Budget hotel chain Travelodge has launched a new recruitment initiative which it hopes will lure UK mums and dads who are looking for jobs with flexible hours.
Travelodge believes that parents who want to work part time hours could be a great fill for some of their post-Brexit era vacancies and are willing to offer incentives such as flexible shifts which will still allow mum or dad to take their kids to and from school.
Other sweeteners being extended by Travelodge include work buddies and the option to take up management training within the company.
With a recent YouGov survey revealing that almost 9 in 10 of the UK’s two million unemployed parents are eager to return to work, Travelodge has earmarked them as a great demographic to fill future vacancies which have previously been staffed by workers from the European Union.
Currently, 3 in 10 of Travelodge’s workforce is made up of EU workers so the company is now looking to put alternative measures in place for once the UK finally divorces the Continent.
Travelodge already has a portfolio of almost 600 hotels but is looking to add a further 100 properties to its stable over the next five years. The expansion will create an average of around 600 jobs a year, leading to 3,000 new vacancies before the end of 2025.
Immediately on offer are 550 vacancies at Travelodge, including reception jobs, restaurant positions, housekeeping roles and opportunities at the company’s head office in Thame, Oxfordshire.
Explaining why he thought parents would be a good fit for future vacancies once the supply of EU workers has dwindled, Peter Gowers, chief executive of the hotel chain, said:
“Travelodge is growing quickly and we want to unlock the potential of Britain’s mums and dads as they return to work. Hospitality can offer a great career for parents, with jobs close to home, hours that can match the school run, benefits that suit families and a path into management.”
“We are preparing in earnest for post-Brexit Britain. With thousands of new jobs to fill, we need more new colleagues than ever. We see vast untapped potential in parents who want to return to work,” added Mr Gowers.
Travelodge is famous for being a prodigious employer of women, with more than 7 in 10 of their staff being female. And, those ladies aren’t simply filling jobs at the lower levels of the hotel chain’s hierarchy since over half of the company’s managers are women too.
If you are a mum looking to get back into the world of work on a part time basis then you might find these articles useful:
The Benefits of Part Time Work For Mums
Childcare Options For Parents With Part Time Jobs
