WITH the hospitality industry embroiled in a long-running struggle to combat staff shortages, particularly since Brexit, operators often go to great lengths to attract and retain employees. And Manorview Group, the central Scotland hotel, restaurant, and wedding venue owner, is a great example.

The company, which declares that it is on a mission to “make life better through hospitality”, revealed details of its latest staff bonus pay-outs today, and it looks sure to provide an important financial boost to employees amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Some 471 people who work across the group’s 12 venues will share a bonus pot of £273,560, the highest ever recorded by its Heartcount profit share initiative. And because it is shared equally among all levels of staff – payouts are based on hours worked over a 12-month period rather than job title or salary – it will be worth around £580 per eligible employee.

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Manorview said that in some cases the bonus will equal two weeks’ pay which, at a time of high inflation and interest rates, could make a huge difference to the individuals concerned.

The profit-sharing scheme, which effectively distributes 10% of the company’s net profits among staff, is just one of several ways through which Manorview aims to put its people first. It noted today that staff are paid the real living wage as a minimum and recently set up a charity, the Manorview Foundation, to support people experiencing poverty and hardship.

Initiatives like these nothing new for Manorview either. Shortly before the first Covid lockdown in March 2020, the company announced that it would not make any redundancies after making the decision to suspend trading – winning plaudits when the aggressive advance of coronavirus was causing profound uncertainty.

Of course, not every business gets it right every time. But it would be hard to counter the view that Manorview does not have the best of intentions when it comes to its staff, which will presumably serve it well at a time when staff are so hard to come by.

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It should also be noted that there are others in the hospitality industry which show similar values. Ayrshire-based Buzzworks Holdings and Crerar Hotels are two companies which immediately spring to mind for the good work they do to promote good mental health, awareness of which is gradually improving across the sector.