Pub company Fuller, Smith & Turner has filled hundreds of vacancies by offering more jobs to people aged 50 and over.
Fuller, Smith & Turner, which separated from the brewery Fuller’s (now owned by Asahi) in 2019, saw revenue and profits grow in the year to April 2023 and has been using Rest Less, an organisation that supports older workers to find employment, to help fill vacancies in its pubs.
It has also seen an increase in 16 to 18-year-olds seeking pub work, chief executive Simon Emeny told The Times.
He said: “A year ago we had about 500 vacancies across the company but now it’s just a handful.
“A year ago, coming out of Covid, people didn’t want to work because they wanted to catch up on the lost time when they couldn’t go out. But today 20 per cent of our colleagues are 18 or under.”
Over 50s recruitment
How to attract and engage older workers (webinar)
Fuller’s recruitment manager Sarah Dickinson will join Personnel Today’s webinar on how to attract and engage older workers on 28 June. The webinar will feature a panel discussion covering hiring strategies, the importance of flexible work schedules and recruiting for capability rather than direct experience.
In the Spring Budget earlier this year, the government announced a major push to get over 50s back to work, and has launched “returnerships” to help them reskill.
Fuller’s annual results statement for the year ended 1 April 2023 revealed the company is seeing fewer vacancies across the estate and a “strong pipeline of home-grown general managers”.
It said it had its largest ever “graduation” for those completing its development programmes, while 200 apprentices were trained last year across six different programmes. A further 220 apprentices are expected this year, and more general managers are taking its LEAP programme degree apprenticeship.
The results statement also revealed people and talent director Dawn Browne will sit on Fuller’s main board from 3 July 2023.
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Chairman Michael Turner said: “As a people-centric business, and given her unique skill set, she has an important role to play on the board. Her in-depth knowledge of our team members, alongside her operational experience, will provide invaluable insight. We also look forward to her support to help us to drive and prioritise diversity and inclusion and to provide visibility on matters around culture and organisational change.”
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