A Suffolk hotel group is offering a new work pattern for chefs at five of its properties to give a better work-life balance.
Salaried chefs recruited by The Hotel Folk, which runs venues including The Swan at Lavenham and Thorpeness Golf Club and Hotel, will work 186 days a year and have 179 days off.
This will encompass a 45-hour working week, with four days on and three days off.
It is hoped once it is established it will give the group the ability to remove unpopular shifts.
David Scott, CEO of The Hotel Folk, said: “We want the best chefs within our kitchen and to do that, we can’t just continue to do what we have always done.
“Our own research shows that while this approach is already being implemented, when you consider all the hospitality businesses in the UK, this method is still very much in its infancy, but we’re ready to commit to it.
“We want to disrupt the usual practices in place and offer a method which not only strengthens the number of our own salaried employees, giving stability to our kitchens, but also appreciates that chefs do have lives outside the kitchen and the current model doesn’t work for a majority of our kitchens.”
The group’s new stance is a two-part approach, having also committed to further invest in the training of kitche staff.
Chefs aiming to boost their income may have the opportunity to work a pre-approved half or full fifth day as required.
