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It's a bold statement, but one we can back up. Our ‘Force for Good’ sustainability programme focuses on enabling people to live and work well whilst having a positive impact on the world around us.
💜 Thank you. It’s been said a lot over the past 18 months, but this one goes out to the Number 1 team in the #Hospitality industry, responsible for helping stand our business back up in challenging circumstances! So, in recognition of the heroic efforts of our teams, we announced a pay increase for our hourly-paid team members. The memory makers, guest wow-ers, meal creators and most importantly the heart and soul of our business. Pay increases will differ by role and department, with minimum pay rates set to increase by over 5%, and 30,000 of our people eligible for the rise. All our roles will now pay above the National Minimum Wage, and above the National Living Wage. 🗣️ Our CEO Alison Brittain said: “A huge thank you from me for everything you all do. I’m continually impressed by your commitment, camaraderie, and care for one another and what we stand for. Whatever comes our way, whatever challenges we face, and whatever success we gain – we make it together. That’s why you are at the heart of our business, and that’s why together, we are a winning team.”
When you join us at Whitbread, you’re becoming part of a business that welcomes career progression in whichever way you want to go. After all, career in hospitality can be as broad as you want to make it, as Latoya found when she wanted to mix things up after three years as a Kitchen Manager, to become a General Manager. “Within days of starting I had totally bought into the vision. Everyone seemed to speak this ‘Whitbread’ language – they had the same passions, and I was eager to be a part of it. “Becoming a GM was something I definitely wanted, but like nothing I had done before. How would I go from cooking steaks, to using a till and doing a safe check? I took a deep breath and a leap of faith. Together with my GM and ROM we agreed it would be useful for me to take the ‘Progressing into General Management' course. “The course itself was amazing! We met so many different people, built some great relationships and felt completely secure with the support structure. Nine months later I graduated and, three months after that, I was given my first appointment as a new General Manager."
The role you start in can be very different to where you choose to take your career. Liz’s role now is definitely not where she started, today she’s involved in transforming our IT and systems model and leading a team of project managers. With lots of moving parts and projects to manage, Liz has more than doubled her team, and she’s seeing the benefit. Read Liz's story…
Leaving school and entering the world of work for the first time is one of the biggest moments in someone’s life. And we want to help them make the right decision. We’re firm believers in apprenticeships. Not just for the structure, the training and the rewards that they can simultaneously offer. But for the softer skills you also get back. The people skills, the confidence, the motivation. And that’s really what our apprenticeships look to offer. Great opportunities, great nationally-recognised qualifications, great pay and great prospects. All in an environment that brings out the best in people – both professionally and personally. Richard Brooks Harley, our Apprenticeships Delivery Manager, outlines another way to continue your development in hospitality, and a career less ordinary:…
Lorna’s Whitbread career journey has been full of exciting twists and turns. From starting out on reception in our Premier Inn, right through to her current role as Estates Development Training Manager (and lots of roles in between). Twenty years with us, and still plenty more to experience. “I always say to people, I have a career and not a job, and Whitbread gave me that. All I had to do is work incredibly hard and show willingness, and it happened for me. I’ve loved every moment of it.” Learn more about Lorna’s story here…
At Whitbread we pride ourselves on offering our people every chance to progress, whatever their starting point. But don’t take our word for it, here are our some of our Finance team sharing their journeys and the opportunities they have had during their time with us. Fern, Lee and Tanatswa are experiencing career growth that’s moving as fast as we do, and are a part of framing where we’re headed. Times are changing, but our ambition is bigger than ever. This means huge things when it comes to budget and forecasting, and that’s where our Finance team really springs into action. So, if you are studying for your finance qualification and want to work somewhere there are no limits to ambition check out our current vacancies
Join us this summer and get an extra week's pay 😎 We're proud to play our part in helping people get back together with loved ones over the holidays, and there is no more important role than the one our Team Members play in our hotels and restaurants. So we’re giving all of our hourly-paid team a bonus to say thank you, and doubling our recognition programme to show how much we appreciate every warm smile and speedy check in, every spotless comfy bedroom and every delicious breakfast. What’s more, this applies to our newest Team Members too – so if you, or someone you know is looking to spend a summer making special memories for our guests, with award-winning training and even more fantastic perks, point them in our direction!
While Pride events might not be taking place right now, there’s still some pretty important things GLOW have contributed to over the last 12 months, working with other networks and our central teams to help us create a truly inclusive place to come to work. We know there’s so much we still need to do and we’re always thinking about the next thing, but we also want to celebrate where GLOW has made impactful and meaningful change across our business. For instance… ✅ We’ve created allyship cards to help educate and help people to become and act as an ally ✅ We updated our old bloodborne virus policy to reflect U=U and remove any language which stigmatised against those who are HIV+ ✅ We made important updates to our transgender policy and introduced a transitioning in the workplace policy and guidelines to support individuals and line managers. ✅ Whitbread launched new D&I training undertaken by senior leaders and is now available to senior teams and line managers. And many more. Want to see? Click the link…
Do you know where we get the eggs 🍳 for our famous breakfasts adored by our guests across the UK? Griffiths Family Farms - and they were one of the first suppliers to go through our responsible sourcing and audit programme. After all, being a Force for Good doesn’t just mean for our guests and teams, but it means how we operate as a business too – all the way down to how we buy all the things we need to make our hotels and restaurants so special. That’s why we have a clear commitment to procure all of our key commodities to sustainable standards so we can feel proud that we are always doing the right thing. That’s everything from the cotton in our bedsheets to the 100% cage free shell eggs at breakfast. “We approached it with total transparency. There were a number of areas that needed addressing, but rather than issue ultimatums and demand immediate corrections, the Whitbread team worked with us, really got to understand our business and have provided great support across a number of levels over the last three years."
