Hospitality firms need support to improve pay and conditions, report finds
Hospitality businesses need greater support from the Scottish Government to improve pay and conditions for workers, a report has found.
The Fraser of Allander Institute said new rules and direction from ministers could help improve the sector and ensure staff are treated better.
In a new policy briefing, the researchers at the University of Strathclyde found widespread concern among workers that a lack of effective regulation and oversight of the hospitality sector was leading to an absence of clear standards while allowing exploitation and unfair practices to exist.
They found that staff shortages were leading to workers taking on extra hours and duties, creating burnout, stress, and a deterioration in work-life balance.
This was sometimes the result of a practice known as 'clopens', where an employee works a late shift which is followed by an early shift the next day.
The report quoted one worker: 'Sometimes I could finish at 12 at night and be in at 10 the next day. That's very common, as well, like 'clopens'. I think they shouldn't be legal.'
It found that struggling hospitality workers could benefit from increased fair work practice in the industry, which is is defined by the Scottish Government as 'secure employment with fair pay and conditions, where workers are heard and represented, treated with respect and have opportunities to progress'.
But the according to the briefing, employers were often hindered by 'factors beyond their control'.
These include gaps in transport and childcare provision along with the impacts of the Covid pandemic, the UK's withdrawal from the EU and the cost-of-living crisis.
The Fraser of Allander Institute said new rules for the sector could help the Scottish Government meet its child poverty targets.
Hospitality workers face higher than average risks of experiencing in-work poverty, the report said.
A third of workers spoken to for the briefing were on zero-hour contracts, or had no contract at all, while the workers' median hourly pay rate was under the low pay threshold of £11.58.
The Fraser of Allander Institute recommended the Scottish Government improve collaboration with the hospitality and tourism sector, invest in sustainable and community-led tourism and offer better support for training and development.
They also urged for better information for employers on best practice, training and development opportunities.
Chirsty McFadyen, knowledge exchange associate with Institute, said: 'Our research shows that hospitality employers often want to do the right thing by their employees, but they don't always feel supported by policy to do so.
'If we are to meet the 2030 child poverty targets, the Scottish Government has a role to play in ensuring that housing, childcare and transport policy support the industry and its workers.'
Dr Laura Robertson, research manager with the Poverty Alliance, added: 'Low pay and job insecurity have a big impact on households in Scotland.
'A lack of affordable, accessible childcare and housing, alongside continued high costs of living, is also preventing families from being lifted out of in-work poverty.
'The Serving the Future project shows key challenges facing households working in the hospitality sector in Scotland and that both employers and policy makers have a key role in tackling poverty in Scotland.'
The research from the Fraser of Allander Institute forms part of the Service the Future project, funded by The Robertson Trust, which aims to identity changes needed to improve the industry to address in-work poverty in Scotland.
Tuesday's report said there were opportunities for workers in the UK Government's Employment Rights Bill, including a right to a contract with guaranteed hours; a requirement for employers to consult with employee representatives on tipping and gratuity policies; and the creation of a Fair Work Agency with powers to investigate and take action against businesses that do not comply with the law.
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
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