - Chinese Proverb

It’s not just us. Historic workforce challenges currently face nearly every industry. Common reasons include the low unemployment rate and a growing mismatch between the skills needed and values desired by employers and the abilities and attitudes of prospective employees. 

Many partners I speak with feel that the hospitality industry is particularly hard-hit, and the state’s third largest employer, as forecasted by the Oregon Department of Labor (2017-2027), doesn’t get the respect deserved.

And it’s true, we have been left out of strategic workforce development discussions and sector training funding grants targeted to help meet workforce needs. Why haven’t we been asked to participate? 

Primarily because of the government, education system and public’s perception that we are a low wage/low opportunity industry. Public workforce investment and education are focusing on industries they believe have high wage/high opportunities so that investments produce significant ROI for individual opportunities and Oregon’s economic vitality. Many of us who have made rewarding careers in the hospitality industry may argue, but what can we as an industry actively do to change the perception that the industry isn’t worthy? How is that perception affecting us?

For example, Oregon’s recent Career Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization Grants, which focused on career readiness and ‘giving students access to hands-on learning programs’ totaled $10.3 million dollars. Grants were allocated primarily for training in manufacturing, engineering, agricultural science, aviation, robotics, forestry, construction and biomedical/health sciences. The state’s advocacy and advisory council included industry representatives from construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and plumbing/heating/cooling contractors, but not one representative from the hospitality industry. So too, none of Oregon’s nine Workforce Development Boards which receive federal monies to “develop strategies that leverage funding and resources within their local communities to prepare and match the skills of workers with the workforce demands of businesses” place a high priority on training for the hospitality industry, though at least Lane County identifies food service in one of its sector strategies.

Why? We weren’t asked to be at these tables, true, but neither did our industry prepare in advance as others had done to earn and ensure our own involvement.

Many industries planted seeds long ago when they began realizing that they were going to face shortages of skilled workers in the future if they didn’t proactively advocate and plan for their own employment needs. For example, with technology’s boom, here was some sentiment that blue-collar jobs were appropriate only for those that “couldn’t cut it” in the white-collar world. The trades understood that they needed to change that perception and actively recruit for their professions in order to encourage future generations to consider employment. They recognized the need for creative recruiting and helped fund entrepreneurial organizations such as the Oregon Tradeswomen, created 29 years ago “to offer innovative trades-based training programs, trades awareness activities and technical assistance to organizations seeking to be inclusive of women in their trade occupations.”

Other industries such as healthcare, high tech, and engineering companies formed coalitions even among competitors. These coalitions collaborated to create innovative tools they voluntarily funded and provided access to the education system. They supported apprenticeship programs and created awareness campaigns touting not only their economic value to the state’s economy but also the desirability of their jobs and ease of pathways to reach top pay. 

The Time is Now 

Would it be easier to catch-up if it were 20 years ago when we began? Sure. But with a combination of long-term planning and short-term strategies, and the active engagement by several partners, many of us believe the hospitality industry can work together to proactively tackle our workforce challenges.  

You can start now, in a small but important way, by supporting our state’s ProStart Culinary and Management CTE Programs which offer career exploration skills and opportunities to 3,000 students in 36 schools throughout the state (see OregonRLA.org/ProStart). Needed are industry speakers, in-classroom skill mentors and field trip sites, as well as financial, food, and equipment donations. You can also participate in the upcoming ORLAEF ProStart Invitational as judge, volunteer, and/or sponsor. Get more information at OregonRLA.Org/Competition.
The industry needs champions like you to promote its opportunities and advantages, and to engage with workforce initiatives.

Where to Start

Consider Evaluating Your Own Organization: Are you spending time with your employees to understand their goals? Do you actively provide and coach internal and external pathways to success? This type of engagement has been shown not only to help reduce individual company turnover but also helps encourage employees to advance in the industry. Read more on best practices and tools for recruiting and retaining employees at OregonRLA.org/blog/workforce-20.

Make an Honest Assessment: As an industry we all need to look at our workplaces, their culture and demands. Are they in fact reasonable and desirable? Are we being realistic about what we are asking employees to do? Is our culture positive and supportive? Do schedule demands allow for personal and family balance? Do we need to make some changes? For example, check out how chefs are supporting other chefs to inspire a new kitchen culture at FairKitchens.com.

Embrace Innovation: Results come from a multi-faceted approach that includes utilizing technology to increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary, repetitive tasks. It’s true that younger generations are less willing to perform duties they consider unfulfilling. Using technology can not only improve job satisfaction but it can create more opportunity for employees to focus on the guest, a win-win for everyone. Here is one article for perspective: http://bit.ly/NewHospTech.

