C O M PA S S G R O U P SPOTLIGHT ON DONNA CATLEY AND COMPASS GROUP UK AND IRELAND
A clear pathway for progression COMPASS GROUP UK AND IREL AND, THE COUNTRY’S LEADING FOOD AND SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDER, HAS REFRAMED HOW ‘LOW-SKILLED’ WORK IS PERCEIVED, AS WE REPORT HERE. With 6,000 locations and a workforce of tens of thousands of people in the UK and Ireland, Compass is in a unique position to influence social mobility. The company believes there should be no such thing as a dead-end job and has established an approach which has the potential to develop its employees at every level so they can all aspire to careers that suit them. Compass works behind the scenes at sports and leisure events, within schools, colleges and universities, hospitals and care homes. It works extensively within the private sector, providing food to client offices and boardrooms, as well as workplaces as diverse as oil rigs and military bases. Compass also provides food services to a wide variety of public attractions and sports venues up and down the country, from the Imperial War Museum to Chelsea Football Club, Twickenham Stadium, Edgbaston and The All England Lawn Tennis Club. Having amassed 75 years of food expertise, Compass has developed a business built around both business and culinary excellence, underpinned by a commitment to supporting social mobility. The company has a presence
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in a variety of business sectors and locations, giving people a wider career choice at entry level. A large proportion of these are essential worker roles and they are fundamental in supporting many of our important institutions. As a hospitality, foodservice and retail business, Covid has impacted Compass Group more than most. Thousands of outlets across the UK were closed overnight resulting in up to 18,000 Compass employees being furloughed during the peak of the pandemic. Despite these challenges, Compass pivoted and established itself as a key worker business diverting thousands of employees into healthcare roles such as cleaners, porters and patient caterers. Working closely with the Government they stepped in to support the Nightingale Hospitals and testing centres across the country - feeding, cleaning and looking after others. Recognising the efforts of frontline workers, Compass was one of the first companies to offer a pay premium. It subsequently permanently uplifted the
salaries of some employees at the frontline. Compass Group, and the hospitality industry as a whole, is uniquely positioned to effect positive change for workers and communities. The industry does not have the educational barriers of others and as the UK’s largest food and support services company, Compass has the scale and geographic breadth to offer thousands of opportunities across the country. The food and support services provider has been able to reframe low-skilled jobs so that there is a defined pathway of progression, managed by more senior employees in the company who have often followed similar routes themselves. They offer the precious first rung on the ladder – the first job that enables workers to gain confidence and skills – as well as the chance to progress through the ranks. Through this approach, Compass has changed how low-skilled work is perceived, and has genuinely found the pathways and progression that eradicate dead-end jobs.
