1. epmagazine.co.uk | 31
People 1st | ManagementPeople 1st | Management
30 | EP Magazine | July 2015
PUTTING
PEOPLEFIRST
to first principles was the first step. After
almost a decade at the helm, last year saw
the departure of Brian Wisdom from the
team, which Managing Director Simon Tarr
says was a defining moment.
“Brian was, and is, a firm believer in
People 1st and we were all sorry to see him
go,” says Simon. “But at the same time it also
pushed us to stand back for a moment and
look at our strategies, plans and initiatives
and to think about how we could redefine
how we operated and what we were
providing for the sector.
“Our research gave us a really strong
platform from which to work with
employers to design a series of credible and
relevant programmes, we just needed
to realign some of our own policies to ensure
we had the right structure to achieve this.”
To say that People 1st has played
a pivotal role in the sector is to make
light of the work done and the results
achieved. Over the years the ‘leading
workforce development charity for
employers in the hospitality, tourism,
leisure, travel, passenger transport and
retail industries’ has developed a strong
relationship with the industries and
a reputation for quality intelligence and
research. At the same time, Simon
T
here are few who aren’t aware of the
alarming statistic that, as a sector,
hospitality needs to recruit 993,000
new employees by 2022, or that of these,
870,000 will be replacements for existing
staff. That’s more than 88% of the entire
workforce. At a cost of £274 million yearly,
the act of attracting employees to the sector,
and thereafter retaining them, is a serious
issue affecting commerciality and profit.
Added to this is the worrying statistic that
almost 1 in 5 of all hospitality and tourism
employers are reporting ‘skills gaps
with existing employees’ as the number
one issue affecting business and there’s
clearly a battle to be fought.
So, where to begin? Offering a range
of consultancy and support services,
each tailored to the individual needs of
a business, People 1st is well established
in the sector and recognised for the
productive, proactive and workable
solutions to business issues they offer.
Recently, however, there have been
those who voiced concern that perhaps the
institution had ‘lost its way’ and was trying
to be all things to all men rather than
focusing on its strengths – a sentiment that
the team recognise and, to their credit, took
on board and acted on accordingly. A return
recognised that the message was getting
lost in translation somewhere along the
way. “Employers have always known of
and appreciated the value of People 1st
but, having taken the time to meet with
a number of industry leaders personally,
it became apparent that there were some
crossed wires on what it was that we
did compared to what they wanted from
us,” he explains. “Redefining ourselves
as a ‘workforce development charity’
has really allowed us to identify
employers’ needs and consequently
deliver solutions to help individual
organisations develop their people.
“Looking abroad has also been
a key strategy in developing plans and
initiatives for the businesses we work
with. Intelligence is at the very heart
of what we do, so taking advice and
guidance from successful programmes
overseas is another ‘string to the bow’.
“The WorldHost customer service
training initiative is a prime example.
We championed bringing this over for the
London Olympics and were impressed by
the results achieved,” says Simon. “Actually,
in the lead up to the Olympics, we had
anticipated there would be real demand
for the programme. However, we received
A bastion of information, knowledge and expert research, People 1st has played an
invaluable role in garnering the facts about the hospitality sector and helping businesses
maximise the potential of their teams. Now in its 11th year, Arlene McCaffrey sits down
with Simon Tarr, Martin-Christian Kent and Sharon Glancy to discuss plans for the
future and how credible research can positively influence business strategy
significantly more enquiries after the Games
were over because people saw the real and
tangible difference the training had made
and wanted to embrace it as part of their
operation. Now the goal is to keep this going
and make it part of everyday service levels
rather than a one-off for a special event.”
Clearly another advocate for the
programme, Sharon Glancy, Executive
Director for Sales & Client Engagement,
refers again to research to show how
important training on basic skills is
for front-line staff. “Those businesses
availing of the programme have reported
better internal relationships, increased
sales, improved customer feedback and
a clear increase in motivation and employee
satisfaction. It has been a really positive
initiative, and we’re very proud of that.”
So how has the customer experience
changed the role of the service
provider in hospitality?
