The well-being of London’s hospitality workforce has been a big topic over the past couple of years, with industry figures speaking out on on everything from mental health to recruitment and pay. Seeking to draw a cohesive picture of the industry as a place to work, Adam Hyman’s Code Hospitality has this week published its inaugural Happiness in Hospitality report, a timely survey of what it’s actually like behind the scenes.
Drawing on responses from more than 520 individuals the report focuses on talent, mental health, pay, and benefits. Perhaps unsurprisingly there are both positives and negatives to take from the findings, with one of the starkest challenges remaining recruitment and the uncertainty caused by Brexit.
Mental health is another worrying aspect with 9 out of 10 hospitality staff having experienced or witnessed abuse in their workplace. As Max Coltart, head of CODE Careers, put it: “The UK has every element required to set the global standard for hospitality, yet we lag behind the rest of the world in our treatment of people. Only when our industry is seen as a viable career, let alone a sustainable one, will we flourish further.”
On the positive side though, a whopping 78% of the industry said they would recommend hospitality as a career and 87% are willing to mentor others through their own career paths, a statistic we certainly see reflected in many of the passionate people we know working in the restaurant industry.
The report’s findings will be published in more detail in CODE Quarterly issue 16 and will be published annually from now on. It will certainly be interesting to see how the industry takes this survey on board and how next year’s results will compare. You can buy the full report here for £49.
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