The Caterer HR Forum 2017: power to the people
Inspirational speakers at *The Caterer's*Rosalind Mullen reports
The latest HR Forum cracked open some of the toughest topics in hospitality. The wide-ranging agenda spanned talks on how to maximise the opportunities offered by the apprenticeship levy, to the importance of staff engagement and its impact on your bottom line, particularly in the light of Brexit.
Keynote speaker Julia Murrell, director of people and development at Firmdale Hotels, set the tone by sharing her successful engagement strategy. The group, which has eight hotels in London and two in New York, employs 1,500 people. Some 55% of guests are repeat and, last year, 7% of vacancies were filled by returning employees.
Murrell told the room that when she was brought on board two years ago with a remit to improve staff engagement, she started by asking employees why they worked at the company and what it could do better. "Two things stood out," said Murrell. "They wanted more opportunities for learning and development and more feedback from managers."
Her solution was to put HR "into the business" by creating development managers to work directly in the hotels. She also implemented a 'Talent Toolbox' to improve feedback, set up reviews, manage career paths and measure engagement.
Murrell said: "Year one saw a 54% reduction in employer relations cases and a further 12% reduction in the second year. More than 80% of staff completed their annual review, compared with 15% in the previous year. We believe in our engagement strategy, with over 82% saying they love what they do."
Apprenticeship levy update
Act now to maximise your levy funding and achieve the optimum return from your apprenticeship programme. That was the message from Martin Knight, sales director at HIT Training, and Tony Allen, special advisor on the apprenticeship levy and former director of the relationship team at the Skills Funding Agency.
Knight reminded everyone that the apprenticeship levy was coming into force that week and that companies with a £3m annual payroll will have to contribute 0.5% through PAYE. He added that the process of replacing existing frameworks with new apprenticeship standards and assessments will complete in 2020.
"It's amazing how far apprenticeships have come," said Knight.
Allen quashed any thoughts that a new government might rescind the levy: "It brings in £3b a year and is supported by the major parties, he said. He described it as "a big deal", but also warned: "Non-payment penalties will be stringent, though there may be a period of grace in the first year."
He urged companies to get organised, pointing out that unused levy funds will expire 24 months after they enter your account. To address this, some employers are already trying to "apprenticise" their learning and development programme so they can use their levy.
Allen flagged up that hospitality degree apprenticeships will be coming on-stream, supported by a university. These allow 18-year-olds to get a paid job while they study.
What employers should be doing now
•Register online with the digital apprenticeship service
•Decide how you will use your levy - will you recruit 16- to 18-year-olds, for instance?
•Find a good training provider
•If eligible, start to pay your levy now
Be aware that
•Education and training is a devolved policy, so the levy can only be used for employees in England
Responsible employment
Andrew Stephen, chief executive at the Sustainable Restaurant Association, was joined on stage by Peter Borg-Neal, founder and chief executive of Oakman Inns & Restaurants. They explored how forward-thinking companies are providing equal opportunities, training and clear policies to keep employees happy and productive.
"What we see is that how well a company treats its employees is a good predictor that they will score well in other areas, too," said Stephen.
To outline the issue, he pointed out that although hospitality is the UK's fourth-biggest employer, two-thirds of chefs are working more than 48 hours a week. In a recent survey, a quarter of those polled were "netting out below the minimum wage" he said, and added: "The food scene is booming, but we need to do better."
Borg-Neal told delegates that his business was benefiting from joining the SRA's Fair Deal Campaign, which pledges fair pay, transparency around tips, training and sensible hours across the business's 17 sites and 540 staff. He argued that building a sustainable business with happy, engaged staff is crucial if you want to expand and thrive.