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Pedalling for Pubs: Supporting Hospitality Charities

by | Sep 28, 2023 | Blogs

Help us in supporting hospitality charities

The hospitality industry thrives on the simple joys of bringing people together and creating memorable experiences. But there is so much more that makes our industry special. We are customer-centric; we foster cultural exchange; we build relationships with our guests; we are continually creative and innovative, and we provide over 2.5 million jobs in the UK.

In recent times, we are becoming ever more resilient, and it is because of our support for one another that we continue to thrive.  

Two remarkable charities: Only A Pavement Away and The Licensed Trade Charity are the backbone of the industry’s resilience. Supporting them, however possible, will make a big difference. 

That’s why S4labour’s very own, Richard Hartley, is embarking on a remarkable journey through Kenya to raise funds for these vital organisations with Pedalling for Pubs.  

Only A Pavement Away 

Only A Pavement Away recognises the hidden potential within the homeless community and those with criminal convictions. Founded by Greg Mangham, a hospitality industry veteran, they aim to bridge the gap between marginalised individuals and employment opportunities within the hospitality sector. Their mission is to provide a path to a brighter future for those facing adversity while simultaneously addressing the staffing shortages faced by the industry. 

Greg Mangham, CEO of Only a Pavement Away: 

“I would never have imagined that when I first met Richard many moons ago that he would end up cycling in faraway lands to raise money for Only A Pavement Away. For those of you that know Richard, you won’t be surprised that he has taken on this challenge yet again. It would be great to give Richard as much support as possible. A great guy working in a great industry, supporting a great cause.” 

The Licensed Trade Charity 

The Licensed Trade Charity has been a devoted supporter of individuals working in the licensed trade for over two centuries. This charity offers financial assistance, emotional support, and practical guidance to employees and their families in times of crisis. From helping someone navigate through financial difficulties to providing mental health support, this charity embodies the spirit of supporting one another.

Paula Smith, Head of Marketing, Licensed Trade Charity 

“We are so grateful to Richard for taking part in Pedalling for Pubs for the third time in 2024.  The Licensed Trade Charity has seen enormous growth in calls to our 24/7 helpline where licensed trade people can talk to someone for practical advice, emotional support and to apply for financial grants. We are currently seeing ten times the calls we were five years ago.  By taking part in Pedalling for Pubs Richard is supporting the LTC with valuable funds that ensure we can continue to support licensed hospitality people financially, support that is needed now more than ever as we continue to manage the high cost of living.  His involvement in the ride also raises awareness of the that helps us reach more people who would benefit from our support. We wish Richard the very best of luck in Kenya and send him our heartfelt thanks for his continued support.”  

Pedalling for Pubs 

Richard Hartley, our Chief Growth Officer, is embarking on a remarkable journey across Kenya in aid of Pedalling for Pubs 2024. It’s Richard’s third time behind the handlebar raising funds for Only a Pavement Away and The Licensed Trade Charity. 

As he pedals through the stunning landscapes of Kenya, he’s raising awareness and funds that will directly support the industry. 

Donate to help both charities continue their invaluable work:   

Spread the word: Share this blog and Richard’s journey on your social media platforms, encouraging others to join the cause. By spreading the word, you can help these charities reach more people in need. 

Volunteer: If you have time and skills to offer, consider volunteering with these charities. Your expertise and passion can make a significant difference in the lives of those they support. (charity contact info) 

It’s our turn to come together and support the industry we know and love. 

By donating, sharing, and getting involved, you can be a part of this extraordinary journey and help ensure that the hospitality sector continues to thrive, one pedal stroke at a time.  

Donate to both charities here
Watch Richard's video

The Chestnut Group

by | Sep 25, 2023 | Customer Stories, Multi Site, Stay / Sleep

Case Study

How The Chestnut Group streamlined their people management 

Company Name: The Chestnut Group  

Chestnut Overview

Winners of this year’s Pub and Bar Award, Chestnut boast a collection of beautiful East Anglian pubs. Founded by Philip Turner, the 16-strong group are known for their focus on guest experience, delivered by their championed frontline workers.  

