The past twelve months has seen the UK hospitality industry damaged in a way that necessitates complete reinvention. What was in March 2020 is no more.
As the process of reopening hospitality beckons, it does so with circa three quarters of a million less jobs than a year ago.
The process also sees liquidity for many exhausted to achieve survival to this point in time, and balance sheets that will take years to rebalance.
For every hospitality business the route of navigation through the next weeks and months will determine if they survive or fail.
So, cash will be king and cash flow plans will be the essential path to follow.
Planning the return of colleagues will be the most difficult balancing act for many, not just from a business perspective but emotionally. The huge decision for employers faced with furlough ending on 31 September is how many colleagues can be profitably returned to work by then.
The summer does offer hope, that a boom in staycations would not only aid hoteliers but also many other segments of hospitality. With so many jobs shed in the past twelve months increases in staycations would create new jobs and see many that are on furlough return to work. And this is where the cornerstone of reinventing hospitality needs to centre, colleagues.
The word colleagues is used repeatedly very intentionally, as the term ‘work with’ is always preferred to ‘work for’. Both the word ‘colleague’ and the term ‘work with’ denote value and culture.
The Hoteliers’ Charter, designed to raise the profile of the hospitality industry and promote hospitality as a profession of choice to parents, schools, colleges, universities and careers influencers, was launched last month.
At the heart of the charter is a commitment to treat the colleagues we work with well.
If hospitality is to reinvent itself, placing value on our people within a culture that enables all to thrive is the key.
News from the hospitality and catering industry is also being featured extensively in our Facebook and twitter social media accounts with the opportunity to engage with others in hospitality and share your views.
Hospitality & Catering News: Hospitality reopening necessitates reset based on working with colleagues. – 17 March 2021 – Hospitality reopening necessitates reset based on working with colleagues.
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