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Original poster

No one wants weekend work

541 replies

LastOrdersMaura · 21/05/2021 08:50

My friend has a cafe. It's in a central location with a good bus route, cycle route and ten mins walk from a huge university campus.
Despite the jobs being on Indeed and advertised on a local job site, no one is applying. Or they apply but say 'is there any negotiation on the days?' Why doesn't anyone want weekend work anymore? I would have thought there would have been college students, Uni students, mums/ dads who can only work when partners are home, retired people who are bored. Why is it so difficult to recruit?

OP posts:
DreamingNow · 21/05/2021 09:22

Well.... basically because people who worked in hospitality did the best to find job in other areas, otherwise they would have had no work for the last year or so.
People who used to work in this industry - Europeans- have left in drove.

So there is no one elft to do those jobs. Just like fruit pickers.

I’m afraid it has nothing to do with people not wanting to work weekends (do you) but link to a huge change in that industry and your friend will have to adapt to.

aintnothinbutagstring · 21/05/2021 09:22

Lots of young people know they can make money flexibly and online these days, you could put a little money in crypto and earn pocket money off the interest or running a trading bot on it, it's not rocket science, anyone can do it and they don't need to waste their free time working for minimum wage. You get lots of girls selling their soul through OnlyFans 😄 Why would they need to work in a cafe? There's so many more ways to earn money now without leaving home, or needing to get dressed!

MoreAloneTime · 21/05/2021 09:22

Is it every weekend? I can't see why working every weekend would socially isolate you. Would two people doing every other weekend be a better option?

DreamingNow · 21/05/2021 09:22

The fact it would be an issue was well known btw....

Pinkdelight3 · 21/05/2021 09:22

I'm sure it's more about targeting the ad. Kids looking for saturday jobs won't necessarily look at indeed. Try the colleges and uni noticeboards and put the word about through local networks. Someone will know someone who knows someone etc.

leftistbimbo · 21/05/2021 09:23

Is she willing to give people training? When I was looking for a job last year all the jobs in cafes and coffee shops I came across wanted people with at least a years experience and often food hygiene certificates. I had neither so didn’t bother applying. I got a job in retail instead.

dreamingbohemian · 21/05/2021 09:24

Hospitality everywhere is struggling because so many EU nationals have left and there aren't new people coming in for that kind of work

Students are in exam time or never came to campus

She's going to need to pay more. If that means raising prices so be it.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 21/05/2021 09:26

Weekends are much busier in restaurants and hotels, it's when a lot of hospitality businesses make most of their profits. Someone working a weekend is far more likely to be run off their feet than on a weekday so I dont think it's that big a leap to suggest higher pay on weekends.

Its supply and demand. Pay in hospitality is crap. Our local pub landlord makes an absolute mint (including from a roaring takeaway business during lockdown) but only hires 18 year olds for the bar because he can pay them 5 quid an hour Hmm.

Brexit will reduce cheap labour from Europe. Businesses that can't operate at a high enough profit to pay better wages might struggle.

TheyWentToSeaInASieve · 21/05/2021 09:26

It's a market economy. If she raises her offer, she'll get more applicants. I am sorry you work in such a poorly paid industry. Is it possible that more people want to do your job?

Ragwort · 21/05/2021 09:27

Personally I have always worked weekends as most of my career has been in retail/hospitality - it doesn't bother me at all and I actually like having my time 'off' in the week when everything is quieter - currently enjoying a day off today Grin. I was never bothered about 'family time' as it gave my DH and DS plenty of quality time together. But I think I am probably in the minority.

I am surprised 6th formers/students aren't applying for the jobs ... my DS worked in hospitality since he was 16 and when he got to Uni found a fantastic job at a football club in catering which meant he earned money and enjoyed the atmosphere of the club and lots of free food.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 21/05/2021 09:27

The thing is too, raising prices is ok. Eating out is a relative luxury, and the people who can afford to do so are among the better off in our society. It's a way of making the better off support higher wages for those who earn less. I'd happily pay a bit more to eat out if it meant staff got paid a real living wage.

jackstini · 21/05/2021 09:28

Where is it?

