Why Hospitality Staffing Still Feels Like a Game of Whack-a-Mole

Let’s call it what it is. Staffing right now feels like one big game of whack-a-mole. You fill one role, two more open. Someone shows up Monday, ghosts by Friday. You invest hours training, and then—poof—no-show.

It’s not just a hiring issue. It’s an ops issue. A cost issue. A burnout issue. A guest experience issue.

Above all, it’s a consistency issue.

This is what we’re hearing on the ground:

• Country clubs scrambling to staff banquet teams for peak weekends
• Restaurants rotating the same five dependable servers through 12+ shifts
• Hotels running skeleton crews and paying the price in guest reviews
• Stadiums and arenas are navigating a stalled operation in concessions or ticketing or parking because of one no-show

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just playing by a playbook written for a different era. Today:

• Workers want flexibility, faster pay, better treatment, and benefits
• Managers are expected to do more with less
• Turnover is sky-high—and the cost of being short-staffed is even higher

In upcoming issues, we’ll break down what is working. Smarter onboarding. Better shift planning. How artificial intelligence and flexible labor are helping teams forecast demand, match the right talent to the right shifts, and spot no-shows before they happen.

Because the old way of staffing isn’t just outdated

It’s costing you.

Until then, we’ll leave you with this:

The people problem isn’t a people problem. It’s a system problem.

– The Croux Team

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