Staff

Hospitality leaders call on Government to urgently loosen visa rules for staff

28-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

More than 65 hospitality leaders including Jeremy King, Yotam Ottolenghi and Skye Gyngell have signed an open letter to the Government demanding immigration requirements for hospitality workers be urgently loosened.

Scottish hospitality bosses call on ‘silver servers’ to help plug the staffing gap

08-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

The Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) says a generation of so-called ‘silver servers’ could provide a solution to the ongoing recruitment crisis facing the sector.

'Chronic' staff shortages force permanent closure of Hang Fire Southern Kitchen

26-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn's renowned Barry-based barbecue restaurant Hang Fire Southern Kitchen in Wales has been forced to close permanently as a result of 'chronic' post-pandemic staff shortages.

Scottish Hospitality Group calls for four-nations approach to tackle hospitality jobs crisis

17-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

The Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) is urging Westminster to work with the three devolved nations and introduce a migrant visa scheme to provide hospitality employers with access to workers.

Pret rows back on staff bonus cut following backlash

16-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger has confirmed it will return its Mystery Shopper Bonus for employees back to pre-pandemic levels, but staff breaks will continue to not be paid.

D&D London extends summer school training programme

29-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

D&D London is to continue with its paid summer school training programme, which aims to secure employment for people looking to enter hospitality but have little or no previous experience.

Proportion of EU workers in hospitality at lowest level in years

26-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

The proportion of hospitality workers from the EU is at its lowest level since at least 2016, according to the latest figures from Fourth.

Kitchin Group appoints external consultancy to 'investigate complaints' amid abuse allegations

19-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Tom Kitchin's restaurant group has appointed an independent, external HR consultancy to 'investigate any complaints' made by staff, amid accusations of former employees experiencing physical abuse and harassment.

BrewDog to reveal culture review findings by end of 2021

14-Jul-2021 By Georgi Gyton

BrewDog has said it hopes to share high-level findings of its internal culture review before the end of the year.

Self isolation announcement 'doesn’t go far enough, quickly enough'

06-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality could face a 'cancelled' summer after the Government announced that no changes will be made to Covid self isolation rules until the middle of next month.

Wetherspoon staff call for bank holiday pay boost

06-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

Thousands of staff at JD Wetherspoon are reported to have joined a campaign calling for extra pay for working bank holidays.

Kitchin Group suspends two senior staff amid accusations of abuse and harassment

05-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Two senior members of staff at Tom Kitchin's restaurant group have been suspended amid accusations of former employees experiencing physical abuse and harassment.

D&D London launches Summer School in aim to boost recruitment

01-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

D&D London is to launch a paid summer school training programme that aims to secure employment for people looking to enter hospitality but have little or no previous experience.

Hospitality faces lockdown 'in all but name' as isolation rules force restaurants to close

30-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality could face a lockdown 'in all but name' as more and more businesses are forced to close because of staff having to self isolate.

Staffing crisis 'drives up' hospitality wages

22-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Hiring bottlenecks in the UK’s hospitality sector are increasingly prompting hospitality operators to turn to temporary staff to keep up with demand, with wages increasing by nearly 14%.

Federation of Small Businesses calls on Government to develop strategy to bolster hospitality's recovery

18-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has made a series of recommendations to help bolster the hospitality sector as it recovers from the Coronavirus pandemic.

BrewDog to initiate independent review of its culture

14-Jun-2021 By Georgi Gyton

BrewDog is enlisting the services of a third party to carry out an independent review of its culture and HR practices following accusations that it fostered a toxic working environment.

BrewDog 'committed to doing better' after former staff allege 'culture of fear'

10-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

BrewDog co-founder James Watt has promised to 'listen, learn and act' after former employees alleged the craft beer company fostered a 'culture of fear' among staff.

Into Hospitality initiative launches to promote careers across the sector

07-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

A new campaign initiative backed by Angela Hartnett and Padella founders Jordan Frieda and Tim Siadatan has launched to help people find work in the hospitality sector.

Recruitment and productivity concerns mount after hospitality venues reopen

04-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Nine in 10 hospitality business leaders expect to face staff shortages this year, the latest Business Confidence Survey from CGA and Fourth reveals.

Politicians and trade bodies work to tackle sector staff shortages across hospitality

03-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Politicians and hospitality trade bodies are working together to try and tackle the ‘serious’ staff shortages being faced by businesses across the sector.

Staffing struggles force Le Gavroche to pause lunch service

02-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Michel Roux Jr has announced that his two-Michelin star fine-dining restaurant Le Gavroche in London's Mayfair is to pause offering a lunch service as a result of understaffing.

UKHospitality warns of 'staffing crisis' as sector faces shortage of 188,000 workers

01-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

UKHospitality has warned that the sector faces a 'staffing crisis' amid calls for the Government to stick its lockdown reopening roadmap and remove all social distancing restrictions on 21 June.

One in three hospitality employers don’t have enough staff for next week's reopening

14-May-2021 By Restaurant

One in three hospitality employers don’t have enough staff to cope with the reopening of indoor hospitality next week, a new survey has found.

