With operators under pressure to make cost-savings, better environmental practice could help to significantly reduce recruitment costs.
The report from leading foodservice technology provider, Nutritics and hospitality data and insights consultancy CGA by NIQ, Sustainability Matters: Why your teams take it seriously, surveyed UK hospitality employees to understand attitudes towards sustainability within the sector and found that employers’ poor environmental practice has a significant impact on their ability to retain and attract talent.

The insight reveals that sustainability is increasingly important to staff in both their personal and professional lives. 91% say actively living a sustainable life is important to them and if they feel their employer is not delivering on this, they are willing to take action. More than two in five (43%) would consider resigning from a job due to a company’s lack of sustainability initiatives, with 19% saying they have already done so - with almost a third of those in management roles.

Commenting on the findings Stephen Nolan, CEO of Nutritics, said; “Hospitality staff are telling us that sustainability isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ anymore – it’s a fundamental part of what they look for in an employer. Workers are aligning their career decisions with their personal values – and for many, sustainability reflects the integrity and long-term vision of a business. If those values aren’t in place, they’re willing to seek employment elsewhere. Given the competition and the high cost of recruitment, this is a real opportunity for operators to capitalise on an issue that matters so much to current and potential employees.”

In addition to identifying employee attitudes, the report also provides operators with potential answers and solutions on how they can work with teams to tackle sustainability together. When asked which areas staff would like to see their employer focus on to reduce its environmental impact, the following came out top:

1) Reducing food Waste (45%)
2) Reducing packaging/single use plastic (44%)
3) Improving recycling (39%)
4=) Focusing on seasonal menus (33%)
4=) Using green energy (33%)

Nutritics’ Sustainability Lead Dr Laura Kirwan concluded: “There is a real opportunity for operators to engage their staff and work together to help make hospitality more sustainable. Staff, in particular young workers, are highly stimulated by environmental issues and are therefore more likely to be loyal and attracted to a company, which shares these values. By investing in sustainable practices which matter to staff and involving them in this journey, operators can not only boost retention and keep their teams motivated but accelerate meaningful change.”

Sustainability Matters: Why your teams take it seriously is available to download on the Nutritics website and is the second annual report in the Sustainability Matters Series. Alongside the employee findings, the report will also include a look into consumer and business leader’s attitudes towards sustainability, with the aim to deliver an exclusive and holistic analysis of the issue across the hospitality sector. These findings will be released soon.