Observing that
modern technology,
social media and
a more educated
customer has raised
“Redefiningourselvesasa‘workforce
developmentcharity’hasreallyallowed
ustoidentifyemployers’needsand
consequentlydeliversolutionstohelp
individualorganisationsdeveloptheirpeople
”Simon Tarr Managing Director of People 1st
The number of new
hospitality employees
needed by 2022
993,000
expectations for all operators in the sector,
Martin-Christian Kent, Executive Director
for Policy & Research, also commented on
the importance of ‘future proofing’ training
for front-line employees.
He explains, “Equipping people coming
into the sector with the skills they need is
a key element of the strategy focused
on by People 1st. Embracing
technology rather than
shunning it is crucial
and we want to help
businesses achieve
the best results
possible by
ensuring their
teams have the
right knowledge,
experience
and training.”
How do young people
view opportunities in the
hospitality sector?
There are real concerns being voiced
by hospitality management schools and
From left
Simon Tarr,
Sharon Glancy
and Martin-
Christian Kent
of People 1st
help identify
employers’
needs and
deliver
solutions
to ensure
organisations
can develop
their people

2. People 1st | Management
32 | EP Magazine | July 2015
directors of a number of apprenticeship
programmes who are seeing a significant
drop in the number of applications they
are receiving. As more and more students
look to other sectors or choose to remain
in sixth form colleges, hospitality businesses
are facing a significant reduction in the
number of people coming in. Recognising
a serious problem that needs to be tackled
head-on, People 1st has created a number
of programmes that can help businesses
with the issue.
One of those challenges is educating
people on the range of opportunities and
career paths available in the sector. Says
Sharon, “Quite often it comes down to a
simple unawareness of the opportunities
available. When people think of a career
in hospitality it’s often only in terms
of waiting staff, housekeeping and chefs.
We want to highlight how many other
fantastic careers
there are out there
by working with
industry to positively
spread that message.
“Research shows that
employers are genuinely keen to
hire people who are out of work,”
she adds. “So we focused on creating
a sound structure that provided
pre-employment screening to attract
the right people to the right roles. It has
made the whole system more effective and
relevant to employers and has subsequently
seen a number of people given the
opportunity to return to employment.
“There are significant challenges around
recruitment into the hospitality sector but
the biggest challenge remains retaining the
people we already have – focusing on plans
to keep employees interested, focused and
growing is a key objective, says Sharon.
“It comes down to this – the sector has
been labouring under a negative outward
reputation for a prolonged period
and we believe that this can
be changed. Indeed our
research shows that
the sector as a whole
is full of great,
enthusiastic,
committed
individuals who
are keen to grow
in their careers.
It’s up to businesses
to develop these
individuals and it’s up
to us to help them do so.”
Commenting on this
strategy, Martin-Christian observed,
“We have been hand-holding some
employers through the process of
appreciating how good training
can impact on productivity, which
thereby increases profitability. It has
been an interesting journey, but once
people come through it they inevitably
become our strongest advocates and
ambassadors for the programme.”
Bringing new people into the sector and
giving others a second chance
Into Work is another successful initiative
backed by People 1st. Working with 30
companies to help find new talent, the
initiative has brought 5,000 people into
work in just 18 months. Working in close
collaboration with Jobcentre Plus, the
programme is effectively covering the role
of a ‘broker’, introducing people to the
sector who might not otherwise
understand the opportunities available.
Enthusiastic about the hospitality
sector and its role within it, the team at
People 1st is clear on its objectives – to
raise demand for investment in training and
skills development, improve recruitment,
retention and development opportunities
for the sector and the people in it and to
drive productivity through a world-class
workforce. This is a laudable challenge,
and one that Simon, Martin-Christian and
Sharon are embracing wholeheartedly.
£274m
The annual cost of
attracting and retaining
employees in the
hospitality sector
“Whenpeoplethinkofacareerinhospitalityit’soften
onlyintermsofwaitingstaff,housekeepingandchefs.
Wewanttohighlighthowmanyotherfantasticcareers
thereareouttherebyworkingwithindustryto
positivelyspreadthatmessage
”Sharon Glancy Executive Director at People 1st
NickDawe