Letters
We must look after our flexible friends
A good work-life balance for female returners (Caterer, 14 November, page 24) is essential and makes sound business sense.
Recent research by recruitment agency Flexecutive shows that 96% of workers given flexible hours outperform their regular colleagues, some by as much as 50%. Because they have greater control over their lives, they exhibit a greater sense of ownership, responsibility and trust towards their work. People given flexibility to manage their home lives tend to keep their home problems out of the workplace.
Offering flexibility means you can attract the best people. You can keep your talented people and have a happier workforce - something you can't put a price on.
Caterers have an opportunity to lead the way on flexible working, and I hope the Employment Act 2002 encourages the valuable pool of women returners out there to come back to work in our industry.
JANE SUNLEY, Managing Director, Learnpurple, London.
As a working parent of three children I read your article about female returners with great interest. Working in hospitality should be no different to any other industry but, as identified in the article, it's all about the culture, attitude and approach of employers.
I have been on the receiving end of good and bad working practices, and I am hopeful that the Employment Act 2002 will force employers to be more adaptable and flexible to working parents.
Being made to feel guilty because your child is sick, organising meetings at difficult times, and numerous other ploys and tactics to disrupt family life, have a very negative effect on parents. It is a difficult enough decision leaving your children while you work without having obstacles put in your way by employers. Long live proactive employers with the foresight to realise we need to look after working parents.
HELEN LASEK, Divisonal Manager - Human Resources, Berkeley Scott Selection, Godalming, Surrey.
Unfair burden on Scottish hotels
The problem to which Bill Anderson of the Forum for Private Business Scotland refers regarding business rates (Caterer, 21 November, page 12) is primarily in the one- and two-star hotel market, where three of my professional colleagues are in negotiations with the Scottish Assessors' Association trying to produce an amendment to the valuation scheme.
Obviously, no one can say at the moment exactly how that will resolve itself and whether it will lead to the harmonisation of these hotels' values throughout the UK.
Currently, it is my estimate that such hotels, as a result of the separate Scottish valuation scheme, produce values 10% to 15% higher than for equivalent hotels in England and Wales. Bearing in mind that these hotels suffer a Scottish uniform business rate which is more than 9% greater than the charge to English ratepayers, the extra rates burdens these businesses suffer is considerable.
The rating hypothesis throughout the UK is identical, with the rateable value reflecting the hypothetical rental value of all non-domestic properties as at 1 April 1998. The difference in level of value for one- and two-star hotels in Scotland is a result of the traditional Scottish practice of valuing each income stream separately which, while laudable in principle, falls down very badly in practice, as the relative valuation percentages are completely illogical.
For all hotels valued in Scotland by this method it would be true to say that, effectively, they are valued as pubs with rooms, with no real understanding of the considerable business difference between a hotel and a pub.
TONY McRITCHIE, Montagu Evans, Chartered Surveyors, Glasgow.
In brief
Hotels could learn a lesson
I totally agree with Forbes Mutch's Opinion about cruise-liner companies (Caterer, 21 November, page 17). I only hope the article changes the view of some of the hospitality companies here in London.
Hotels and restaurants spend thousands of pounds on trendy furniture without considering the most important part of the business - staff.
My direct experience with P&O Cruises has taught me how much staff training matters. A lot of bad things are happening in this industry and some of them are hotels.
CRISTIAN BARBARINI, London N7.
We need full-time commitment
I agree with the hoteliers quoted in the news story "Hoteliers campaign for full-time tourism chief" (Caterer, 14 November, page 12) who are pressing for a full-time chairman of the now conjoined British Tourist Authority (BTA) and the English Tourism Council (ETC).
In the same issue there was a report about the political contributions made by American hotels wishing to influence their legislature. In this country we pay higher taxes, so we might expect ministers to pay even closer attention to our recommendations. Unfortunately, they do not.
The BTA needs at its head a man or woman with the stature, experience and commitment to the task that only a full-time position can attract.
PETER HANCOCK, Chief Executive, Pride of Britain Hotels, Foxley, Wiltshire.
