The hospitality industry is at a crossroads, with HR leaders playing a pivotal role in addressing workforce challenges and driving strategic transformation. From combating high turnover rates and seasonal hiring challenges to leveraging digital tools for talent acquisition and employee experience, HR teams are evolving to meet hiring demands and deliver long-term organizational success.
To learn more about how HR teams are overcoming obstacles and positioning their teams to drive ROI, Checkr surveyed 1,000 HR leaders on their paint points, innovative solutions and strategic objectives. The following four insights reveal how they’re building more resilient, future-ready HR functions and tackling the complexities of modern hospitality.
1. Quality of hire is the #1 metric used to measure HR performance
To strengthen their teams’ impact, hospitality HR leaders are targeting improvements in metrics that directly influence hiring success and workforce stability. Their most important KPI? Quality of hire, as ranked #1 by 43% of survey respondents, underlining its importance in ensuring recruitment strategies align with organizational objectives. Rounding out the top three metrics are employee turnover rate and time to fill.
Looking ahead, strategic HR focus areas for 2025 include preparing for the future of work and evolving employee expectations. These highlight the industry’s commitment to adapting to changing workplace dynamics.
2. To overcome barriers and drive efficiency, leverage technology
While barriers to technology adoption abound for hospitality HR teams, the good news is 76% of HR leaders agree their current tech tools are integral to HR operations—demonstrating overcoming budget limitations, customization difficulty or resistance to new tech is essential.
In particular, HR leaders are embracing AI to optimize recruitment and retention. Their most recommended hiring solutions? AI-driven resume screening, automated background check data collection and data-driven hiring retention strategies—all of which enhance accuracy and efficiency in pre-employment processes and workforce planning.
3. High turnover can be combated by compensation and flexibility
It’s no surprise that in an industry known for its transient workforce, high turnover rates, sourcing and attracting the right talent and fluctuating seasonal hiring demands remain top pain points for HR leaders.
To navigate these challenges, hospitality HR teams are prioritizing competitive compensation, flexible work schedules and clear, concise job descriptions. These strategies closely mirror what hospitality candidates are looking for in their job search—fair, attractive pay, better career growth opportunities and wellness and mental health programs.
4. An effective EVP can help employers stand out in a crowded job marketplace
Creating a strong candidate and employee experience is often the edge HR leaders in the hospitality industry need to outpace competitors. An efficient employee value proposition (EVP) helps accomplish this by connecting with candidates on what they care about most.
So what should an EVP include? Our survey found HR leaders rank competitive compensation, work-life balance and career development opportunities as the top three most important elements. These values highlight the growing demand for flexible scheduling, supportive work environments and higher pay for workers in every hospitality sector.
Increase hospitality HR’s strategic impact this year
As the hospitality industry evolves, HR leaders are increasingly focused on leveraging innovation and data-driven strategies to address workforce challenges and position their teams as strategic contributors to organizational success. These survey findings show just how broad the scope of transformation truly is—spanning technology, strategy, data analytics, change management and more.
Curious what else hospitality HR leaders are doing to take the lead and tackle key challenges? Explore more insights from the full Checkr report, Future-Ready Hospitality HR: Strategic Insights from HR Leaders.
