Weldborough Hotel in Tasmania goes viral after ‘desperate’ job ad, exposes hospo industry nightmare
A pub that services a town of 20-odd people has gone viral for its hilarious call-out for workers, and revealed an industry-wide nightmare.
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Tucked away in the northeastern pocket of Tasmania is the tiny town of Weldborough, home to 20-odd people with a cracking sense of humour.
It is also home to the Weldborough Hotel, which has become a minor internet celebrity after its unconventional but “desperate” job post to social media went viral.
The post, shared on the hotel’s official Facebook account on November 25, began by declaring: “We’re hiring.”
“We are looking for high achievers who have proven experience in a high pressure environment, ideally with references from Gordon Ramsay or Heston Blumenthal,” it read.
“Actually, who are we kidding? We are desperate for staff.”
The post outlined that the vacant positions included kitchen and front of house staff, and said this was last-ditch effort to keep the business open.
“Police record? Who cares. Drug habit? Join the club. Alcoholic? Don’t get me started,” it continued.
“If I can’t find anyone before [Christmas], I won’t have a business after [Christmas]. Please apply ASAP.”
By November 27, less than two days later, the post had gained 700 reactions and more than 1500 shares – that’s almost 70 Weldborough’s-worth of attention.
It has since been deleted but on Monday the hotel provided an update about the “humbling” response from the public.
“Well, it seems a recent post has attracted a fair bit of attention,” the post begins.
“There are some very good people in this world. Actually, there are some amazingly caring people in this world️. Thank you.”
The hotel said it made five job offers to a range of staff for kitchen and front of house roles.
“We are in a town of 22 people, 2 hours from Launceston and 4 hours from Hobart. We now have a crew of 10 staff from the local area to carry us through the summer season,” the post continued.
It added that the hotel owners had forwarded any unsuccessful applicants’ resumes to businesses around the area who are also struggling to find staff.
The Weldborough also hit back at people who criticised the post as “unprofessional and a bad look”, writing: “I will take that feedback and raise you the [five] new staff”.
“Better yet: come to the pub and experience the service and the food and then call us unprofessional.”
“Having the opportunity to meet customers and share our love of Tasmania, the local area and the experience of travelling through the North East has been a joy,” it added.
“Rest assured, the pub will be remaining open after [Christmas] and we are all looking forward to continuing to provide great pub meals with friendly (professional) service for a while to come️!”
While this desperate act paid off for the pub and for Weldborough, it points to an equally desperate situation playing out in the hospitality industry.
Venues across Tasmania and the mainland are still recovering from a worker shortage, a hangover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It has been no secret that staffing levels across the industry have been a challenge following the pandemic – but hospitality is no different to a range of other occupations facing the same strain,” Tasmanian Hospitality Association CEO Steve Old told news.com.au.
Mr Old said the THA was investing in workforce development programs to promote hospitality as a “viable, exciting and long-term career option”, but the solution cannot be fixed overnight.
He added that the Weldborough Hotel’s viral post was just one example of thinking “outside the square to attract new employees”.
According to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s peak body for tourism, that sector – which includes hospitality – was short of 77,903 workers before the pandemic.
According to the Chamber’s pre-budget submission in January 2022, it is now estimated that 310,000 staff have been lost from the travel, tourism, accommodation, hospitality and events sectors since March 2020.
And according to new national data, hospitality and tourism are bearing the brunt of a significant decline in job advertisements nationwide in October – found to be down 20 per cent year-on-year.
But the United Workers Union, which supports hospitality workers, has found the industry’s issue is not just workers finding jobs, but also getting workers to keep workers in jobs despite amid rising living costs.
One of the union’s executive directors Godfrey Moase said Weldborough Hotel’s struggle to stay afloat was the same as workers were dealing with: rising rent and rising bills.
“I would put it down to this: there’s a structural problem in the economy and a lot of small hospitality venues are struggling with the things hospitality workers are struggling with,” Mr Moase said.
“It’s all the landlord’s fault, workers are struggling to pay rent, their energy bills. Business are trying to pay their bills and costs.
“We’re at a stage where the governor of the Reserve Bank is suggesting people shouldn’t go to the dentist,” he added, referring to comments Michele Bullock made last week about inflation being driven by homegrown forces like dentists and hairdressers.
Mr Moase said workers are also “trying to find a way through” by searching for additional, or higher-paying work, which may mean leaving hospitality.
Originally published as Weldborough Hotel in Tasmania goes viral after ‘desperate’ job ad, exposes hospo industry nightmare
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