Industry platform Hospitality Speaks set to launch

By Clinton Cawood

Published: 20 February, 2019

A platform addressing bullying, harassment and discrimination in the UK hospitality industry launches next month.

Hospitality Speaks (www.hospitality-speaks.com) has been set up by former Evening Standard food editor Victoria Stewart and restaurant PR Hannah Norris, with the aim of addressing “toxic behaviour” in a number of ways. Initially, a number of People Pioneers will be identified – hospitality employers considered to be leading by example, and verified by their staff. Solutions and innovations from these People Pioneers will be published, with a series of events and discussions planned. The platform will also provide a safe space online for employees to share their anonymous stories, as well as access to information about support networks and professional help and legal counsel.

“These conversations have been happening on the quiet for a long time, but there is generally a movement towards people speaking up about about a lot of the toxic culture that’s happening across the board,” Stewart told Harpers. “We’re keen to tell these stories. Ultimately our aim is to create some kind of accreditation where people will be able to recognise that the place they’re going to eat or drink is also a place that recognises its staff, but it will take time for that to come through.”

Hospitality Speaks will be both independent and not-for-profit, with plans for fundraising from sponsors with different areas of expertise within and outside the industry, and including no hospitality employers. It is expected to launch at the end of March.

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