Adam Hyman: Hospitality must improve workplace flexibility

I was on a busy Victoria Line at around 6.30am one morning last week when an announcement was made saying Pimlico station wasn’t open due to lack of staff.

The pandemic has impacted life in many ways, none more so than how, and where, we work. For many, pre-pandemic times meant five days a week in the office. Now it might mean more like two or three, and for some it has proven to be a complete end to the office entirely. 

Whatever your feelings are towards the situation, you cannot ignore the fact employees want and expect flexibility in the way they now work.

It’s very clear from the media that the industries struggling to recruit now have one thing in common – they require workers to be there. Healthcare, hospitality, transport…the list is a long one. 

Needless to say, there are certain jobs that cannot and should not be done from your kitchen table, but it’s evident that as an industry, hospitality is going to need to be more flexible too. Whether that’s through shift patterns or working hours, we’re recruiting for the best people against many other sectors and we need to make sure we can compete.

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