Engage with Available Workforce Training Tools: For examples and to learn more about the new apprenticeship programs for both food service and lodging, go to: http://bit.ly/RestaurantLodgingApprenticeships. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out online training programs such as those offered by the American Hotel & Lodging Association at http://bit.ly/ORLodgingCareers and Rouxbe.com. The Oregon Coast, Lane County, and Portland are actively engaged in various workforce development efforts and need industry partner participation. Success will rely on support in a variety of ways including strategic leadership, guest speakers/instructors, field trip sites, and employers who embrace training relationships.

Be an Industry Champion in Your Community: Become involved with your workforce board at http://bit.ly/ORWorkforceBoards or join the advisory board at your local high school or community college. Advocate for the economic contribution and job opportunities our industry offers using resources such as http://bit.ly/ORRestaurantData and http://bit.ly/ORHotelData. As the Oregon Workforce and Talent Board, which is responsible for advising the governor on workforce matter notes, “No sector strategy is ever successful without members of industry acting as leaders, informers and champions.”

ORLA Education Foundation’s mission is to help support the hospitality industry’s training and education needs. Recruiting, retaining, and helping its employees advance in their careers is an essential focus. With sponsorships from partners such as Travel Oregon, Sysco Portland, Metro, and Curtis Restaurant Equipment, as well as generous individual donations (see OregonRLA.org/SupportEF) we have been able to engage with, promote and advocate for many of the initiatives above. 

We are always seeking partners to help us expand and represent our efforts and are also seeking those attracted to serving on an ad-hoc committee with our Board of Trustees to help us discern feasible, reasonable, and fundable strategies for future impact. Interested? Please contact me at WPopkin@oregonrla.org. | Wendy Popkin

Wendy Popkin is the Executive Director for ORLA’s Education Foundation (ORLAEF), a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting the educational and training needs of the hospitality industry. Wendy is a 32-year career veteran who describes herself as “fanatically enthusiastic about helping others enjoy the same type of fabulous career opportunities I have enjoyed in the hospitality industry.” ​

Update: Dec. 5, 2018 - Portland City Council passed a new ordinance to reduce the automatic distribution of single-use plastics in Portland. The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) worked with the Mayor’s office to research the policies of other cities, conduct a series of workgroup meetings, analyze community feedback and land on a policy recommendation.

The ordinance will include restrictions on plastic service ware (defined as straws, stirrers, utensils and condiment packaging) for the following situations, when applicable to the food and beverage order:

• By request policy: In dine-in situations, plastic service ware will be only available by request of the customer.
• Ask first policy: In fast food, take-out and delivery situations, plastic service ware will only be provided after the customer has been asked and confirms they want the plastic service ware.

The workgroup consisted of a representative from ORLA, restaurant owners, wholesalers, a medical facility, American Disability Act (ADA) straw users, and environmental advocates. “The Portland restaurant community appreciates the City keeping the ordinance “by-request,” respecting the need for single-use plastics for our customers, especially those in the disabled community. Portland restaurants recognize the need to reduce plastics in the waste stream balanced with the needs of our guests,” noted Greg Astley, ORLA's Director of Government Affairs.

Notification and outreach to businesses will begin in January 2019, and the ordinance will go into effect on July 1, 2019.

Visit  www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/reduceplastics for more information.

Nov. 30, 2018 - Three ORLA members recently served on a workgroup convened by Mayor Ted Wheeler to craft policy related to Single-Use Disposable Plastics (SUD’s) in the City of Portland. The workgroup also included members of the Surfrider Foundation, environmentalists, community members, members of the disabled community and city staff.  

The Mayor tasked the workgroup with creating an ordinance around plastic straws but encouraged the group to look beyond just straws as well. Concerns about liability, lack of access to medically necessary plastic straws, and proceeding cautiously led to an “on request” policy for plastic straws for dine-in restaurants. For delivery and take-out orders, employees will need to ask if patrons need utensils or condiment packets before placing any in the take-out carrier or bag.

Specifically, all retail food and beverage establishments and institutional cafeterias, where beverages may be consumed at dine-in areas, shall provide plastic straws and stirrers only after customer request as of July 1, 2019. 
 
Further, as of July 1, 2019, all retail food and beverage establishments and institutional cafeterias, where customers may order take-out and delivery, shall provide plastic utensils and condiment packaging only after asking if the customer needs plastic utensils and condiment packaging and the customer responds affirmatively. This requirement applies to face to face, phone and electronic orders.
 
Plastic service ware is defined as single-use plastic straws, stirrers, utensils and condiment packaging. Condiment packaging is defined as plastic packaging used to deliver single-serving condiments to customers. This includes but is not limited to single-serving plastic packaging for ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, hot sauce, coffee creamer, salad dressing, jelly and jam and soy sauce.

For more information:

• Report to Portland City Council, 11.14.18
• Portland Ordinance