Industry leaders launch new hiring toolkit

The Better Hiring Institute (BHI) has launched a free to use industry best practice Better Hiring Toolkit for the hospitality sector on how to hire quickly, fairly, and safely, and to tackle modern slavery in the sector.

With hospitality a key UK industry, employing 3.5m people and generating nearly £100bn for the UK economy, the BHI has collaboratively created the Toolkit with experts at the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), the Institute of Hospitality, Disclosure Scotland, Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS), and Reed Screening to improve hiring.

The new Toolkit provides practical, simplified guidance to support hospitality businesses with hiring new employees by utilising UK best practice. It provides advice on vetting potential new recruits including checking and verifying their qualifications, as well as information for employers on their obligations when it comes to issues like modern slavery, which is sadly still rife across the hospitality sector.

'The hospitality industry is vital'

Keith Rosser, chair of the Better Hiring Institute said: “I am delighted to have worked collaboratively with key bodies to provide the hospitality industry with this best practice guide to help hard working organisations who are facing multiple challenges on a daily basis. The hospitality industry is vital to the UK economy and I hope that the Toolkit will assist organisations to hire to the best possible standard. My thanks go to the Institute of Hospitality and our Hospitality subcommittee for their valuable insights and feedback to create this industry standard.”

Robert Richardson FIH MI, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality, said: “As proud members of the steering body for the UK Government’s Modernising Employment All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), the Institute of Hospitality is delivering on its commitment to building a more equitable and progressive employment landscape for hospitality professionals.

"Our collaboration with colleagues and Reed Screening to develop the Better Hiring Toolkit for Hospitality is a meaningful step towards consistent, high-quality hiring practices that recognise the value of people across our sector. Hospitality is more than just a job — it’s a profession with real prospects, and this toolkit helps lay the groundwork for a more inclusive, respected, and sustainable future. As the strong voice for hospitality professional development, not just in the UK but globally, we will continue to champion the professional development changes needed to ensure everyone in our industry has the opportunity to thrive.”

Across Scotland, we are committed to helping employers make safe and fair recruitment decisions. This toolkit is an excellent resource for organisations when considering their recruitment options and hiring capable staff who are keen to learn new skills or build on their existing experience.”

Key ambitions

Among the key ambitions of the Better Hiring Toolkit include:

• Making UK Hiring the fastest globally, the fairest in the world, and the safest it can be
• A strong desire to raise standards
• To offer a one-stop shop for industry best practice

The BHI mission is to make UK hiring faster, fairer, and safer, and exists to transform the labour market by bringing in a revolution in the way the UK hires staff. Working with UK Government the BHI has developed Better Hiring Toolkits to cover 80% of the UK workforce, a Better Hiring Charter to transform fairness in UK Hiring and the Modernising Employment All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in Parliament. 

Join the APPG on Modernising Employment to be a part of improving hiring and employment in the UK. Chaired by Lee Barron MP, the APPG is focused on helping more people into work by reducing barriers in hiring and advancing the rights of both work seekers and workers to deliver a better deal for workers whilst helping to grow the economy.

Those responsible for recruitment within hospitality organisations are being urged to download, implement and share the Toolkit within the hiring community: Access the Better Hiring Toolkit here.

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