Page 11 - Hospitality Report July 2021

15. Employees Are Tired and Uncertain
Employees have been through a lot during the pandemic. Some employees have needed to delve into the unknown and rise to the challenge, learning new skills to help businesses through the pandemic.
‘Many employees have been busier than ever, working remotely and very tired’, Sam Pawson, Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors.
Other employees have been facing challenges through furlough as they are rising to the challenge of returning to the workplace. Some employers have reported employees don’t want to return to the job at all.
Many changes are happening within employment, and many employers are looking at ways to revive their culture and bring positivity back to being back in the office. Morale and culture can be ideally supported with hospitality, helping to restore relationships and positivity in the workplace. Creating digital innovation that supports these links is crucial as new habits have formed during the pandemic, such as online meetings and remote working.
We have developed simple products for businesses to purchase to stimulate employee engagement, showcase the local hospitality offering and boost revenue into local hospitality. Employers can buy birthday and Christmas vouchers and customise their gifts for employees to show their employees they care and help the local economy.
16. The Online World is Busier than Ever
As many businesses retreated to homeworking, the online world has become busier than ever. Zoom meeting, social media posts, email communications. The world of marketing makes it difficult to be found online. We have been working with a range of businesses at a local level to help create exposure for their business and help the local hospitality economy. There are new opportunities to use hospitality the ‘old fashioned way’ by enjoying experiences and incentives in local hospitality and at the same time build the local economy. Building relationships at a deeper level face to face and using innovation to reduce the cost and incentivise participation.
17. Digital Partnerships and Collaborations
Government and local councils have the challenge of economic recovery, and there is a need to speed up collaboration and cooperation. The challenge is that many local councils are not at the forefront of digital innovation. Opportunities to interlink cultural-led economic regeneration with attracting people to the high street and hospitality are not immediately obvious. We see they are interlinked. The hospitality sector needs fast movement and support, and it can be frustrating when support is slow. Our platform builds digital collaboration to help strengthen links with opportunities surrounding towns and cities. For example, we have partnered with Theatre Royal with pre-theatre dining. The partnership is helping to build connections between local culture and leisure and stimulate the volume of activity into local hospitality.
The platform also provides a way for hospitality businesses to take control and collaborate to move forward.
18. Visitors are An Opportunity
A visitor to a city can gain comfort in visiting a national chain coffee shop or restaurant they know. Brands build familiarity and consistency.
What a difference it would make if visitors could not only enjoy discovering the local offering but enjoy the difference.