Giles Fuchs
Giles Fuchs is the owner of the iconic Burgh Island Hotel, located on a private island off the coast of South Devon. Originally built in 1929 and extended in 1932, Giles has since transformed Burgh into one of the region’s most luxurious hotels, without compromising on its historic charm, authenticity, and character.
Leading a hotel and a serviced-office space company back to pre-pandemic levels of success, Giles is a well-informed and seasoned expert when it comes to ensuring the wellbeing of employees is the number one priority
- What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the hospitality industry today?
It’s clear that the biggest challenge hospitality businesses are facing today is recruitment and retention. A recent industry report revealed that 80% of hospitality operators are facing recruitment and retention challenges, with even more reportedly struggling to build teams with the right skills and dynamic to drive growth.
With one in every 10 jobs in the UK being in hospitality, a recruitment crisis could have catastrophic consequences. It’s no secret that the staff are the most important aspect of any hospitality business. We must act now to ensure hospitality workers feel heard, supported and respected throughout their valuable and impressive careers.
- How is recruitment connected to worker wellbeing?
One of the reasons that the hospitality industry is struggling with recruitment and retention is because there is a lack of policies in place to promote the wellbeing of hospitality workers.
Many people hear hospitality and think of long hours, little pay and no time or opportunities to develop new skills or qualifications. It’s false assumptions like this that have an impact of recruitment. It’s not like that everywhere.
- How can hospitality businesses prioritise the wellbeing of their employees and colleagues?
I believe that opportunities for gaining skills, qualifications and continued personal development should not be reserved for those working in an office.
By investing time and money into developing the skills of staff, it makes them feel valued, appreciated and respected. Training can also help to build confidence and foster a supportive environment in which teams can thrive. It is this kind of atmosphere that will attract new recruits and reduce staff turnover.
Our staff are integral to our success, and we strive to ensure they have ample training and development opportunities. Sustainability and eco-friendly practices are an important part of Burgh’s unique identity, therefore all our staff are trained in energy awareness. Similarly, our chefs are specifically trained to work with local and seasonal produce as this is in keeping with our sustainable ethos.
In fact, around 80% of our ingredients are sourced from local communities within a 30-mile radius.
- Do you think putting worker wellbeing first will help to raise the profile of hospitality jobs?
Yes, definitely. It’s only once those working in the industry feel happy and supported at work that the perception of a career in the industry at large will begin to change.
The turnover rate in this industry is double that of the UK average. Making the physical and mental wellbeing of staff a top priority will help to transform this. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for businesses to take a fresh approach to workers’ wellbeing, offering employees free access to counselling and mental health ‘first aid’, for example, should certainly be on their radar.
- Since the pandemic, the popularity of flexibility has gained a lot of attention, is this the same for the hospitality sector?
Today, flexibility has never been so important. While hospitality workers are no strangers to unconventional shift patterns, hospitality employers, and in other disciplines, need to ensure more flexible ways of working are facilitated and encouraged where needed.
Employees’ adaptability should be appreciated, not exploited, and as we have seen, dissatisfied staff are increasingly prepared to vote with their feet. Any business looking to boost recruitment and retention must be thinking about worker wellbeing – and flexibility is now a core principle of this.
- To sum up, what would be your three top tips for improving work well being in the hospitality industry?
Opportunities for gaining skills and qualifications, flexibility and listening to what employee’s needs and expectations. Ultimately, prioritising wellbeing breeds happy staff, great service and increased the likelihood of a long and successful career in the industry, which is integral to the growth of any company.
