Press

Leisure recruiter opens new head office division
Leisure Report - October 2008

Leisure and hospitality recruiter, The Buzz, part of Ochre House, has opened a division to specialise in head office appointments.

The company, which has traditionally focused on ‘front line’ roles in the sector, will now also cover all support and technical disciplines, including HR, marketing, finance, IT, legal, buying and merchandising.

“The establishment of the division is part of our move from being a traditional recruitment consultancy to a strategic resourcing partner,” said Steve Clabby, who will be heading up the new business. “It will allow us to offer clients a complete talent acquisition and management service covering the entire continuum of recruitment solutions.”

Reduce staff turnover through motivation and training
Big Hospitality - October 2008

The Hospitality industry has the worst reputation for extraordinarily high staff turnover rates than any other sector. With a constant stream of young students hopping onto the part-time bar work bandwagon and departing at the first sign of graduationsville its no wonder the industry is crying out for experienced, dedicated, permanent staff.

A recent survey by hospitality and catering recruitment specialist The Buzz found that two thirds of workers had only been in their job for less than two years, while almost 70 per cent of workers planned to change employer within the next six months.

“Organisations need to understand what really motivates their workforce and to adopt a clearly defined strategy for both recruitment and retention,” said Bala Shanmugam, MD for The Buzz. “The old idea of long term loyalty to a company is dying out.”

The main reasons respondents cited for wanting to change employer was pay (39 per cent), their employer’s culture and ethics (28 per cent), and lack of training (26 per cent), the latter being most important to people aged under 30.

But are businesses trying to convince their part-timers to adopt a professional career in hospitality, or even making the most of the non-student staff they do have?

While a good strong team of staff is beneficial to any employer, Bob Cotton at the British Hospitality Association warns businesses against thinking all staff turnover is bad. “The hospitality industry employs many students and part-time workers at the height of season, which is a good thing because it provides employment flexibility,” he said.

While that is probably the most important time for businesses to sink their claws into staff, management should think about implementing long-term solutions for enticing employees to sticking around for longer than the summer holidays.

“Employers will need to create an environment that gives people the flexibility and variety they seek, together with the training and development to succeed and the autonomy to get on with it,” Shanmugam added.

The Buzz relaunches under Ochre House Umbrella
Former hotgroup Division to Open Dubai Office
May 2008

The Buzz, including Buzztempz, today confirms its new identity as an Ochre House company and reveals the opening of a new office in Dubai. The relaunch gives the retail & leisure recruitment specialist access to the full geographic and industrial range of the Ochre House family as it accelerates its international expansion.

Offering temporary and permanent recruitment services, The Buzz is a former division of the hotgroup and underwent a management buyout from the Trinity Mirror Group led by Chris Herrmannsen last August. The opening of its Dubai office, planned for the next quarter, makes the company the first of its kind to enter the UAE market.

“The Buzz offers unrivalled service and an alternative to the CV-scattergun approach of the old-guard agencies and achieves one of the best interview-appointment rates in the industry,” says The Buzz Managing Director Bala Shanmugam. “As an Ochre House company, it can retain its personality and brand while giving its clients access to additional recruitment services.”

Chris Herrmannsen, Group Managing Director of Ochre House, comments: “Ochre House encourages the diversity of its individual companies to offer flexibility and unrivalled sector expertise. As the most innovative company of its kind, The Buzz is an asset to the Ochre House brand.”