Leasowe Castle has joined forces with Hospitality Action to offer its team members and their families a round-the-clock service to assist in areas such as health and wellbeing, working life and financial matters.
The Wirral based hotel is the latest to join the nationwide Employee Assistance Programme, which promises pastoral and welfare support to those working in hospitality on an ongoing basis, offering access to 24-hour advice, counselling, legal guidance, financial planning and meditation to name a few.
General Manager of Leasowe Castle Mike Dewey said: “The hotel industry is changing at such a rapid pace and keeping up with innovations and challenges can undoubtably impact team members both in a personal and work capacity which can also have a knock-on effect on their families. This is why we decided to offer professional and confidential support through Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme. Offering this service to our team and their families really was a no-brainer for us as the well-being of our workforce is a priority.
“Since taking over as General Manager in 2016, Leasowe Castle has undergone an extensive refurbishment amongst other significant changes that have seen us gain a four-star rating from the AA. To keep up with developments within the business we have offered extensive training opportunities and supported a number of internal promotions. Adopting this scheme seemed like the next step for us as part our wider initiative to be one of the region’s best employers.”
Leasowe Castle currently employs 67 team members across the hotel in a number of positions including front of house, housekeeping and kitchen roles, a growth of 20% since its refurbishment in 2016.
Mike added: “The feedback that we’ve had so far has been incredibly positive and we are continuing to look after our team, not only in a pastoral sense, but also in terms of making sure they feel valued within the business. Although senior members are on hand to offer guidance and support, our team members and their families really do value the opinion of professionals trained in mental and physical well-being. Talking to your colleagues about personal or work-related issues is still a daunting thought for many but the confidential and remote element to this scheme takes that stigma away.
“We hope that what we are doing will encourage more people to talk openly about their concerns and seek the help and guidance that they need to help them succeed within their careers.”