THE WORLD famous Grasmere Gingerbread shop is facing staff shortages due to the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.
Before the pandemic they employed 18 members of staff, over the past 18 months four members of staff contracted covid. Now, after the pandemic the business has 12 members of staff due to people leaving their roles, relocating and retiring.
Grasmere gingerbread is now looking to recruite seven new members of staff to join the team.
Co-director , Joanne Hunters, said: "We have five core team vanancies and two managment vacancies which we wanted to install before covid but we had to stop the recruitment process because the business couldn't afford to recruite on higher management posts.
"Everyday it's felt like crisis management, i've never experienced anything like this...so it has been really really tough.
"Presently we are looking for staff, we pay very well and we give a lot of benefits, we've had to enhance those benefits even further. We appreciate that people have to drive to Grasmere so we do subsidized travel, free parking, days pay on your birthday, discount schemes, MyCumbria cards, health insurance plus, a pool bonus and £1000 bonus."
Since this board was published onto facebook that the company has had a few applicants which are currently going throught the final stages of the recruitment process.
Joanne, said: "We have them (applicants) in for a trial day because it is important that even if we really like the person and think they will be able to do the job. They have got to be happy, we've got a really small friendly team and we want people that enhance the team."
Covid has also put pressure on local businesses due to the requirements businesses have to meet to be able to be open, such as social distancing and asking people to wear a mask.
Joanne, said: "We have the covid restrictions in place which we are not going to change because we have to protect the businesses.
"We've got this one in one out system, we can actually do two in and two out but we can't do that at the moment as we don't have another person to put on the counterfront. The knock on effect is that people are having to wait a long time.
"This staffing issue is huge and this is not going to go away."
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