IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Holiday Inn Solihull Holiday Inn Stratford
AC Marriott Birmingham Mailbox
“In a difficult labour market, an hour spent on finding ways to keep your people is much better spent than an hour trying to recruit” Edmund Inkin, Eatdrinksleep
here for 34 years or three weeks.” However, like many small opera- tors in rural areas, Simpson often finds it hard to recruit the right person in the first place, particularly for general assistant roles in the restaurant, kitchen and house- keeping. Most are, therefore, recruited from the EU and so she is concerned about the possibility that Brexit will result in immigra- tion restrictions. “Recruitment for us is made harder by the fact that we are in a rural area, unsupported by public transport. We recently encoun- tered a problem in recruiting chefs, and once again have been forced to look outside the UK. It is frustrating and disappointing that we are unable to recruit apprentices – even those from local catering colleges.” She adds: “We support all our young employees by encouraging
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them to take NVQs and by paying them a fair wage. Recruitment and retention of older employees has not been a problem – they appreci- ate what we have to offer here, and we appreciate what they have to offer us,” says Simpson. Recruitment problems aside, a PurpleCubed sur- vey earlier this year revealed
that 60% of staff would recom- mend Gibbon Bridge as a best place to work. Certainly, a common trait of good employ- ers is that they understand how to treat their staff well. They recognise their needs and aspirations and exceed the minimum requirements of an employer in ensuring that everyone who works for them is happy, motivated and working towards their own goals. And this leads to staff
retention. It’s a win-win situation. This mes- sage is reinforced by the winner of the Employer of the Year Catey in 2016, hotel man- agement company Valor Hospitality Europe. As well as being recognised for “strong people culture, inspiring leadership and consistent business results driven through people engagement”, it was singled out for its “clear desire to have employees at the heart of the organisation and to be at the heart of its ambi- tious growth plans”.
The results are tangible. VHE’s surveys show engagement scores have risen from 72% to 86% and staff retention rates are below the industry average at more than 72%. Managing director Brian McCarthy
comments: “Valor manages 2,500 employees in the UK, under brands such as IHG and Marriott, but one of our company’s successes is that it feels like we are in-house. That for me is where the process works best.” Glashan at Peach sums it up: “Getting
the right people at the start is important. The better the recruits you attract, the easier it is to retain them.”
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