Editor's comment: it pays to look after your own

Hospitality employees are happier than 12 months ago and more likely to recommend their employer.

 

That’s according to the topline figures of our Best Places to Work in Hospitality survey, run in partnership with Korero and sponsored by Umbrella Training, which took the view of over 12,000 employees in hospitality businesses, from the Athenaeum to Z Hotels.

 

Employees from hotels, contract caterers and restaurants were asked whether they were happy at work, with 53% responding positively, along with what makes a great place to work and what hospitality businesses are good at.

 

Our respondents prioritised the criteria they most value at work. Tellingly, "all individuals are valued" ranked as number five in 2023 from seven in 2022, and this year has dropped back to number eight, suggesting that material benefits have become more of a personal priority. Perhaps unsurprising when you consider that "fair pay" has crept back into the top five considerations. Pay also came out at the top priority that employees thought their employer could improve on.

 

Encouragingly, the employee net promoter score, a key measure of the people health of a business, was +61, an increase of two points compared to 2023.

 

Speaking at the People Summit this month, Korero co-founder Jo Harley said: “It starts with the question ‘why do we get up and go to work?’ Hospitality operators need to be clear about what they stand for as a business – people want to do something they enjoy and organisations that do that right are successful.”

 

It was a point reinforced by Jenni Clarke, commercial director at Umbrella Training, who added: “We have seen a lot of people re-evaluating their company purpose and asking ’who are we now? What do we stand for? What do we want to achieve?’”

 

Bringing your teams along on this journey is key and, promisingly, the results of the Best Places to Work in Hospitality survey point to an increased focus of employers concentrating on their culture and employee experience. With great staff still so hard to come by, it clearly pays to look after your own.

 

As Liz McGivern, vice-president of people and culture at Red Carnation Hotels, told the People Summit audience: “The most important thing is walking into somewhere that is positive, kind and where you feel cared about as an individual. And that comes down to middle management and how they are treating people. You can give people the tools, but they are only as good as the people using them.”

 

Results from the Best Places to Work survey

The highlights

 

 

What makes a best place to work?

1 (-) Positive and welcoming work environment

2 (-) Company cares about its people

3 (-) Respect for work-life balance

4 (7) Fair pay

5 (4) Part of a team that works well and supports each other

6 (-) Leaders are supportive, positive and inspiring

 

Areas that need improvement

1 (-) Fair pay

2 (3) Involved in decisions that affect my job

3 (4) Performance is measured against the right behaviours

4 (2) Information is shared clearly

5 (3) Effective tools, systems and processes

6 (15) Change is managed well

 

Areas the industry is good at

1 (2) Great introduction to the organisation

2 (1) Great company reputation

3 (-) Achieving together as a team

4 (-) Paid accurately and on time

5 (6) Well defined company purpose

6 (5) Clear company values