Unite accuses Six by Nico of staff mistreatment

06-Apr-2021 By James McAllister

Restaurant group Six by Nico is facing accusations from trade union Unite that it underpaid staff, used tips to pay senior managers, and had employees work long shifts without breaks.

Pret cuts staff hours by 20%

11-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Pret a Manger says it has asked thousands of its staff to work fewer hours as part of its post-Coronavirus restructuring.

united we stand

Five ways to support your staff during the Coronavirus crisis

27-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Many operators have wrestled with the implications of asking staff to continue working during the Coronavirus crisis, but there are ways you can support them and try to keep them safe.

Co-op creates 5,000 jobs for laid-off hospitality workers

19-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

The Co-op is to create 5,000 store-based jobs in a bid to provide temporary employment for hospitality workers who have been laid-off during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Hawksmoor and Rick Stein Group in Sunday Times Best Companies list

24-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

Dishoom, Hawksmoor and the Rick Stein Group are among the restaurant operators featured in the Sunday Times 100 Best ‘Mid-sized’ Companies To Work For list 2020.

Fred Sirieix: the government is "demonising" the hospitality industry

20-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

Fred Sirieix has accused the government of “demonising” the hospitality industry following the announcement of its post-Brexit immigration plans.

National Living Wage rise could cause "unprecedented" cost pressures

01-Oct-2019 By James McAllister

The Government’s plan to further increase the National Living Wage (NLW) over the next five years could cause an “unprecedented cost increase for employers” trade body UKHospitality has warned.

Can a restaurant survive moving to a four-day week?

02-Jul-2019 By Sophie Witts

In 2018 Stuart Ralston switched his Edinburgh restaurant Aizle from a five to a four-day week after struggling with long working hours. One year on we caught up with the chef to find out how the changes have worked out.

Majority of hospitality professionals believe they are underpaid, says study

29-May-2019 By James McAllister

More than 80% of hospitality professionals believe they are underpaid, according to research carried out by online employment platform CV-Library.

Long term plans: 6 steps to hire for longevity

07-May-2019 By Natalie Reason,

Hospitality falls behind other sectors in terms of staff retention. The key to filling roles for the long term is all in the recruitment process, says Natalie Reason, head of Tiger Hospitality

D&D London targets young people with major recruitment drive

18-Feb-2019 By Andrew Don

D&D London will launch an initiative to encourage young adults into hospitality later this month.

Why it's time to resolve the hospitality industry's pay dispute

16-Jan-2019 By Tony Naylor

Despite the ever-deepening skills crisis, operators are reluctant to increase wages, even for head chefs. That must change.

UKHospitality issues warning over falling migrant numbers

12-Nov-2018 By Sophie Witts

The falling number of migrants working in the UK could result in ‘disaster’ for restaurants, hotels and pubs, UKHospitality has warned.

COMMENT

Comment: UK's post-Brexit immigration policy is highly damaging for hospitality

08-Nov-2018 By Gemma Jones

The Prime Minister’s immigration policy once the UK leaves the EU shows a lack of understanding about the hospitality sector, says Gemma Jones, co-head of immigration at legal experts SA Law

VIEWPOINT

Harry Cragoe of The Gallivant on why banning tips is good for business

22-Apr-2016 By Sophie Witts

Harry Cragoe, owner of The Gallivant restaurant with rooms in Camber, pays all his staff a minimum of £9 per hour and has launched the #toohiptotip campaign to ban service charges in restaurants. He believes more hospitality businesses need to use a similar...

Could better staff engagement solve hospitality’s recruitment problem?

07-Jan-2016 By Emma Eversham

Despite its great prospects for growth the hospitality sector still has one of the highest turnover rates of any industry. 

Wahleeah: Dave Ahern to give 20 per cent of profits to staff

18-Aug-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Dave Ahern, co-founder of Wahleeah in Fulham, London, is to pay his staff 20 per cent of the restaurant’s profits in order to try to retain and attract personnel, and improve the conditions for his team.

IDEAS FROM YOUR PEERS

The Jewel in the Crown: How to reward your staff

10-Dec-2012 By Luke Nicholls

That age-old cliché of staff being your most important asset is as true now as it ever has been in the hospitality industry. In such a difficult economic environment, rewarding staff for above-average performance could be an effective way of your business...

Planning for the 2012 Olympics: Staff and training

28-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

As McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc once said ‘You’re only as good as the people you hire’ so if you believe his mantra and want to make sure your business is a winner during next year’s Olympic Games, make sure you read our fourth and final instalment of...

Reduce staff turnover through motivation and training

01-Oct-2008 By Becky Paskin

Becky Paskin discovers that with a little time invested to train and talk to their staff, restaurants, bars and hotels can easily reduce their staff turnover

Healthy, happy staff are good for your business

17-Jul-2007 By Restaurant

Look after your staff because healthy, happy staff are not only good for your soul but good for your business Wander around the back streets of any big city and you'll see shadowy figures in chefs' whites and waiters' get-ups, clutching...