News

The Labour Party’s leadership election race, culminating last month in the elevation to the top job of hitherto little-known left-winger, inevitably sparked much often-heated discussion surrounding employment “issues”.

While prime minister David Cameron has pressed ahead with his plans for a living wage – a phrase which sounds so much nicer than the old “minimum wage” – other politicians have been questioning the morality of so-called zero-hours contracts.

It seems unlikely that Jeremy Corbyn will allow the debates to die. He has already gone public with some interesting if controversial ideas about employment and, more importantly, unemployment.

The facts, at least according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are that as of July this year, there were slightly more than 31 million people in work in the UK, and 1.82 million unemployed. As of June, here in the southwest the employment rate, at 77.3 per cent, was the highest of all UK regions.

Of those 31.09 million people in work – out of a UK population of 64.6 million – 22.74 were in full-time employment, while 8.36 million were working on a part-time basis.

So far, so very statistical. However, what the ONS figures do not reveal is how many of those part-time workers would actually prefer to be full-time workers. Nor do they tell us how many people actually prefer the flexibility that zero-hours contracts afford them.

On top of that, the numbers do not tell us how many people are grateful to be in work, even if they are paid below what used to be called the minimum wage.

The hospitality industry has a poor reputation when it comes to employment. Part of that reputation, at least in some cases, is undoubtedly justified. However, hospitality businesses are not only subject to the vagaries of the weather, they are also subject to the vagaries of their clients.

The breakfast chef is normally kicking his or her heels by 10am; only then, when the guests have gone out for the day, can the housekeeping team move in to “do” the rooms.

A veritable fleet of bartenders and waiters may be worked off their feet at lunchtime, but by four in the afternoon they are reduced to polishing glasses and wiping tables for the umpteenth time, bored beyond belief, and longing for the evening rush.

There is no universal, silver-bullet remedy for employment issues, not least because there is no universal problem. What works in the widget factory almost certainly won’t work in the hospitality industry, nor will it work in the fire service, at the filling station, or on the farm.

Blanket rules and regulations may improve the lot of some employees, but they are just as likely to throw many people out of work. Parliamentarians – of whatever political hue – need to wake up to the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Editor’s note: For further information, please contact Simon Scarborough on 07801 571357 or at simon@assuredhospitality.co.uk

People 1st, which describes itself as “workforce development charity”, has published a report which suggests that employees in the UK’s tourism and hospitality sector are significantly less productive than their counterparts in other industries.

Per employee, the charity says, each member of the sector’s workforce contributes only £21,600 to the industry, 53 per cent lower than an employee in the retail sector at £46,000, 39 per cent lower than someone working in construction (at £35,000) and 58 per cent lower than a manufacturing worker, at £52,000 per head.

As a result, the sector’s annual £46.5 billion contribution to total UK productivity is significantly less than in comparable industries, and People 1st wants tourism and hospitality businesses to share ideas to improve the situation.

So far, so laudable. However, the charity’s report overlooks a number of key sector-specific issues, many of which are more acute in Dorset than they are in, say, Hampstead or Hartlepool.

First, our industry doesn’t lend itself to classification as a single “sector”. The challenges facing a pub on Poole Quay or a visitor centre at Corfe Castle are very different from those facing a pub in London’s Covent Garden or the visitor centre at Edinburgh castle.

Secondly, our industry is highly seasonal. Tourism businesses, desperate to recruit extra staff in July and August, are already looking to cut payroll costs as the clients drift away. By mid-January, many will consider shutting up shop altogether.

Thirdly, our industry is top-heavy – to put it mildly – with small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). While the big hotel, restaurant and pub groups can offer management training courses and the like, the average family-run B&B simply can’t provide the same career progression opportunities.

That said, the People 1st report does suggest that tourism and hospitality businesses could make more use of older workers and those returning from maternity leave – those with industry experience, but who are unable or unwilling to commit to full-time employment. It’s that kind of thinking that our “sector” so desperately needs.

Years ago, the general manager of one of London’s first boutique hotels struggled to find housekeeping staff – until he took his infant daughter to primary school. There, in the playground, he found a crowd of young mums who desperately wanted to work, but only during school hours. Which, as any hotelier knows, is exactly when housekeeping staff are most needed.

Tourism and hospitality can be a glamorous industry, and it attracts a great many personable young people with aspiration and ambition. It’s not that the workforce doesn’t deliver, it’s the sector itself.

Of course we should bring in – and bring on – young entry-level enthusiasts. What the industry should not do is take them on only to dash their hopes just a few weeks or months later.

People 1st is right. Productivity is an issue. However, it’s an issue for employers rather than employees.

Editor’s note: For further information, please contact Simon Scarborough on 07801 571357 or at simon@assuredhospitality.co.uk.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) of UK residents are planning a “staycation” this year, according to the latest quarterly consumer spending report from Barclaycard.
Barclaycard also reveals that second-quarter spending on hotel accommodation was 6.9 per cent up year-on-year, and spending in pubs and restaurants was up 12.1 per cent and 14.8 per cent respectively

The 29 boutique Malmaison and Hotel du Vin hotels, in 25 UK towns and cities including Poole, have been sold to Singapore-based Frasers Centrepoint for £363.4 million.

