People Awards 2024: Leaders at all Levels Award – Heartwood Collection

Shortlist

• Fuller, Smith & Turner
• Heartwood Collection
• Pizza Pilgrims

The winner of the Leaders at all Levels Award is building the next generation of industry leaders to drive forward its ambitious expansion plans.

The Heartwood Collection has 14 Brasserie Blanc restaurants and 22 sites under its Heartwood Inns brand, with many more in the pipeline. It has more than 1,600 employees, with ambitions to double the size of its business by 2027.

Heartwood has recognised the huge potential its workforce holds in making its expansion a success and helping it to retain the cultural DNA it developed as a smaller enterprise. To develop its talent the business has created a strategy rooted around its values of ‘seek excellence, genuinely care and lead by example’.

One aspect of this is online learning platform Stepping Stones, which clearly outlines expectations, holds employees accountable and supports them to develop leadership skills to progress their careers. Workshops have been developed to impart key skills, which are first tested on the board of directors before being shared through teams to ensure a common language and purpose across all levels of the business.

Workshops have covered subjects including leadership, human resources, recruitment, train the trainer and first aid. For those moving into management, a bespoke leadership programme has also been developed, which allows for internal reflection and the discussion of effective leadership techniques.

Currently more than 160 Heartwood employees are working towards promotion into a supervisory or management position. Internal development has been taken up by 67% of general managers, 70% of deputy general managers, 45% of assistant managers, 85% of head chefs, 69% of senior sous chefs and 75% of sous chefs.

Development does not stop once employees enter a leadership position, with a rotation of workshops continuing to build on their skills. The result has been transformational for Heartwood, with staff turnover having almost halved from 112% to 60%. The average length of service for general managers now stands at 5.2 years and head chefs at 6.5 years.

Progression is not just monitored electronically – every month senior leaders sit down with general managers and head chefs at each site to discuss every member of their teams and ensure no one is left behind. It’s no wonder our judges said Heartwood was “leading the way” in the industry. 

Judges’ comments

Sally Beck, general manager, Royal Lancaster London: “A comprehensive entry that clearly demonstrated leadership development at all levels, delivering great internal promotions across all levels of the business. A worthy winner that is leading the way in the pub industry as an employer of choice.”