Today, we’re delighted to share the findings from our latest sector snapshot on UK hospitality.
Drawing on 1,007 pieces of employee feedback independently collected across the UK in August 2025, we reveal what’s driving satisfaction and dissatisfaction across hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars. We also explore key differences by age and region.
Key Takeaways:
- 43% intend to stay in hospitality for longer than five years - highest in hotels (50%), lowest in bars (19%)
- On average, 25% of employees would actively recommend their employer - highest in hotels (31%), lowest in restaurants (19%)
- Colleague relationships are the top reason employees say they’re likely to stay; unhealthy culture and poor leadership are the top reasons they leave
- Across demographics, younger workers most often cite flexibility as a reason to stay, while employees in Wales report the highest levels of satisfaction
25% of employees say they’re actively likely to promote their employer as a place to work
We analysed the themes most mentioned by satisfied employees (those scoring 9–10 in response to ‘How likely are you to recommend your employer as a place to work?’) versus dissatisfied employees (those scoring 0–6).
Colleague relationships and a healthy culture - often described as ‘friendly’, ‘fun’ and ‘supportive’ - are the strongest positive drivers.
In contrast, unhealthy culture and poor leadership - often described as ‘uncaring’, ‘stressful’, and ‘inconsistent’- top the list of reasons to leave.
Benefits emerged as a key positive and negative driver: while discounts, free meals, and generous holiday allowances were often praised, others called for bonuses and fairer distribution of tips to better reflect workload and responsibility.
Staffing was also a recurring frustration. Employees want more colleagues during busy periods to “lessen the load for other employees”. This was felt most strongly in pubs.
Amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures, pay dissatisfaction is a significant negative driver. Notably, dissatisfaction about pay was lower when employees saw clear opportunities for progression.
How do employees describe their organisation in three words?
To visualise workplace culture and gain deeper insight into an employee’s likelihood to recommend, we asked respondents to describe their employer in three words. The word clouds below compare satisfied versus dissatisfied employees (the bigger the word, the more often it’s mentioned).
Satisfied employees most frequently describe their organisation as fun, friendly, supportive, professional, welcoming and kind, in contrast to dissatisfied employees who most often talk about a work environment that’s busy, uncaring, stressful, disorganised and inconsistent.
Hotels top hospitality sector for employee advocacy
31% of hotel employees would actively recommend their employer, compared with 19% in restaurants. Hotel staff were notably more likely to praise structured training programmes, while restaurant employees more often flagged work–life balance issues.
43% of employees intend to stay in hospitality for 5+ years
Overall, 43% intend to remain in hospitality more than five years; 25% expect to stay two to four years, and 32% anticipate leaving within two years.
Respondents in bars and restaurants skew younger than those in hotels and pubs, reflecting a higher proportion of student workers.
Younger workers are least likely to recommend
Older workers are significantly more likely to recommend their employer, with advocacy rising from 17-19% among 18-44s to 50% for 65+.
Workers aged 45+ are also more likely to say they’ll stay in hospitality 5+ years (60%) versus 35% among 18-44s.
For 18–24 year olds, flexible hours are the second-strongest positive driver after colleague relationships. Pay dissatisfaction is their strongest negative driver (behind culture), and poor work–life balance ranks in the top five frustrations across both the 18-24 and 25-34 groups.
Among 55-64 year olds, pay becomes a key positive driver - moving beyond a simple hygiene factor.
Hospitality workers in Wales are most likely to actively recommend their employer
Only 12% of London respondents are likely to recommend their employer, compared with 38% in Wales. Pay dissatisfaction is the biggest complaint in London, likely reflecting higher living costs. Findings from What Workers Want 2025 show hospitality workers seeking the largest pay rise of any sector (10%), compared to a 7% overall average - highlighting the sector’s particular vulnerability to cost-of-living pressures.
About New Possible
New Possible is the people insight platform that’s committed to your success. We work with a range of hospitality leaders to provide clear, actionable, and benchmarkable insights across the employee lifecycle. Read about our mission, or book a demo to learn more.
If you’d like to discuss this research further, please email hello@newpossible.io or call 0161 706 0618.
Notes
New Possible’s Sector Snapshot Hospitality Survey captured responses from 1,007 UK employees in August 2025. To ensure representative coverage, data was collected via Prolific (an external research partner) and New Possible. Research by Ava Kaveh.
