Hospitality is defined as providing – “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers” – yet as an industry the delivery of our core service is curtailed by government, forcing us to relinquish our principles.
Government has installed new laws making it illegal to employ people that ‘they’ classify as non UK nationals, including many who contributed greatly to society until they were so rudely ‘sent home’. You have no choice in the matter, forced by law to be selectively hospitable. Expected to stand by meekly, conceding to following legislation going against the very foundation of what we do.
Not only is this expectation culturally at odds with what we do, it is ruining businesses and the livelihoods of people working in those businesses.
Government’s placement of hospitality on the front line of the pandemic has already inflicted social and economic damage that will take many years to recover from. Some of the financial support from government has helped, but it was not and is not enough.
The recovery process that has been underway since 12 April has been hampered since day one by shortages in people with the sufficient skills and experience to do so. This has impacted every sector of hospitality at every level, none are immune.
As reopening moved through its different stages, requiring more people, the problem escalated forcing many operators to limit when they trade endangering their viability.
Later today the PM is due to announce full reopening, which will compound the problem further. News for him to feed voters and the media he perceives will serve his purposes, alongside the expectation for hospitality to continue toeing his line.
If you listen to government’s proposed solution for hospitality that working with Job Centers will provide the answer, that ‘initiative’ has been active since 2019. Also, the government’s assertion that the Kickstart scheme for part time training and jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit is the solution, like Job Centers look at the results.
The shortage of skilled people experienced in providing hospitality is acute, and it is now. Training young people and encouraging them to work in hospitality is a medium to long term goal, but is clearly NOT a solution to what will in the short term force hospitality businesses to close and fail.
As Professor Peter Jones MBE concluded in summary in his article: HOSPITALITY’S NIGHTMARE: Key historical issues facing hospitality compounded by Covid-19, “The only short term solution to the diminishing hospitality workforce is through relaxing immigration restrictions on EU nationals.”
Asking the government to debate this solution can only happen if sufficient numbers of hospitality people ask the government to do so. Please do not ignore this opportunity and take a few minutes to sign a petition enabling you to make a hospitable difference.
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: Please don’t turn your back on hospitality’s core principle of being hospitable. – 12 July 2021 – Please don’t turn your back on hospitality’s core principle of being hospitable.
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