No one wants weekend work

[LastOrdersMaura]

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?

If your friend of a looking for Saturday staff she won’t get them on indeed or other job sites. Local Facebook, Nextdoor
(to reach parents) and a sign in the window will get better results.

What is she paying?

When you're young that's the only time you can work and socialise consistently! I used to go out every Friday and Saturday night, work 12 hour shifts in Neros all weekend and felt great! Woke up at some random house and shower, I don't know how many times I used to ask my colleagues 'do I smell like tequila?' It was the best!

@LastOrdersMaura

But she's not asking for experience. What are all the teenagers doing for jobs these days? I'm sorry but you cannot be an eighteen year old with no experience and expect to get more than MW. I'm on 50p more than that and I am responsible for peoples lives (care work.)

Except you can. My first job was above minimum wage, not much but above. What you can't expect is for people to apply to a job that they don't feel is worth their time.

She needs a reputation locally as a really lovely employer. Does she?

Too many small business owners feel they're doing staff such a favour to give them a bit of low paid amd unreliable work that they expect people to take all sorts. I don't know if that's the issue for your friend, but it's certainly coming accross a bit in your posts OP.

OP, where is the cafe, which city/town and what does of pay?

@woskxm293847

Indeed and job sites aren't the right audience. She needs to advertise locally: post office notice board, news agent notice board, Facebook, 6th form colleges, catering colleges etc. Use contacts, and ask around. Pay above standard, offer training, and access to courses such as first aid, food hygiene. Offer perks such as a free staff lunch etc. Most importantly get known as a employer who treats staff well.

I agree. She'd be better going old school and putting a notice in the window, noticeboard in local shops etc.

Be clear what's expected e.g. cleaning etc as well as serving.

"Most importantly get known as a employer who treats staff well".

This in spades. I worked a lot in catering when I was a teenager and the sector seems to attract a lot of complete shits as owners/managers like mini Gordon Ramsays. Treat staff decently and they'll go the extra mile.

See, the hours wouldn’t bother me on the face of it; DH is retired so the days I work don’t make a lot of difference to our time as a couple. However, there are some things that only happen on weekends the majority of the time. We’re both football fans and the majority of matches are on Saturdays; I work EOW at the moment and it’s Sod’s law that matches are on my working day (when we can go).

I do martial arts and am doing instructor training...always on a Saturday. Ditto the grading tests. As pp said, my parents and DH are both retired, if they did want any extra work, they wouldn’t want it to be all day on their feet serving other people for £9ph. Someone I work with has a young child; she doesn’t mind weekend work per se but no childcare as no nurseries/CM available (her DH also works some weekends).

I feel for you OP as it’s probably a bit crushing, but hopefully these replies may assist you some way.

I've worked in hospitality over the years, bar work, cafe's etc and not once have I come across any of these jobs who pay more at the weekend. It's a standard wage.

@poorbuthappy

She needs to advertised on local FB pages. All the year 11 leavers are crying out for jobs around here.

This.

Weekend jobs (that fit in with school) are like gold dust and multiple applicants for every job advertised locally at the moment.

Can she put a sign in the window?

And the NMW for 16 yr olds is £4.62 and they're all desperate for that, whatever day of the week it is. They're just bored rigid.

Working in hospitality is risky, without the feeling it's beneficial to people. Long unsocial hours often zero or uncertain hours..

@woskxm293847

Indeed and job sites aren't the right audience. She needs to advertise locally: post office notice board, news agent notice board, Facebook, 6th form colleges, catering colleges etc. Use contacts, and ask around. Pay above standard, offer training, and access to courses such as first aid, food hygiene. Offer perks such as a free staff lunch etc. Most importantly get known as a employer who treats staff well.

My now 19 year old only looks on indeed. The first job he got tehre was a sign in the window that old fogies like me noticed and told him about. The kids don't look for jobs like that anymore (even though we keep telling them to).

I worked in 3 different pubs in the west country in the early noughties and you got extra pay on sundays in all of them. You got time & a half on sundays, double time on bank holidays and triple time on new years eve. I earned £16.50 p/h working new years eve 2003/4.

@LastOrdersMaura

When you're young that's the only time you can work and socialise consistently! I used to go out every Friday and Saturday night, work 12 hour shifts in Neros all weekend and felt great! Woke up at some random house and shower, I don't know how many times I used to ask my colleagues 'do I smell like tequila?' It was the best!

Rose tinted specs You would have felt utterly utterly shit!!

Yes know your target market and then advertise directly to them

Facebook is the way forward - local/community groups. Your friend needs to investigate what's out there for the town - students? Parents (mums) villages etc

Target the right people. Who wants weekend only work? Students, school kids, actors, events professionals who have no work atm. Although that's changing.

Indeed is a waste of space and money, for this type of work

It’s uni exam time at the moment and GCSE and school leavers should finish mid June.

I also expect a lot of parents are telling their 18/19 children not to get a PT job at the moment until they are vaccinated.

I completely understand why unappealing

The industry has been decimated and is trying to get back on track.

Job candidates want to trust the job will be around for a decent period before enduring palaver of job applying and training

And no way would I want my uni student child or gcse / a level child going for a job with their exams around the corner

I've just had a look at local weekend jobs on indeed in my area, most shops are £9.50p/h there are a few cafe/restaurants paying £10-£12p/h

It looks like she just isn't paying enough. Almost anyone doing a Saturday job is doing it for the cash, the staff will go to the places offering more money

@Faultymain5 but Indeed isn't working so she obviously need to find a different audience.

I own a hospitality business. I find Indeed useless for anything other than the more senior roles. We find the methods I suggested (which you may have missed include advertising at colleges etc as well) far more effective. Plus you yourself said the first job your son got was from a window advert that 'old fogies' spotted and told him about. So that advert worked didn't it! QED.

The best method however is to get known as a good employer. We often have people approach us asking for work.

Round here those jobs are filled by putting a note in the window or by putting it on the local Facebook site( lots of mums and aunties tagging said teen in). She needs to reach the pre 18 market I reckon.

[quote LadyDanburysHat]@Palavah have you ever worked in hospitality or retail? Paying more for antisocial hours is absolutely not standard.[/quote]
Yes, both, and across several years but that was some time ago though I had the impression from other threads on here that it was still common.

I think putting leaflets up on the cafe window/social media/direct advertising to your target audience are much more effective than putting it on jobsites. But yes, she needs to make sure she is paying fairly.