The Caterer's People Summit returned for 2023 with speakers discussing the importance of creating a people-centric culture. Here's a snapshot of some of the day's highlights
Rethinking hospitality career pathways
The Caterer's features and special projects editor Caroline Baldwin invited Liam Hatcher, head of people and development at CH&Co, on stage to share his route to the top. The audience quickly discovered the 32-year-old had not taken a linear path. In fact, at school he was more interested in drama, but what happened next showed the audience how young people can be inspired to see their future lies in the hospitality industry.
"I wasn't academic," he told delegates. "But I joined the school council, which gave me my first unconscious taste of engaging people. I planned events like the school disco – and I changed my course."
Having not got the grades at GCSE, Hatcher went to college, qualified as a chef, started a weekend job at Leeds Castle in Kent and by 18 was already restaurant supervisor before progressing into events.
"I had found my place," he says. "By 19, I'm head of events. I'd finished college and was now full-time."
Hatcher's story reveals how good managers bring out ambition by spotting and nurturing talent. Two years later, his manager asked him to help relaunch a restaurant and turn it into a fine-dining venue, which allowed Hatcher to shine.
"The difficulty was enticing people to work evenings," he says. "The biggest piece was the training. I brought people from my college and gave them placement opportunities." It was, he says, when he first got a sense of himself as a trainer.
At Ampersand, while overseeing hospitality operations at contracts such as London Zoo, he helped introduce 10-minute training sessions. Despite not having any higher education at that stage, his experience and flair prompted his manager to suggest him for the role of regional trainer for London.
"It would have been easy to leave me to thrive at London Zoo," says Hatcher. "It takes a strong person to pick you up and leave a position to be backfilled. I had Level 3 in cooking; I didn't have a degree then. [My manager] capsized the boat and gave me a chance to explore other areas I hadn't considered. It has led me to do the same," says Hatcher.
As a result of his own success, his top tip to retain talent is to give people a chance. And to identify that talent, he simply looks at whether someone has the attitude to learn.
"We have a platform to help teach the skills and shape people for the future. Don't be distracted by processes that get in the way," he says, adding that his department is planning to increase the number of apprentices at CH&Co from 200 to 300 because he believes that is one route to retention.
"My team's job is to broaden the development opportunities people have. You need to have a conversation and draw out where they want to be. Not everyone will want to grow vertically."
Supporting mental health in hospitality
Rachel Kerr-Lapsley, managing director at mental health first-aid training and services provider Kelly's Cause, which was set up in honour of a 23-year-old chef who took her life, was joined on stage by Sophia Browne, operations director at London-based Pophams, to share what they are doing to create positive change to support and retain employees. There are four areas to look at, said Kerr-Lapsley:
- Recruitment: Your recruits today want psychological safety, respect, and to be fairly compensated so you need tools in place to support them.
- Retention. In terms of mental health, we are all on a spectrum of one to 10, with potential loss of life for those at 10. Between four and six there is time for intervention, so if you train mental health first-aiders to spot those in trouble and signpost them to get help you will see less absenteeism and not lose people.
- Time. We can't all work from home, so we need to focus on what we can change. Equip individuals to take care of themselves. Offer flexible rotas and carve out time to eat well and rest.
- Money. Employers work on tight profit margins but spend a staggering sum on recruitment. It is more cost-effective and right that they invest that money in their people, giving them time off and breaks rather than spending it on recruiting people who only stay for three months.
Browne described how Pophams has worked with Kelly's Cause to provide team members with tools to support them, which in turn improves retention. These include:
- A mental health policy that is given to employees on their first day.
- Being flexible about requests for time off, which allows for more diverse recruitment.
- Having a goal that one in 10 employees will be a first aider.
- Offering clear career development opportunities, so they can see progression, which in turn promotes wellness.
- Ensuring staff are neither contacted nor look at work emails on their days off.
She talked about the introduction of a traffic light system at work, where ‘green' means a staff member is happy, ‘amber' indicates they are experiencing poor mental health and may need an adjustment to their job that day – for instance, they may be relocated from front of house – and ‘red' means there is a severe mental health issue.
"Staff can ring the manager and say they are not coming into work," explains Browne. "The manager will offer signposting resources and check in with them later. There's no judgement – no questions asked."
