Employees working longer to 'keep hospitality afloat'

It found that as the sector tries to tackle the ongoing recruitment crisis, existing employees are clocking up more hours than previously, with staff now working an average of 25 hours a week, compared to 19 hours pre-pandemic.

In food-led businesses, employees are working an average 28 hour week, compared to around 23 hours in wet-led businesses.

Fine dining restaurants, which are among the worst affected by recruitment issues, are typically asking their staff to work 40-plus hours a week; while cafés and hotels are also seeing staff notch up longer than average weekly hours at work.

“Most operators have significant numbers of part-time employees, such as students or those juggling work with childcare commitments, so we expect to see the average hours worked to be below the typical full-time tally of around 35 hours,” says Conor Shaw, Bizimply CEO

“However, it’s clear that in food-led sectors, particularly more premium venues such as fine dining and hotels, the recruitment challenge is particularly acute. With experienced chefs and front-of-house staff in very short supply, operators are asking staff to put in longer shifts than ever.”

Bizimply warns that employers who are currently banking on the goodwill of their staff to keep their doors open to customers need to be ready to pay back that commitment in terms of improved pay and conditions, and a better work-life balance.