Avoiding the brain drain

Dubai's food and beverage employees have a wealth of opportunities open to them today. New developments within the UAE, across the region and in other Asian markets offer improved prospects, better salaries and more tempting packages.

The grass is always greener, and for foodservice professionals that have gained a couple of years' experience in the fast-paced, cutting-edge environment of Dubai, the world is their oyster.

The fast pace of growth in the Middle East's hospitality market, combined with the prospects offered by the rapidly improving economies in India and the subcontinent, mean that staff are able to demand higher wages and greater perks than ever before, and restaurants are now constantly being challenged to address their salary scales.

"About 20 of our staff have returned to their own countries in Indonesian, China, Thailand, India and Korea as they have been able to gain jobs equal to - or better than - what they have here in Dubai," says Kareen Thorburn, director of HR, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates.

But companies can only do so much when it comes to bumping up salaries to match those offered by new hotels and other developments.

"Matching salaries constantly cannot be a good management practice and neither is giving promotions when a person may not be ready," says Zia Batliwala, director of HR, Radisson SAS Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek.

Instead, industry insiders agree that more needs to be done to deliver training and succession planning to ensure improved retention rates as competition for trained staff grows.

Retention programmes that include rewards such as bonuses after two years' service, better welfare programmes and improved service recognition need to be implemented if Dubai's restaurants are to hang on to the talent they already have.

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