This is the kind of thing my dd is looking for -weekend only as she's at school - and not having success finding!

GreenWillow · 21/05/2021 09:29

It’s just basic economics, if the wage rate is too low, nobody will take the job.

Anything will sell for the right price (including labour). Like all things, if it’s not selling, then the price has been set incorrectly.

Gymsmile21 · 21/05/2021 09:30

I think covid has made people realise they work too much and don’t have enough “life”

TableFlowerss · 21/05/2021 09:30

I wouldn’t work weekends if you paid me double! Mind, I’ve got two kids under 13 and a DH that works M-F so I’d never chose to work weekends as that’s family time.

Rosebel · 21/05/2021 09:31

People don't want to work weekends because it's the weekend.
I work Saturday mornings and hate it and will leave ASAP. I think if employers want people to work weekends they need to make it more attractive.
We get two days as a family and it's not even two days because I have to work. No parents want to work weekends (that I know).
With university students it will depend how much work they have to do and if they are actually at university at the moment.
Retired people are retired for a reason, usually because they don't want or need to work.

TableFlowerss · 21/05/2021 09:31

To add- I worked every weekend when I was younger, up until I had kids as it didn’t matter so much

blackheartsgirl · 21/05/2021 09:32

This past year hasn't helped.
Dd is in uni and desperate for a job.
However all the jobs in hospitality want non seasonal workers or a years experience and food hygiene certs.
Retail is the same. Its bloody hard to get into retail these days

Badyboo · 21/05/2021 09:33

I'm sorry but you cannot be an eighteen year old with no experience and expect to get more than MW.

Well, she'll need to pay higher if she can't find anyone won't she? I was earning £15 a hour at 18 because I worked the night shift in a garage, and no-one wants to do that for very long!

FasterthanBolt · 21/05/2021 09:33

This is the sort of job my DD will be applying for as soon as she's 16. Although anecdotally I have heard that she may struggle as many people want flexibility - core hours Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon or whatever, but also flexibility to cover holidays or sickness on other days of the week. And she doesn't have that, as she's at school
@RaspberryCoulis the exact same happened with my ds. Applied for a job that stated weekends only, was offered the job then told he would have to be available to cover absences during the week which he couldn't do due to college. The owner then got very cross with him for not telling her he wasn't flexible enough before the interview (she knew he was at college studying A Levels!)

GreenWillow · 21/05/2021 09:34

@Badyboo

I'm sorry but you cannot be an eighteen year old with no experience and expect to get more than MW.

Well, she'll need to pay higher if she can't find anyone won't she? I was earning £15 a hour at 18 because I worked the night shift in a garage, and no-one wants to do that for very long!

It’s called a Compensating Wage Differential.
Doublevodka · 21/05/2021 09:35

My 16 year old DD is desperate for weekend work. However she hasn't looked on Indeed. I'm going to get her on it now!

MeanderingGently · 21/05/2021 09:36

This is interesting, I'm older and semi-retired, I only work part-time. I've just taken on a weekend-work job. I thought at my age no-one would take me but I wanted a couple of extra days' work and they gave me the job....I was delighted. It gives me a foot into hospitality (only ever worked in a different sector before) and I have already found there are more hours going if I want them, and the chance to train for different hospitality jobs, I'm really pleased.

Sinner10 · 21/05/2021 09:37

Advertise on Facebook, get people to share your post. The target market is probably not on Indeed.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 21/05/2021 09:37

Also it will be absolutely reasonable for an 18 year old to expect more than MW with no experience if no one else will do the job.

This is what it is like when there is not a labour oversupply from cheap countries in the EU. Dont get me wrong, I was against Brexit for many many reasons, but it did cause a chronic oversupply of unskilled labour, and that depressed wages for a long time to a level that was not sustainable. Employers will have to adapt to paying wages that will allow workers to live long term & raise families in the UK, which the current MW does not.