From 1 December the vast majority of Green & Fortune employees will be earning more than £12 an hour for positions across the company. This commitment will be introduced at all of Green & Fortune’s restaurants, bars, cafes, private dining spaces and events venues, including at Kings Place in King's Cross and Sea Containers.
Restaurant and bar staff will earn even more with the benefit of service charge, 100% of which is paid directly to staff with none being retained by the company, it says.
The new hourly rates are significantly higher than the minimum wage, the London Living Wage and also the average rates paid by many companies in the hospitality sector, according to Green & Fortune.
“Providing a better than average rate of pay will play a big part in attracting people to the industry and is a part of our strategy to ensure we both recruit and retain great talent. We have constantly reviewed and improved benefits to our teams over the years. We strive to be ahead of what the rest of the industry is doing. Coming out of the pandemic has been no different, in fact it has sharpened our focus,” says Green & Fortune chief executive John Nugent.
“As we re-build the business we are maintaining a focus on our people and how we can reward them and provide stability for our great people in these uncertain times.”
Alongside increased hourly rates, the company has also introduced a number of other initiatives to reward employees and support work-life balance and general wellbeing, include long service payments, additional days off and one-off bonus payments for all employees.
In 2020 the company launched Green & Fortune Supports, a scheme that offers guidance and help to displaced members of the team who had been hardest hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipients of the scheme received access to an emergency cash fund, mentorship from a senior member of the team, additional training, CV and interview workshops to help them find work, free weekly meals for them and their family and opportunities for re-employment.