Putting People First
As we enter 2022, we’re acutely aware that the challenges facing hospitality — and the people who work within it — are far from over. In response, we’ve extended our Green & Fortune Supports initiative to provide additional stability and reassurance for our teams during what has been a difficult and uncertain period.
The emergence of the Omicron variant, renewed working-from-home guidance and advice to limit social interaction had a significant impact on trading across our restaurants, cafés, event venues and staff dining facilities throughout December and into January. Traditionally one of our busiest months, December 2021 was unusually quiet, resulting in fewer operational hours being available, particularly for casual team members.
Guaranteed Hours for January
To help provide security during this quieter period, we introduced guaranteed hours for all employees throughout January, ensuring everyone was paid for a minimum of two shifts per week, regardless of fluctuations in business levels. This measure was designed to offer financial stability at a time when many in hospitality were facing uncertainty.
Alongside this, we reaffirmed our commitment — announced in December 2021 — to paying the vast majority of our team above the London Living Wage, with a minimum hourly rate of £12 per hour.
Supporting Our People Through Uncertainty
Reflecting on the decision, our Founder and CEO John Nugent said:
“It has been a challenging and rather sombre start to 2022. While a new year usually brings optimism, the early months of this year present a fresh set of challenges for hospitality in London. December is normally one of our strongest trading periods, but we ended 2021 in a very muted way.
This has inevitably affected the hours available to some of our casual team members. We hope that by guaranteeing hours during January, we can offer a degree of stability and reassurance at what is a difficult time for many.”
Building on Green & Fortune Supports
Green & Fortune Supports was first launched in 2020 to help team members most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme provided practical guidance, financial assistance, food supplies and skills training to those who needed it most.
Re-launching and evolving the initiative reflects our continued belief that supporting our people must remain a priority — particularly during periods of uncertainty. While the challenges facing the industry continue to change, our commitment to care, fairness and long-term support remains the same.
