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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:
C8H10N4O2 · 21/05/2021 10:24

Hospitality has the reputation of being low paid, zero hours and insecure with patchy employment practices and has relied for years on being able to ship in cheap offshore labour. Its not the most attractive option for someone young and unvaccinated

Improved pay and conditions in the industry would likely attract people back. Yes that will increase prices but as customers we should pay people a living wage and not expect our meals to come at the cost of the staff serving us (or tax subsidies).

looptheloopinahulahoop · 21/05/2021 10:24

@MiddlesexGirl

More Covid related than anything else. The students that have gone back to uni will be on holiday soon so either going back home or looking for temporary holiday work rather than weekend work. Hopefully will pick up again in September if ads are put in the right place.
But there will be sixth formers and students who live in the OP's friend's town looking for work. I am flummoxed that this is even an issue, to be honest. With a long summer ahead, and no real prospects of travel, a lot of teens will be keen to work and earn money before they go back to sixth form or uni.
looptheloopinahulahoop · 21/05/2021 10:25

@MotherOfGodWeeFella

Is she advertising for one person to work both Saturday and Sunday? When I worked in retail it was rare to work both days at the weekend.
Yes it would make sense to have two separate jobs. Also means that one can cover for the other if necessary, and might also be able to cover in the week.
SchrodingersImmigrant · 21/05/2021 10:25

There is a staff gap in ghe industry because lots of left. Bbc or guardian had articles on the effect of europeans leaving on hospitality.
Maybe the people who used to tell me "pf, I wouldn't do this job" might change their mind? (Not joking, was told that number of times). Maybe not. It's not JUST about wages. I wasn't sneered at for working in takeaway place (not a chippy even, they get it much worse from customers because people just assume you are stupid) due to wages, but due to it being percieved as a low class job🤷🏻

And agree with indeed. Never had much luck there with hirees, but it was still SO much better than when we advertised on job centre site.

Has she put up poster on the door? That's how we always got ours. And post on our social media, of course. Also there are always some facebook local job groups.

Agree with uni careers centres. They can let students know.

Howshouldibehave · 21/05/2021 10:25

To those saying teens finish exams next week-not all them do! Lots (y12) still have a pretty intense month coming up and my university age DC don’t finish for a while yet either.

Egghead81 · 21/05/2021 10:25

@Fallulah

They finish next Friday and have a LONG summer ahead. NCS is full around here so they’re going to be bored.
Exams don’t finish until mid June
grannycake · 21/05/2021 10:25

I have 2 adult children in hospitality - both chefs. Nobody is moving jobs because of the uncertainty re furlough in the future. Laughing at the anti social hours payments - not happened for years. Lots of people in hospitality have changed direction - realised they could earn the same elsewhere without the hideous family unfriendly hours. If your friend is offering minimum wage she will struggle to recruit - especially since Brexit as the supply of European workers has gone.

COVID and Brexit have conjured up the perfect storm

Egghead81 · 21/05/2021 10:26

My mistake
The last exam is 2nd July

celtiethree · 21/05/2021 10:27

^“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.)”^

Hospitality where I am is heavily recruiting at the moment and those zero experience 17/18 years olds are getting more than minimum wage - £9 to £10 an hour is normal, the weekend only jobs are snapped up. As are all the other unsociable hours.

NMW isn’t enough.

SofiaMichelle · 21/05/2021 10:30

@Checkingout811

Most parents don’t want to work weekends as it’s family time.

Many parents who don't work during the week actually do want to work weekends because that's often when the other parent is not at work and so childcare is available.

It's single, childless people who are more likely to not want weekend work as that's prime socialising time for them.

HereForTheBiscuits · 21/05/2021 10:31

Is it a Saturday and Sunday role? Maybe worth splitting into two roles. I worked on a Saturday when I was in sixth form but I can't imagine I would have wanted to do both days as I also needed to do coursework, rest a bit and have a life. Maybe one staff for sat one for Sunday with the potential of overtime during the holidays?

Saladd0dger · 21/05/2021 10:31

My DD has been applying for lots of jobs like this to fit around her college course. Not even a interview! Is it local to Sn11 op?

LostInTime · 21/05/2021 10:32

@Egghead81 There are no exams this year! Y11 and Y13 are leaving school over next two weeks- perfect time to pick up some hours for summer.