People Director, Charley O’Toole, spoke about how the group have streamlined their people management across over 500 team members, from their 15 general managers to Ops managers and sous chefs, to get the best from them.  

“I publish a rota, and everyone gets a notification on their phone. It was so quick and simple to do. In every hospitality business I’ve ever worked in, the team are always keen to receive their rotas as far in advance as possible. It helps people to plan their lives outside of work and they are always really appreciative.” 

Charley O'Toole

People Director , The Chestnut Group

Workforce management

Chestnut have worked with workforce management provider S4labour for around 3 years. With such a complex and growing business, using paper and spreadsheets to manage their shift patterns and pay wasn’t a viable option, and the business also had a focus on streamlining communications and HR onboarding.  

Charley commented: “I publish a rota, and everyone gets a notification on their phone. It was so quick and simple to do. In every hospitality business I’ve ever worked in, the team are always keen to receive their rotas as far in advance as possible. It helps people to plan their lives outside of work and they are always really appreciative.” 

S4labour onboards new employees onto the system and the HR tools allows all important employee information and documentation to be completed accurately and efficiently.  

By systemising deployment and rotas, labour demand and budgets are looked after and sales increase is driven by having the right people at work at the right time, without any of the stress or extra admin. “When you’re looking at your rota model and you’re able to see your flex, it helps you to determine if you have the right level of team required – it makes our lives really simple”, Charley commented.  

Once the rotas are in, they can be viewed via the app. Holiday management is made easy with visibility of accruals, the ability to request time off and holiday pay automatically calculated in the rota. 

Charley added: “anything that makes lives simpler for our teams is a big win for us.” 

Cost versus benefit

Cost versus benefit is high on every operator’s agenda. When it comes to investing in S4labour, Charley said: “Cost of living has risen, the hangover of COVID, Brexit, you name it, everything is much more expensive, so you have to be really mindful about labour costing and I think S4labour is commercial in that respect.” 

Benefit

One thing really stands out for Chestnut, and that is the customer service they receive with S4labour.  

In terms of first-line support and account management, Charley said “everyone is so incredibly approachable; nothing is beneath anyone. It makes us feel like it’s a partnership, rather than S4labour just being a product that is supplied to us.” 

More Case Studies

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Nisa Partners with S4labour

by | Sep 15, 2023 | Blogs, Convenience Stores

Market-leading rota, people and payroll provider, S4labour, is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Nisa, the UK’s leading convenience retailer. 

As the sole preferred people management partner, Nisa retailers will benefit by significantly reducing the time they spend managing and paying their teams. 

S4labour’s innovative software is designed to streamline all labour-related processes, providing retailers and forecourt operators with powerful tools to optimise scheduling, timekeeping, and payroll. This partnership marks an important stage in S4labour’s journey to provide rota, people, and payroll tools to support the wider retail audience.  

Garry Craft, Managing Director of Convenience Stores at S4labour, commented: “We are excited to partner with Nisa and become their preferred rota and payroll provider. This collaboration reflects our commitment to helping retailers save time and money by optimising their workforce and enhancing operational efficiency. Our focus is on giving retailers the tools they need to manage their teams simply and effectively, so they can focus on serving their local communities.” 

Board Trustee at Nisa Retail, Victoria Lockie, added: “Nisa are pleased to announce this partnership with S4labour. It is really important that our retailers are supported and working with S4labour will really help them with labour cost and management.” 

Rav Garcha, Nisa Retailer, said: “We knew there had to be an easy solution to managing rotas, holidays, and sickness. S4labour encompasses everything – great visibility, supports multiple sites, all the data is in one place and the onboarding, training and support has been great.” 

