New scheme to retain hospitality staff launches in NI
It also includes minimising mental health challenges associated with the workplace, and enforcing a policy of anti-harassment in the workplace
The UK Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board has developed a new ‘Wellbeing and Development Promise’ to promote the wellbeing and development of staff within both sectors.
The new scheme is a UK-wide hospitality and tourism industry initiative.
Hospitality Ulster in partnership with Tourism Northern Ireland and the Hospitality and Tourism Skills network (HATS) will deliver the rollout of the ‘Wellbeing and Development Promise’ in Northern Ireland with the aim of attracting and retaining talent in the sector, boosting training and development opportunities, and promoting staff wellbeing.
The scheme replaces similar schemes previously delivered on a regional basis.
The promise seeks to ensure that team members are “well supported in the workplace and feel valued in an environment that allows them to reach their full potential and flourish as an employee in the sector”.
Some of the commitments contained in the Wellbeing and Development Promise include a pledge to implement a diversity and inclusion policy, identify training and development opportunities for all staff, consider a wide range of pay and benefits and flexible working arrangements.
It also includes minimising mental health challenges associated with the workplace, and enforcing a policy of anti-harassment in the workplace.
Speaking at the launch of the Wellbeing and Development Promise in Northern Ireland, Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said: “As an industry, we know how important it is to be responsible employers who foster positive working environments where people want to work, and where staff feel valued and supported.
“The Wellbeing and Development Promise is a comprehensive initiative which will guide employers on best practice. It will help to attract new talent, retain staff, and ultimately boost career opportunities within the industry.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, added: “It is wonderful to be here today to officially launch the Wellbeing and Development Promise here in Northern Ireland. Hospitality has always relied on the thousands of individuals who work in our pubs, restaurants, hotels, and cafés, and it is the people that work in our industry who make it the world class industry it is.
“This is why the holistic approach to the Promise is so important; individuals can feel that they are supported not just at work but in their wider life. I trust that the Wellbeing and Development Promise will contribute to better workplaces and more well-rounded employees here in Northern Ireland.”
