Although the hospitality industry has been struggling to convince staff to come back to work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Ceridwyn King, Lindsey Lee and colleagues warn that challenges with attraction and retention are the result of underlying issues present across the entire industry.

Research shows that industry working conditions no longer appeal to the contemporary hospitality manager. This mismatch between worker expectations and workplace realities has created a drought of experienced lower-level management throughout the industry.

To address this issue, the industry must be reimagined to align with the personal and professional identities of prospective employees. By better understanding the identity and values of the workforce, realities of the workplace can be balanced with employee expectations.