The National Living Wage could present a positive change for the hospitality sector, according to Ed Pyke, cluster general manager, West London for Premier Inn.
Speaking at an HR magazine round table event on the National Living Wage and workforce management, kindly supported by workforce management solutions provider Kronos, Pyke said that for Premier Inn it is seen as a good thing.
"We like to ensure that our team are paid correctly and fairly for the work they do," he said. "Our pay rates have always tracked ahead of the national minimum wage, and we will continue to do [that]."
Pyke added that he does not anticipate having to pass the additional costs of paying the National Living Wage on to customers. "We have ensured our team are multi-skilled, we have changed and challenged our conventions of having a reception team or a food and beverages team, and cross-trained our staff to increase productivity," he said.