Driving employee engagement through intuitive scheduling: the rundown of Tech on Toast’s latest podcast with S4labour 

by | Sep 13, 2023 | Blogs, Hospitality

It’s no secret that Tech on Toast has introduced an increasingly popular podcast to the hospitality world, with companies sharing insights and showcasing their expertise on industry trends, innovations and challenges in the tech world. 

So, when our Chief Growth Officer, Richard Hartley, was offered the chance to film an episode with Chris at BrewDog Waterloo, they really got chatting. 

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the key takeaways from the episode and explore why it’s a must-listen for both industry professionals and enthusiasts alike. 

What’s the episode about? 

In the episode, Richard and Chris discuss current challenges when it comes to labour, and how S4labour’s people-centred approach to tech helps operators to engage and retain their team. By creating efficiencies and boosting productivity through effective scheduling, Richard explains how S4labour helps both multi-site and single site businesses to engage teams and drive growth. 

What are the key learnings? 

1. In hospitality, we have to be more reactive 

Operators have to react to whatever is thrown their way, be it the weather, train strikes, or whatever else. The further ahead you can plan your labour, the better it is.  

2. “The greatest difference you can make to productivity is with really effective shift planning” 

The reality of scheduling now is that there will be times in every shift when staff are not busy – these are the times that need to be filled with productive tasks. No one’s working a four-hour shift, especially in London, where most people have to travel in to work. It’s about working out how you can be effective by making sure people are busy when they’re not serving customers. 

3. “A busy team is a happy team” 

People want to know they’ve got tasks to do and that they are working towards the overall objective of the business – standing staring at an empty restaurant isn’t much fun. When people are engaged, they find ways to fill quiet times. 

S4labour launched a shift swapping product in 2019, which became a powerful engagement tool for employees. Gen Z continue to make us rethink ways of working, and one thing that we have noticed is that they don’t necessarily want to work 60-hour weeks. Younger generations prioritise a work-life balance much more than previous generations did, so they’re happy working a 20-hour week. 

Keeping employees happy, engaged and motivated is key to retention, which has become a big part of what we do. Operators using the system got really good at managing their labour costs, so now they have a focus on employee motivation, which comes down to capturing how they feel and feeding it back. 

4. S4labour looks after smaller businesses as well as the larger multiples  

At S4labour, we didn’t want to create something that was too complex, as some businesses might not need a big shift planning tool. For example, if they work in a small café with 2-3 members of staff. We wanted to find a way that we could right-size our offering for whoever we are talking to. 

5. Labour is the biggest variable cost and therefore it gets scrutiny  

Spending the right amount isn’t easy. Operators need to make sure wage rates are the right rates; that whatever they are spending every week is going to deliver the right amount of service for what walks through the door.  

That’s why S4labour designed a really simple deployment graph that talks about the stress and slack. It plots for every hour of the day and integrates with 298 separate EPOS organisations. 

“We give people better information to make better decisions” 

6. “We will continue to evolve in the people space.” 

The starting point for our tools is when an employee starts a job. From there, all HR – contract, to onboarding, right up to pensions at the end of payroll, are taken care of by S4labour. There’s such a big future within that spectrum, and we strive to keep adding that value where we can.  

Sound interesting? You can watch the full podcast below or get in touch with S4labour to find out exactly how S4labour can support you in being your best.  

Watch the podcast

August sales up 3.2% led by London

by | Sep 6, 2023 | Blogs, Sales Figures

This month, overall sales were up 3.2% compared to last year, led by a strong August for London, according to the latest S4labour sales data. 

The Capital saw a solid increase of 9.9% across the board, with food and drink sales up 12% and 8.7% respectively.   

Non-London saw a 4.7% increase in food, but drink sales dropped by 0.7% compared to last year.  

Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, said: “Despite a wet August, it is promising to see growth on last year and healthier numbers compared to last month, which saw only a slight increase of 1.4% in like-for-like sales. Outside of London, and particularly in more rural areas, it is likely that less people were going out to drink in pubs this month because of the bad weather. Nevertheless, the increase in food sales across the UK will go some way to offsetting inflation.”