Careers: Learning on the job

They are the unchampioned, usually unseen workforce that prepares bars for the next session of trading while they are closed. Without them the industry would continually fall foul of the law, and customers would turn away in disgust.

They are, of course, the cleaners. And who would deny them a proper career just like any other member of the pub trade?

It might surprise you to learn, though, that career cleaners do exist.

Portuguese Ana Pinto is currently acting regional director for TC Contractors, responsible for teams of cleaners looking after the Luminar nightclub contract among others.

Ana joined the company as a cleaner in 2002. She was quickly identified as a rising star and overcame language difficulties to progress through the ranks to her current position.

Here, Ana tells her story:

³When I first came to the UK I spent two years working in the postal industry. I concentrated on learning to speak English and honing my somewhat patchy communication skills before a friend asked me to join TC Contractors as a cleaning operative for its retail division.

³Cleaning wasn¹t something I¹d ever considered but I was immediately impressed with the way TC Contractors looked after its staff. It is keen to help willing employees progress and experience different aspects of the business.

³The company even arranged for a Portuguese-speaking employee to give me my induction training, which was incredibly helpful in what could have been a daunting experience.

³I quickly got the hang of things and, having proved myself as a cleaner, I was soon asked to take over as a cleaning supervisor for one particular outlet.

³At this point I started to realise that the contract-cleaning business could definitely be a long-term career choice. TC Contractors provided ongoing training and encouraged me to improve my spoken and written English by taking lessons.

³As my fluency improved I was invited to join another part of the business as regional contracts manager overseeing the cleaning of Luminar nightclubs in the South East, covering areas such as Aylesbury, Guildford, London and Kingston.

³This was a completely new challenge as it meant managing more teams of cleaners in a completely different environment. Servicing licensed premises requires a different approach simply because of the heavy soiling over short periods of time.

³It also means I have close contact with other parts of the business, including our multi-contract carpet-cleaning division, which was set up with the pub, club and leisure industries in mind.

³My role involved getting to grips with new equipment, such as the no-touch cleaning system for in-depth cleaning and sanitising of washrooms. It¹s my responsibility, too, to make sure my teams are property trained in this machinery, in line with health and safety requirements and to ensure good standards.

³I¹m now employed in what TC calls a Œsafe hands¹ role. Although I might be in a senior management position, my day still starts at 6am when I take to the road to visit sites to make sure teams are delivering the best possible service and to deal with any issues.

³The most satisfying aspect of the job is dealing with people and making sure we continue to deliver with passion and pride.²

Reaching for the stars​

Spirit Group has paid tribute to its top-performing pub managers as parts of its new Spirit Stars programme to reward outstanding achievement.

Licensees from 31 pubs around the country were presented with framed certificates and £500 vouchers for them to take part in exciting activities.

They were also taken on a VIP trip to Chester races.

Based on training staff, growing their business, delivering customer service and controlling costs, the managers performed the best in the company through the first half of Spirit¹s financial year.

³We are all about people and we want to ensure their hard work, dedication and skill is celebrated and that they know how much we appreciate all they do,² says managing director Andrew Knight.

In Spirit Stars, performance is measured throughout the year against set criteria. Managers can see how they are doing each period and also how they rank against each of the pubs in their division.

At the end of the financial year the top 16 pubs are chosen from each of Spirit¹s four divisions ­ 64 pubs in all ­ and are invited to a black-tie awards dinner, where presentations are made to four overall winners who receive a £2,000 holiday prize.

Learning to have fun at work​

There is a sound piece of thinking in the hospitality industry that says if your staff are having a good time, then so are your customers. But how on earth do you train someone to enjoy themselves? How do you order them to have fun?

That was the conundrum facing the management team at McMillan York, which operates two bars in the city, bpm and Nexus. And the answer was a fish. Or rather FISH! Which, as you can tell from the shouty capitals, is an American concept.

It involves, as McMillian York business manager Becci Delittle explains, ³giving people the freedom to be there for customers and for each other².

³FISH! is not a formal training scheme but rather a philosophy that aims to create more comfortable working conditions in which people can play behind the bar. You can¹t mandate that, it¹s something they have to create for themselves. What play means to one person can be very different for another.

It¹s about what play means for them.²

The scheme launched at the end of January. The bars were closed and staff were introduced to FISH! before splitting into teams to talk about what it might mean for them.

Then, in May, McMillan York introduced the cleverly named School of Fish, a 13-week training programme in which 20 staff will put practical flesh on those FISH! bones. When they graduate in October they receive a cash bonus.

³What we have done is turned our previous training programme on its head,² says Becci. ³We are starting from our ultimate goal of making our bars fun for everybody, and then asking staff how they are going to achieve that. In effect, they take ownership of it.²