Employee care | Looking after your people the Wagamama way - Covid-19's impact on employee wellbeing

Covid-19 certainly hit the UK leisure and hospitality sector hard. From the first lockdown in March 2020 pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants have come in and out of closure, each time opening up to face a new set of uncertainties.

For many employers in the industry, retaining employees and supporting them through the disruption has been a major priority. With the majority of their workers furloughed for over a year or not eligible for financial support, employers have had to get creative with how they look after their people and help them ease back into normality.

This has been the reality for our partner wagamama, who employs over 6,000 people throughout its network of 150 restaurants across the UK. We took the time to speak to Christian Sparey, People Operations Manager to find out just how the pandemic has changed their approach to employee financial wellbeing and what the future holds for this leading UK restaurant brand.

How has COVID impacted employee wellbeing at Wagamama?