For those in the room who feared this could be abused, Kerr-Lapsley said: "If they are not in a good place, they'll pretend they're ill, so you've lost them anyway. If you can support them, that is the best-case situation."
Browne added these policies are also a valuable part of recruitment: "We put this on our job ads because everyone experiences mental health. It resonates with people and leads to retention."
Changing perceptions, behaviour management and culture
Baldwin was back to host a segment on how to create an inclusive culture. Joining her on stage were Jo Harley, co-founder, Korero, Lizz Flynn, people director, Cubitt House and Ed Cotton, a partner at law firm TLT.
Today's young jobseekers won't tolerate a bad working environment, but what do they value most?
Harley: Some 12,000 people responded to our 2023 Best Places to Work survey and their number one priority was having a safe and positive work environment. Their second is to work for a company that genuinely cares for its people and their third is respect for work-life balance.
Flynn: Working in hospitality is emotional labour because you have to show your best self and that can take an emotional toll on people. We can make it easier for them to do their job well, but we need to step up.
What can happen if you don't step up?
Cotton: We see tribunal claims that are connected to mental health. Often managers are not trained to spot the issue among staff and so it is not dealt with. What you can't do as a defence is say: "This is just the way the hospitality industry works".
For example, there is a case reported that involved a number of colleagues who had put up with a manager's [negative] comments. Ultimately, they all snapped and claimed for discrimination and constructive dismissal.
What small things can be done to improve the working culture?
Flynn: There are quick wins to retain people that don't negatively impact business.
Do the rota in advance so staff can plan their lives. Provide flexible working. People of a certain age – or those with disabilities – maybe can't commit to a full-time job, but they make up a huge pool of untapped talent
Don't promote until people are ready. For example, a chef might cook well but can't manage people. We need to equip them with the skills to manage people.
Harley: Yes, and it needs to be joined up. Define your culture so that people have an idea of what it is like to work there. However, providing things like mindfulness sessions won't work if you are not paying them on time. Talk to people. Find out what they want and come up with what works in your business.
How does technology fit in?
Harley: It is a great enabler if people are engaged in using it. People don't come into this industry to go on their phones and laptops – they want a more sociable job – so keep it simple and trial before you launch.
Cotton: Technology is a good thing and means if I am running a case, I can see that people have had access to the company's policies – it is all about communication.
How do you ensure you are adhering to appropriate and inclusive policies?
Flynn: In HR we run courses on pronouns training and risk assessments and so on, but the number one priority is to create an environment where it is OK to ask questions because things can go wrong. So, if, say, a manager is having to talk to someone who is often absent because they are going through transition, we say come into HR and we will tackle this together.
Cotton: There needs to be regular, effective training and a higher bar, and people need to ask questions and discuss. The better the training, the longer you can argue that you have taken reasonable steps. We think legislation will come in to impel employers to provide this training. And it is only fair to train managers as there is a lot of stress if a situation results in a tribunal.
How servant leadership empowers employees to perform
The Caterer editor James Stagg invited Anne Golden, general manager at Pan Pacific London to explain how her style of servant leadership has created a positive culture at the hotel, which opened in September 2021 and was named 2023 AA Hotel of the year, London.
Where did you first experience servant leadership
I joined Morgans Hotel Group back when it was owned by Ian Schrager and it was a culture shock. If you started your career with [hotel groups such as] Thistle and Forte you got scripts and training and that was a massive comfort blanket, but at Morgans it was about being yourself. It was less about empirical power and more about having authority through inspiring people to do the right thing and about people working together. I was worried at first, but at the core everyone knew what to do and it was all accountable.
So what is servant leadership?
Broadly, it means the general manager is there to support the team and not the other way round. In doing that, you create an atmosphere and culture where they will go the extra mile. Servant leadership really is that simple. You put the employee first in looking to create future leaders. So, I have meetings with line-staff, too, because they deal directly with the guests. It means we get so much buy-in from people and we can inspire them.
When things go wrong, they are seen as opportunities for the day. We speak to teams but don't put an emphasis on mistakes. Instead, we encourage them to think about a different way of doing things.
