Travelodge keeps it in the family with flexible hours that work around busy parents
The budget hotel chain has 3,000 jobs available, with most offering flexible hours - a big draw for the UK's 2million jobless parents
MAKE work a family affair at Travelodge, which is aiming to get mums and dads back into employment with hours to fit around the kids.
The budget hotel chain has 3,000 jobs available, with most offering flexible hours — a big draw for the UK’s 2million jobless parents. It’s certainly paid off for mum-of-five Caroline Morey.
She landed a job with the chain 20 years ago and is now the hotel manager at Edinburgh Central Waterloo Place.
Now, three generations of her family work for Travelodge in Edinburgh — her daughters Debbie Morey and Lauren O’Neill, Debbie’s partner Alan Kerr and Debbie and Alan’s daughter Samantha Harvey.
Caroline, 55, from Edinburgh, said: “I left school with no qualifications but getting married and having five children was a full-time job in itself. I wanted to find work, but it was a really tough struggle.
“The job centre suggested I try for a housekeeping team position at Travelodge. The manager who interviewed me was a working mum, so she understood I needed flexible hours.
“The job was ideal as it worked around the children’s school run.
“The first few weeks were hectic with managing the children and work, but I soon got a routine going and everything fell into place.
Passion means more than qualifications at Travelodge and within a year I was promoted to housekeeping supervisor and then department manager before training as a manager on the in-house Aspire scheme.
“I suggested the company to family as there are ample opportunities to grow and you can develop your career fast.
“If you’re a parent looking for work, don’t think it is too late.”
New starters on the Travelodge scheme can work hours that fit around the school run or nursery, have a work “buddy” to mentor them and get access to management training if they want to climb the career ladder.
Jobs are available at hotels nationwide including in reception, restaurants and housekeeping, as well as at head office.
Peter Gowers, Travelodge chief executive said: “Travelodge is growing quickly.
Hospitality can offer a great career for parents, with jobs close to home, hours that can match the school run, benefits that suit families and a path into management.”
Employment Minister Alok Sharma said: “These are the type of flexible work opportunities parents up and down the country will welcome. Big employers need to follow Travelodge’s example if they want to fill vacancies.”
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Cliches buzz-ted
“Fast-paced”, “dynamic” and “team player” are the most overused job buzzwords.
analysed more than a million job listings to discover which cliched phrases employers love to use.
Also on the list were “proactive”, “can-do attitude”, “proven track-record” and “go the extra mile”.
- Could uni be for you? Social mobility charity Sutton Trust has opened applications for its summer school, which offers teens from working class or challenging backgrounds the chance to try out uni for a week for free. For details, visit .
Put Trust in Govia
Get your career on track with a job on the railway.
Govia Thameslink has teamed up with The Prince’s Trust to offer 13 places on its Get Into Railways scheme.
Trainees spend up to 18 months in a customer service role, then can apply for any job – including train drivers.
Station Assistant Otis Mitchell, from Luton, joined the scheme after an injury ended his building career.
The 26-year-old said: “The best thing about this scheme is that it helps young people gain confidence and skills.
Working with everyone at The Prince’s Trust and GTR has done much to boost my confidence.”
See or call 0800 842 842.
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Warrens Bakery has 22 vacancies for catering unit managers, shop staff and bakers.
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Win the battle
As PM Theresa May battles to stay in control, employment experts insist conflict at work can bring beneficial changes.
Chris Meredith, of London Offices.com says: “Conflicts are inevitable in any workplace, but handled professionally there’s no reason the end result can’t be a positive one.”
Here are his top tips for managing conflict at work.
Stay calm: Keeping your cool when tempers fray will help defuse the situation.
Talk – and listen: The only way to solve any grievances is through talking it out. Articulate your points clearly but also listen to avoid any misunderstanding.
Address the issue, not the individual: Ensure discussions revolve around the problems – not the people involved.
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Don't point the finger: Blaming someone won’t lead to a happy resolution. Instead, seek an amicable alternative.
Solve the issue quickly and create a positive reaction: If a grievance occurs, it’s often because of a fault within the company, so fixing it could result in a more positive working environment.
Dealing with problems fast can also prevent damage to morale.
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