Travelodge announce post Brexit recruitment strategy
Travelodge has announced it is aiming to attract parents returning to work to meet anticipated post Brexit staffing issues with a new recruitment drive. This strategy will be deployed as more than 100 planned new hotel openings will create circa 3,000 new jobs at Travelodge through the next five years.
Already one of the UK’s largest hotel operators with 575 properties, it hopes to fill 500 jobs straightaway by recruiting parents with hours that fit around them and their school commitments.
The government’s current Brexit ‘plan’ will extend the £30,000 per year minimum salary threshold that applies to non-EU workers entering the UK to EU nationals.
Travelodge’s new job roles are mostly in housekeeping, reception and restaurants and all well below the governments threshold, thereby eliminating EU nationals. With EU nationals making up as much as 75% of the workforce in London hospitality venues this poses Travelodge and others many challenges.
Travelodge, as is all of the hospitality industry, is currently heavily reliant on EU nationals that account for 30% of its workforce. UKHospitality and others have warned repeatedly of the devastating impact the government’s plans to slash immigration from the EU by 80% after Brexit will have on the industry, seemingly to no avail.
CEO at Travelodge, Peter Gowers, commented: “Travelodge is growing quickly, and we want to unlock the potential of Britain’s mums and dads as they return to work. Hospitality can offer a great career for parents, with jobs close to home, hours that can match the school run, benefits that suit families and a path into management.
“We are preparing in earnest for post-Brexit Britain. With thousands of new jobs to fill, we need more new colleagues than ever. We see vast untapped potential in parents who want to return to work.”
Travelodge does seem well positioned already to execute this strategy as across the group almost 75% of its staff are women, and the majority of Travelodge’s hotel managers are women. Most school parenting even in 2019, is still done by women.