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Liz Flynn
“Generally salaries have gone up in most roles within hospitality because it’s hard to get the right people” Liz Flynn
Advice for retaining staff Our panel of experts provide their top tips.
Don’t assume “Ask people what they want in terms of benefits,” says Stamp. “I think we’re very tempted to just impose things we think are good, but not everybody wants a yoga class or a gym discount. We asked our team what they wanted and it was hospitality discounts. They’re bar tenders and front of house staff and they love wine, so we got them cost-price wine through our suppliers. Don’t assume that everybody wants something, because it’s seen to be the thing.”
Provide support Maimone say Harri has seen an increased interest in wellbeing support: “Make sure you’ve got wellbeing access for your employees, especially in those junior manager roles, such as helplines to call if they need support and guidance,” he says. Any benefits should also be communicated
across the business and made fully accessible. “There’s nothing worse than launching benefit schemes that no one knows about or how to log in. Make sure everyone knows about it – people in the stockroom should know what benefits are available – that’s key,” he says.
24 | The Caterer | 24 November 2023
Hire tactically “Recruit well, train well and be inclusive. And when it comes to retention, make sure you’re retaining the right people,” says Flynn. “We’re very inclusive, we like to think we're
very kind, we look after our people, but if there are any elements of toxicity or somebody who shouldn't be there, [it’s important not to] let the situation fester. There is a view that you should be getting that person to a place where they don’t feel like that, but ultimately, if it’s not for them, it’s better to help them with what their next stage is.”
Keep talking For Vale, it comes down to one word: communication. “We found the more we involved the team in terms of what we’re doing as a business – what benefits and perks we currently have and what we're looking at in the future – [the more] the team have a voice. They know where we’re going and we understand their personal reason for being with us. “We want to help them understand that
we are moving forward,and give them a sense of personal direction, so they can be on that journey with us and not just come in for a job and a pay cheque.”
Finding the right people When it comes to attracting people into those hard-to-recruit positions, increasing wages isn’t always the right tactic, says Liz Flynn, peo- ple director at Cubitt House, which has eight sites around Chelsea and Belgravia in London. “I think generally salaries have gone up in
most roles within hospitality because it’s hard to get the right people or even just get people in some cases,” she says. “There are certain roles, like possibly the chef de partie, where you’re having to pay an inflated salary to get some- body in, but in many cases you cannot afford to pay them more or it’s not the right thing to do, because you are creating an imbalance.” To tackle this issue, Cubitt House has part-
nered with a number of chef colleges to take on staff earlier and help put them through catering college to get talent into the business. “Obviously, you’re starting earlier and
it’s a time investment and a monetary investment,” she says, “but I think we have to be creative in this market.” Investing in staff isn’t just for those who
want a long-term career in hospitality, either. Cubitt House recently put in place a ‘champi- ons’ programme to help staff with a particular interest in areas such as wine, coffee or cheese, to feel valued and engaged. “We send that person off for intensive train-
ing, and they’ll do briefings on what good looks like when it comes to a Cubitt House cappuccino, for example,” she says. “[It’s saying] we know you don’t want to be a general manager one day and that’s OK. You
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