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Leisure and hospitality workers have the highest turnover rate of any industry. About 1 million people left their jobs in November 2021 alone, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. why? Seasonality, low wages and monotonous work are the reasons for the high turnover rate in the hospitality industry and a perceived lack of career progression.
So what should the hospitality business do? You might look to services like Qwick, a startup that connects employees with hospitality gig deals. Qwick today announced that he has raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by Tritium Partners. This includes current investors Album VC, Kickstart, Desert Angels and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.
Jamie Baxter co-founded Qwick with Chris Loeffler in 2017. Baxter previously served as Segment Technical Director for Risk and Financial Services at Willis Towers Watson, where he oversaw product and software development.
Baxter used Qwick to create a platform that connects hospitality workers with food and beverage shifts in real time. Qwick uses his matching algorithm, which takes into account factors such as distance, availability of “VIP” workers and supply, to match hospitality gigs such as stadiums, senior living facilities and corporate catering for his business. meet.
“The hospitality industry has been plagued by a reputation for low retention rates, low wages, poor management and working conditions for decades,” Baxter said in an email interview with TechCrunch. We aim to reshape what it means to work in hospitality by tackling the problem of working in hospitality, creating value for professionals and providing affordable wages.”
To sign up for Qwick, employees must complete a profile and watch a 5-minute virtual orientation. Once the review is complete, you will receive notification of open shifts.
“At Qwick, new professionals are required to undergo an orientation that includes a one-on-one interview,” says Baxter. “Before being granted access to the platform, all Qwick professionals are certified and vetted for experience, professionalism and commitment to service.”
Baxter also says that Qwick utilizes a two-way five-star rating system to “ensure continued quality and credibility among professionals and businesses,” but that similar offerings on the gig marketplace are not. It should be noted that rating systems have been found to exacerbate prejudices against minority workers.
Book your gig with Qwick’s mobile app. Image credit: quick
Qwick is similar to startups such as Stint, Flexy, Indeed Flex, Gig, Limber and Baristas on Tap, providing short-term workers to companies in various industries. Proponents of the platform say they seek to make hospitality a more economically viable profession by increasing job flexibility. But his recent Eater article found that some workers at hospitality gig startups could be forced to go home near the local minimum wage and be forced into long, unpaid commutes. Critics argue that the platform could cut budgets for hiring and training and encourage the replacement of full-time positions with temporary jobs.
Some hospitality employers have indicated they are willing to accept agency workers even at the expense of salaried workers. In 2017 and 2018, Marriott and Hilton joined his Airbnb and her TechNet coalition (which includes Uber, Lyft, and Taskrabbit) with federal legislation to classify people who find work through online platforms as independent contractors. I urged you to submit
Baxter refutes the idea that Qwick is the driving force behind the disease, arguing that it gives workers the “freedom” to work on their own schedule.
“Thousands of business partners across the United States rely on Qwick to fill their staffing shortages… [We] We partner only with reputable companies known to treat their staff well, providing an agency where professionals can work anytime, anywhere.”Hundreds of thousands of industry professionals download our app.” and signed up for work shifts through Qwick.”
Qwick workers average $9 above the minimum wage in the city where they work, Baxter added. He also said that Qwick allows companies to hire gig workers for employment outside the traditional platform at no additional charge.
In any case, the demand for Qwick’s services from employers appears to be very strong. After a rough patch during the pandemic — Qwick was forced to lay off 70% of him on the team and Baxter stopped taking salaries — Baxter says earnings have risen to a staggering 10,000% over the past three years increased and business has more than recovered. .
For better or worse, the gig economy shows no signs of shrinking. The Pew Research Center reports that 16% of Americans have completed online gigs through his platform. Mastercard predicts that the number of global gig workers will grow to 78 million in 2023, up from his 43 million in 2018.
Baxter added that Qwick is actively working with more than 7,000 businesses in 23 metropolitan areas, and the platform has facilitated more than 500,000 shifts to date.
For example, Qwick’s investors seem confident in Qwick’s long-term trajectory, whether or not it yields the best results for its employees. David Lack, managing his partner at Tritium Partners, said in an email. ”
Arizona-based Qwick has raised $69.1 million to date. The company has just over 270 employees and plans to expand to about 300 by the end of the year.
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