US travellers to Europe spend an average of $3,500, roughly £2,400, on holiday, but still expect breakfast to be included in the hotel price, according to a Choice Hotels survey.

The Dorset coastal resort of Bridport has been named by The Times as one of top ten places in the UK to enjoy holidays “wild Britain” – in this particular instance, the Jurassic Coast.

London hotels snacks can be expensive – bookings website Hotels.com says the average cost of a club sandwich, a burger meal, a coffee and a glass of red wine comes to £42.67.

Much as I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, particular at the height of the peak summer holiday season, but the latest report from international tourism marketing organisation VisitBritain makes pretty grim reading for those of us in the Southwest.

According to VB’s Foresight study, overseas travellers made fewer visits to our region than in 2013, they didn’t stay as long when they did come and – crucially for the Southwest’s economy as a whole – they spent less money while they were here.

Admittedly the number of visits was down only 0.3 per cent, but the number overnight stays was down 4.6 per cent, and spending was 4.5 per cent lower. The East Midlands fared even worse, but that’s not much of a consolation.

Barclaycard does manage to come up with some crumbs of comfort. Its latest Consumer Spending Report suggests that that in the second quarter of this year, Britons spent 12.1 per cent more in pubs, and 14.8 per cent more in restaurants, than they did in April-June 2014.

More significantly, the Barclaycard research suggests that 26 per cent of UK holidaymakers are planning to take a ‘staycation’ this year instead of heading abroad.

Clearly, UK holidaymakers are more likely than overseas visitors to be aware of, and tempted by, the attractions of the Southwest, so there would appear to be a good chance that what the region is losing in foreigners can be made up by increased visits by our fellow countrymen.

The key word in that preceding paragraph is “chance”. The Southwest’s economy – and that of Dorset – remains hugely dependent on the tourism sector. Tourism, from home or abroad, simply cannot be left to “chance”.

The trouble with the VisitBritain report is that it is almost exclusively quantitative. Overseas visitors are coming here less frequently, for less time, and spending less money – but why? What is the Southwest doing (or not doing) that is causing these declines?

The trouble with the Barclaycard report is that while it identified spending trends, it doesn’t tell us why or where all this extra money is being spent.

UK residents have been spending nearly 15 per cent more in restaurants, but is that just because restaurateurs have been putting their prices up? More than a quarter of all holidaymakers plan to take a ‘staycation’ – but where? Are they all going to Blackpool, or is Bridport about to be swamped?

The Southwest in general, and Dorset in particular, cannot rely on others to do the research for us. While quantitative research tells us what has happened, qualitative research tells us why – and what to do about it.

There is some serious work to be done. It will take time and money. However, we cannot leave the future of our all-important tourism industry to “chance”.

By Simon Scarborough, Simon Scarborough Associates

1st July 2015

After receiving bespoke staff training, two members of Bournemouth Seafront have been recognised for providing excellent customer service in recent visits made by a secret shopper.

Earlier in the year, Simon Scarborough Associates provided training to members of staff which was passed on to the Seafront, Resort Information and Russell Cotes teams in order to better the experience for visitors over the summer season.

Chris Sims, Seasonal Ranger at Alum Chine and Land Train Driver, Nick Lock, were both identified as going above and beyond what was expected of them. Speaking about Sims’s customer service, the shopper claimed:

“He was exceptional. He was on the phone when we entered the office and acknowledged us. He was extremely friendly and helpful, went over and above and gave lots of options to my questions. He was very enthusiastic and obviously very happy in his role”

Lock was praised on his “helpful suggestions on where holiday makers could go”. The shopper described him as “exceptional”, and said that in spite of the full train, he was “laughing and joking with all the passengers, making everyone laugh and enjoy the sun and feel very special”.

The report carried out by Simon Scarborough Associates also commended the generally high quality of service provided by staff across the board. Operations Manager, Andrew Brown says: “Very positive answers were identified for all our basic expectations so these comments are on top of what we are hoping to measure about our staff.

“The work that the entire team have put in over the past three years has, in my opinion, dramatically improved our recruitment and training of seasonal staff, so in part this recognition is also for all the team involved”.

-Ends-

Please contact Bournemouth Tourism PR office for more information pr@bournemouth.gov.uk or call 01202 451750

About Bournemouth

• With seven miles of golden sands and frequently warmer than average temperatures, the vibrant, cosmopolitan town of Bournemouth has it all. As well as a vast array of shops, restaurants, cliff-top hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, the UK’s premier destination boasts historic gardens, an award-winning seafront and a buzzing nightlife.
• Voted the UK’s Best Coastal Resort in the British Travel Awards 2014, Bournemouth’s excellent transport links, including an airport and trains direct from London Waterloo, make it the perfect base for exploring the history, heritage and picture-perfect scenery of Dorset.
• Surrounded by rolling countryside, Bournemouth enjoys 2,000 acres of parks and gardens located in the centre of the resort. The Lower, Central and Upper Gardens are Grade II listed and date back to the Victorian era. Bournemouth seafront features four Blue Flag beaches, two iconic piers and almost 2,000 beach huts, as well as the resort’s distinctive land trains and cliff lifts.

www.bournemouth.co.uk