Also, don't squash the person and their creativity. If they feel confident that nothing they say is going to be dismissed as stupid, you will get them to buy-in more.
Can you give us some tips on attracting young recruits?
Big the industry up by writing a blog and showing the opportunities you don't get in other industries. We give free supplier trips to the team – the front office went to Paris, for instance – and so we can show new starters amazing things. In the 1990s everything was structured and you had to work a certain length of time before you got those opportunities. The industry is losing people because they are impatient for them. His top tip for creating servant leadership is to recognise you don't have to be the pinnacle of power. Create a sense of companionship with colleagues working together. Look at how managers reprimand people and their use of language.
Attraction and retention in the hospitality industry
The Caterer's assistant editor Emma Lake chaired a session on how employers are using initiatives to create a pool of talent.
How did you engage recruits when you reopened after lockdown?
Andoni Sanchez, director of HR at the Hari, London: There is only so far you can go with increasing salaries, so to keep them we did basic things. At the time the staff canteen was closed and so we brought food in from outside and introduced Friday treats such as chocolate and biscuits. We also introduced an HR day where people could come to see me, and it was an opportunity to build relationships.
Other initiatives were hot breakfasts on Mondays and ‘Thirsty Thursdays'. When we grew the team, staff wellbeing was high on the agenda. All this helped with attracting and retaining staff because although they could find places where they were paid more, they felt more at ease with us.
Employers are looking at a broader talent pool. What are you doing?
Marcolette Anastasi, general manager, Town Hall Hotels and Apartments, London: We work with Saira Hospitality, a non-profit group that takes people aged 18-65 from various walks of life and trains them so they can then enter the job market. They are out of work for various reasons, and some trainees have ADHD or autism. Hospitality is a 24-hour operation, so there is something to suit everyone.
A single mum might only be able to do certain hours, so be flexible to make it work.
What recruitment channels do you use?
MA: You can't make the assumption that everyone you are recruiting is computer-literate. When we ask candidates, many say they don't use Indeed or job portals, so we use Jobcentres and Facebook. Our executive housekeeper put job ads on his own Facebook page and it worked because people connected with him and it was a social media platform that they knew how to use.
How do you handle the interview process?
Emma Alexander, personnel and development manager, Tylney Hall, Hampshire: You need to be aware of who you are looking for and be transparent with them on that. But they also have the right to judge us on our culture so, for instance, were they offered a drink? I meet them in reception and have a "fluffy" conversation as I walk them to the meeting room. By then, I already have some information and they are relaxed so I get the best out of them.
How important is training in retaining staff?
Jenni Clarke, commercial director, Umbrella Training: Well, we have all promoted to retain staff, but we need to train people first. Ask where they see their career in six to nine months, put the plan in place and support it. Use an apprenticeship. You can use them for younger workers who have left school.
In year one you can put your star on a supervisory apprenticeship and in 12 months they will develop solid skills. But you can also use it for upskilling people right up to master's degree level.
To kickstart your apprenticeships, go to a partner who can support you. For instance, Umbrella Training can create training tailored to you. But don't fill a gap with an apprentice if your department won't benefit from that.
Hospitality Rising update
Mark McCulloch had a message of hope for employers. McCulloch, who identified that one of the biggest issues facing recruiters was the brand image of the industry, is the founder of Hospitality Rising, which is six months into a successful marketing campaign called Rise Fast, Work Young, that has attracted more than 105,000 job applications.
Research done a year ago by Hospitality Rising in partnership with research consultancy KAM showed that only one in five adults under 30 considered hospitality to be an appealing industry to work in. Thanks to the campaign, that has now risen to more than one in three.
"The aim was to just go after the biggest flippable part of the population who were in different industries – and they were people under 30," said McCulloch.
To reach this demographic, the campaign is predominantly on digital platforms such as TikTok and YouTube ads.
This year's £2m campaign was funded by industry donations and expertise. Funds raised for next year will help McCulloch explore new ways candidates can submit job applications. "I want to rip up the applications process – who cares about forms? Apply through WhatsApp and TikTok – that's the way the kids want to do it," he said.
And he added: "I'm aiming to raise £5m to do more. If we did this properly, your jobs would be easier in three years' time."
To get involved, go to: www.hospitalityrising.org.uk
