Bakeries are running out of staff: Corona cases are causing bottlenecks

Created: 08/05/2022, 1:00 p.m

By: Stefan Reich

The consequences of the lack of staff: Some branches are currently closing earlier, including the coffee mill in Starnberg.

Saskia Dietrich (l.) and Anna Savvidou make this known with panels.

© Andrea Jakschs

Time and time again, customers are currently standing in front of closed doors at the bakery.

Especially because of Corona, companies have to close some branches at short notice.

However, they are now permanently suffering from a lack of staff.

District – If you call Anton Lidl these days, you have to expect interruptions.

The owner of the bakery chain of the same name, headquartered in Berg, has to clarify personnel issues in the meantime.

Do we have enough shop assistants today?

Do we have to close another branch in the afternoon?

Corona cases cause bottlenecks, says Lidl, then briefly calls the branch on Maximilianstrasse in Starnberg.

"We can leave the day open here today," he reports with relief.

He employs 110 saleswomen for his 14 branches, 25 are currently on vacation.

"And I think 15 people with a positive corona test will have to stay at home afterwards."

Bakers have to temporarily close branches - for several reasons

Julian Kasprowicz also has to temporarily close some of his 20 bakery branches in the Starnberg district and the surrounding area.

"Even though many of our people stay longer or work more shifts," says Kasprowicz.

"A wave of illnesses, the holiday season and a climate that is favorable for employees who are willing to change jobs are encountering an already thin staffing level." We all know that things get tight in the summer.

"But it's never been like this."

Kasprowicz has seen a chronic shortage of staff for a few years.

"At the beginning of the corona pandemic, we expected people to come from the catering industry.

But that didn't happen.” Instead, he sees employees migrating to other professions, such as becoming teachers.

“Some of the younger ones go into grocery retail.

There are more opportunities for advancement there.”

He hardly sees any countermeasures.

"There's not a lot of air in the salary.

I would like to invest more in employees, but now I have to pay significantly more for materials and energy.” In the long term, the only thing that remains is to take the pressure off the staff, i.e. to adjust working hours and thus opening times.

“People will have to get used to the fact that the baker or butcher is not open as late.

The big food chains will also have to rethink this at some point,” believes Kasprowicz.

The region's cost of living could be a problem for staff shortages

Peter Sickinger considers it essential to accommodate the staff.

He runs seven bakery branches in the Würmtal.

Corona cases have been largely spared, he says.

But even so, the workforce is between 15 and 25 percent "below the ideal".

He sees a problem in the cost of living in the region.

He can only counteract this with a good working atmosphere.

"We want to consistently live the family business model," he says.

This starts with taking into account working hours and holiday wishes and goes all the way to support in finding an apartment.

"We were also able to help find a daycare place," says Sickinger.

"But nothing helps if I can't even get people to interview." They also advertised on professional job portals, for a lot of money, but without success.

Peter Sickinger: "And when it's almost 40 degrees, you'd rather have an ice cream than a plum cake."

Sickinger is currently closing some branches in the afternoon, but only because the operation is not economical in some places.

“Everyone is on vacation in the Würmtal now.

And when it's almost 40 degrees, you'd rather have an ice cream than a plum cake".

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Retaining employees is also a core task for Peter Otto.

He is the manager of the Krümel und Korn bakery in Münsing, which also has a sales outlet in Berg.

"Because we hardly find any new staff," he says.

He took over most of the employees from his predecessor and fortunately has been able to keep them ever since.

His recipe: flat hierarchies and appreciation.

It's still tight at the moment because of Corona.

In production, you are currently working with half the workforce.