Wulan OktavianaThe Food & Beverage (F&B) industry is known for having one of the highest employee turnover rates. Rotating work shifts, manual attendance tracking, and lack of payroll transparency often lead to dissatisfaction among operational staff. According to McKinsey, the global F&B sector sees an average annual turnover of over 70%, significantly higher than industries like finance or tech. Despite this, many F&B businesses continue to rely on spreadsheets or manual HR practices, which only increase the risk of errors and slow down operations.
What Are HR Challenges in the F&B Industry?
The challenges faced by HR in the F&B sector go far beyond high turnover. One of the most pressing issues is dynamic shift management. Restaurants frequently deal with last-minute schedule changes, weekend coverage, and late-night operations. Managing shifts is one of the most stressful aspects for outlet managers and supervisors.
On top of that, payroll processing becomes increasingly complicated due to flexible work hours, inconsistent attendance, overtime, and tip distribution. Without a structured system, many HR teams end up spending excessive time on administrative work, as highlighted in research by Info-Tech, increasing the risk of delays and miscalculations.
"The best software isn’t the most complex one, it’s the one that fits how your business actually works."
Are HR & Payroll Systems Essential in F&B?
Absolutely. In fact, HRIS plays a critical role in streamlining operational chaos into predictable processes. With the right system in place, F&B businesses can:
- Automate payroll based on attendance and overtime
- Speed up recruitment and onboarding with digital forms
- Enable employee self-service through mobile apps for scheduling, leave, and payslips
- Ensure compliance with labor regulations automatically
- Generate real-time insights to optimize workforce planning
As described by Zimyo, digital HR systems empower not only HR teams, but also outlet managers and supervisors to make faster, data-informed decisions that improve efficiency and morale.
Insight: Don’t Use Office Systems for F&B Ops
Many F&B businesses attempt to implement traditional corporate HR or payroll software that were originally designed for office environments. Unfortunately, this approach often fails to support the fast-paced, shift-based, and mobile nature of restaurant operations. Conventional systems typically require manual attendance input, separate payroll calculations, and paper-based onboarding. This leads to administrative overload, human errors, and operational delays that frustrate both staff and managers. These systems may work for 9-to-5 desk jobs, but not for teams who work weekends, rotate shifts, or move between outlets on short notice.
This is why HRIS must be designed specifically for F&B workflows.
What Is HRIS and Why Does It Matter?
HRIS stands for Human Resources Information System a digital platform that integrates all core HR functions into one system. In the F&B context, a well built HRIS is not just a data storage tool, but a central hub for managing employees across locations, shifts, and job roles. A custom HRIS typically includes modules such as:
- Time and Attendance Tracking – Automates check-in/check-out, reduces buddy punching, and syncs with payroll.
- Shift Scheduling – Allows flexible shift assignments, swap requests, and real-time notifications for changes.
- Payroll Integration – Calculates wages based on hours, tips, overtime, and complies with tax and labor regulations.
- Employee Self-Service – Empowers staff to view their schedules, apply for leave, and access payslips via mobile.
- Onboarding and Offboarding – Digitizes contracts, forms, and checklists for smooth entry and exit processes.
For F&B businesses, a tailored HRIS reduces manual errors, saves administrative time, and provides data-driven insights to anticipate staffing needs, crucial in a fast-paced, high-turnover industry.
The F&B industry can no longer depend on spreadsheets to manage HR. With high turnover and administrative complexity, HR digitalization is no longer optional. A tailored HRIS provides practical solutions that save time, boost retention, and improve team morale.
Ready to reduce turnover in your F&B business?
Meda Technology helps you build a fully customized HRIS for F&B, from attendance to shift planning to automated payroll.
💬 Get a free consultation → info@meda.technology