Using Indeed is useless- she needs an ad in the window, and to email local school/6th forms to reach y11/y13s. Also put on her business' FB page. Young people won't be on there but there parents might see it.

Metabigot · 21/05/2021 10:32

Like any market it probably boils down to price. If she was paying say £25/hour I'm sure she'd be inundated with applicants.

The question isn't so much 'why don't people want to work at weekends' such as 'why has the price of labour for work at weekends risen?'

MrsWooster · 21/05/2021 10:33

Maybe she needs to be flexible-offer short /part time, so get someone for sat morning, someone else for sat afternoon etc-people may not want to give up ALL their social time after missing out for so long.

Original poster
LastOrdersMaura · 21/05/2021 10:34

It's a chain cafe, she doesn't own it, and it's in the middle of a not very hip department store. Unlikely young people will stroll past the poster. It's both days of the weekend but 10-4.

OP posts:
Egghead81 · 21/05/2021 10:34

[quote LostInTime]@Egghead81 There are no exams this year! Y11 and Y13 are leaving school over next two weeks- perfect time to pick up some hours for summer.

Using Indeed is useless- she needs an ad in the window, and to email local school/6th forms to reach y11/y13s. Also put on her business' FB page. Young people won't be on there but there parents might see it.[/quote]
Sorry I didn’t mean to post second post!

Assessment period finishes 18th June

That is some way off

Egghead81 · 21/05/2021 10:36

@LastOrdersMaura

It's a chain cafe, she doesn't own it, and it's in the middle of a not very hip department store. Unlikely young people will stroll past the poster. It's both days of the weekend but 10-4.
No bloody way would I be encouraging any teen or uni student of mine to do this Studying

But mainly.... I would want them to be out and about as much as possible this summer. To take every opportunity to socialise and go away, and be spontaneous

And I’d be happy to pay!.

BertieBotts · 21/05/2021 10:36

Both days is too much. It should be one or the other, or every other weekend.

People need a day off!

Yerroblemom1923 · 21/05/2021 10:36

Nobody wants to work at the weekend because they have a family and/or a social life. Students don't want it because they're tired/hungover and older people want to see their husband/wife/partner/kids/have a lie in.
I have worked in the hospitality industry and weekends are the worst shifts to cover. The only way is to offer more pay or shorter shifts anything to make it more attractive to potential employees.

VioletCharlotte · 21/05/2021 10:37

Is she advertising for people to work both Saturday and Sunday? If so, I can understand why not many people would want to give up their whole weekend.

But as others have said, Brexit is the main issue. So many Europeans have gone home, there are less workers available. She'll need to increase the wages and make the job more attractive.

BlackElephant · 21/05/2021 10:37

@LastOrdersMaura

It's a chain cafe, she doesn't own it, and it's in the middle of a not very hip department store. Unlikely young people will stroll past the poster. It's both days of the weekend but 10-4.
So NMW and little prospect of tips

Needs to up the wages then

Comefromaway · 21/05/2021 10:39

My son is desperate for weekend work but he's only 17 and most of the jobs he has seen are either asking for age 18 or to able to cover sickness etc in the week. They also want experience which he hasn't yer got.

Come September when the over 18's are back on campus they will be inundated.

Soupforoneplease · 21/05/2021 10:39

So because everyone subsidises their DC's now, no one wants weekend work. How do you expect them to learn work ethic? Uni isn't real life. Loads will struggle to get work after graduation, especially with no work experience. I remember after I graduated, one of my friends was sacked from her first big job as she couldn't be on time, she'd never had to be on time before! Also how to dress appropriately, that's a big problem with student nurses at my place. No you shouldn't wear translucent leggings to a secure hospital Hmm

BrightYellowDaffodil · 21/05/2021 10:39

Maybe the expectation that NMW is as much as they can expect is the issue here?

Why would you work your weekends for NMW (especially when you're younger and NMW is peanuts) when you could get a job in, say, a supermarket or even McDonalds where you'll be paid a much better rate to make it worth your while and could potentially split your hours over weekend/evening/free day shifts.

The idea that people should be grateful for crap working conditions ("I did when I was that age!" Hmm ) has been a long time in its demise but maybe a silver lining of Covid and Brexit is that it will finally go.