The Top 4 Qualities Hotel Leaders Should Look for in Third-Shift Hires

Hiring personnel have always lamented how hard it is to fill the third shift. But what exactly should they be looking for in an employee to help do so?

Filling the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. is hard for hoteliers, who many times run up against people who don’t see any value in working those hours given their schedules.

Be that as it may, there is some  work to be done each day to get prepared for the coming day, and you need people to perform those tasks on a day-in, day-out basis.

1. Look for dependability

It could be true that people choose the third shift because they do not want the perceived burden of having to interact with a litany of people each day.

Since you are dealing with less of a crowd, you don’t need movie stars or the biggest social butterfly in the world. What you need are people who can remain focused to take care of their assigned tasks with little supervision.

Given the weighty tasks that have to take place overnight, you need people who are fine with showing up to work, performing as part of a vital team, and heading home. Since it’s already hard to hire for this shift, you don’t want to have a dud hire and have to go back to the proverbial drawing board.

2. Find as many self-starters as you can

The vast majority of your supervisors and managers go home and go to sleep, and the folks working during the third shift have to get used to not waiting around for someone to tell them what to do.

Instead, they should be prepared to see a problem and fix it to the best of their ability. By the time folks start rolling back in that next morning, there are hundreds of different tasks that employers have to take care of so that guests have the absolute best experience they can during their stay.

As a manager, you want to be able to rest your head on a pillow somewhere and sleep tightly knowing your colleagues can hold the fort  down. If you aren’t careful in the hiring process, you’ll have a great deal of sleepless nights.

3. Consider street smarts

The dead of night can bring with it people  who could try to rob a hotel or guests in the parking lot.

Your third shift needs people who know to have their head on a swivel and who take the threat of danger when working at night and with a much smaller and robust staff. Crime is an unfortunate reality for many high-profile businesses, and while you can’t prepare for everything, you can weave in some precautionary measures into the hiring process if possible.

The third shift may not be appropriate for the bright-eyed and bushy tailed. What you do need are people who understand a bit about the folks (on and off the job) who you might be dealing with milling  around popular hotel at night.

4. Be honest about family, health and social life concerns

Someone who has not worked this time of night may not be fully aware of the costs it can exact on your social life if you aren’t careful.  They may miss events with family from time to time, and they may find their work schedule complicating other parts of their lives if they don’t plan accordingly.

It’s something you want to be upfront about so that they don’t accept a job under false pretenses. Hiring costs money and time, and you want to be smart with both since you only have so much money to spend.

Working third shift can also wreak  havoc on employees’ health if they aren’t careful to take care of their bodies. If workers can’t work, they cost your company money and may cause your company to have to forego money if something like logistics is impacted over a long period of time.