Perched above the coastline between Santa Monica and Malibu, Bel-Air Bay Club offers magnificent ocean views and hosts more than 125 weddings and other private events each year. Clients seek the club out for their unparalleled location and beautiful architecture, plus the top notch cuisine and amazing service they offer. Assistant General Manager Rod March’s group brings in millions in revenue each year, and staffing events properly is a critical part of the equation.
Due to the seasonal nature of the events, the Bel-Air Bay Club often needs to supplement their full-time staff with additional help. The competitive job market in Los Angeles makes finding and retaining workers challenging at times.
In the past, Rod generally relied on staffing agencies to help cover these gaps. However, the experience often proved frustrating due to their long response times and high rates. He often wasn’t entirely sure if the workers would show up, and when they did they were often unprepared.
“There were times when the workers the temp agencies sent would show up at the wrong time in the wrong location wearing the wrong uniform,” says Rod. “It was clear there had to be a better way.”
As 2019 began, one of the club’s leadership team members suggested Instawork to Rod, and his team gave it a try right away. It was a success from the get-go. They now rely on Instawork to help fill server, bartender and busser roles.
“The level of professionalism and dedication of the workers Instawork has sent us is excellent, far better than any agency we have used,” says Rod.
Bel-Air Bay Club is known for its stellar service, and it’s important to Rod that people come as prepared as possible. One feature they find especially useful is the ability to load details on directions, uniforms, parking and employee meals into the app so it’s all at the workers’ fingertips. With Instawork, Rod’s team gets an alert when workers arrive at the property so they know exactly when to expect them.
“When it comes to staffing for the hospitality industry, speed, flexibility, and quality are the most important factors. Instawork delivers on all three,” adds Rod.
They also appreciate the rating system Instawork has in place. Not only do they get to rate the workers Instawork sends, but the workers get to rate them. “I regularly check the feedback to see if there is anything actionable in it. The ratings help to keep us on our toes,” says Rod.
Best of all, Instawork has helped Rod’s team to reduce their 2019 temporary staffing costs by 45% in comparison to the previous year. By the end of 2019, a total of 420 shifts were filled by workers found through Instawork, and 39% of them did more than one gig for the club. This helped to reduce the time Rod’s team put into training and resulted in time and productivity savings as well.
For more information on Instawork and its product offerings, please visit www.instawork.com.