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A resilient sector
It is also true that despite the often bleak assessments of how short the supply of trained staff is or might become, many in the industry have great faith in its ability to adapt and overcome. John Upton, the former McDonald’s senior
“We are obsessed by employee engagement, which is all about retention” Moira Laird
Valor Hospitality places great emphasis on job satisfaction
Laird adds that the staff comments have also taught her that wages, while important, are far from the only or even most important factor that makes people want to stay in a job. She says: “It is very striking how many people say in the surveys that one of the things they like about their workplace is how supportive their colleagues and friends are. Job satisfaction is often about the people you work with.” The personal element really matters, believes Laird, and Valor underlines this by offering its 2,500 staff regular face-to-face ‘coffee chats’ with senior managers. This does not just bring emotional benefits. If staff stay longer, companies have time to train them, so they get better at what they do. In an ideal world, staff retention is a happy coincidence of benefits for both company and employees.
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director who this year joined natural fast food chain Leon as managing director, asserts that for them there is no skills shortage. “It’s true that it is a very competitive marketplace, but for us I don’t think that there is a skills short- age. Of course, we are no Le Gavroche, so the skills we need from our staff are a little differ- ent, but I think that even in the wider industry most will be OK,” he says. “Catering and hospitality is incredibly resil-
ient and continues to defy all the naysayers. There may be some bumps in the road, but this industry will overcome them.” Just as with Valor, the human element is a key part of Leon’s philosophy when it comes to keeping its staff. One of its company val- ues is to ‘be kind’. More practically, it doesn’t just offer staff free lunches, but discounts for family and friends. Managers can also get healthcare packages. Upton’s upbeat view of hospitality is echoed by many others and the growth of the sector in recent years provides some of the most cheering news. Peter Ducker, chief executive of the Insti- tute of Hospitality (IoH), says: “In recent years, hospitality in the UK has been a huge success story and has experienced phenomenal growth. Our workforce increased by 13% between 2011 and 2015, according to People 1st, with the res-
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