THE HANDOVER August 2026

Hello!!!

There has been quite a lot happening at Talking Hospitality over the past few weeks.

But before I tell you about any of that, there is something more useful to put at the top of this month’s Handover.

One date hospitality employers should know: 25 August

If your business uses zero-hours or low-hours contracts, the Government is currently consulting on changes that could have a significant impact on the way hospitality rotas work.

The proposals cover guaranteed hours based on actual working patterns, reasonable notice of shifts and rota changes, and payments where shifts are cancelled or changed at short notice.

The consultation closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday 25 August 2026.

Our first August article looks specifically at the challenge for hospitality.

Because flexibility matters. We all know demand can change quickly.

But how do you preserve genuine operational flexibility while giving people enough certainty to organise childcare, education, second jobs and, frankly, the rest of their lives?

That is a much more useful conversation than simply arguing for or against zero-hours contracts.

READ: EMPLOYMENT REFORMS AND HOSPITALITY ROTAS

And if the proposals could materially affect your business, there is still time to contribute to the Government consultation.

And then somebody calls in sick...

You know the call.

Someone is ill. Service starts shortly. Suddenly the rota has a hole in it and several other people’s days are about to change.

That is why changes to Statutory Sick Pay are not simply an HR issue for hospitality. They have operational, financial and cultural consequences too.

The second article in our five-part Employment Rights series looks at what hospitality employers need to understand about Statutory Sick Pay and what leaders should be reviewing inside their businesses now.

READ: STATUTORY SICK PAY IN HOSPITALITY

A few new people around the Talking Hospitality table

Talking Hospitality has grown considerably beyond the podcast itself this year.

That also means being selective about who we work with.

A partnership should help us do something better, create something useful or give our audience access to something worthwhile.

Otherwise, a collection of logos does not achieve very much.

Recently we’ve welcomed:

Bodha Drinks – Drinks Partner
Supporting our recording days and guest experience.

Blend – E-learning Partner
Helping us make practical hospitality learning more accessible.

Dining Moments – Events Partner
Working with us as we develop more intimate Talking Hospitality gatherings and industry conversations.

Food Service Industry Expo 2026 – Event Partner
Where Talking Hospitality will be hosting live conversations at ExCeL London in September.

MEET OUR PARTNERS

Link:
https://www.talkinghospitality.com/sponsors/

Talking Hospitality readers get 10% off Blend learning

We have partnered with Blend to give the Talking Hospitality audience access to bite-sized online learning for hospitality teams.

Courses include areas such as Food Safety, Allergy Awareness, Manual Handling, Responsible Alcohol Sales, COSHH, First Aid, Fire Safety and Diversity & Inclusion.

This is the sort of partnership I want Talking Hospitality to develop.

Something practical. Something people can actually use.

And there is an immediate benefit for you:

10% OFF BLEND E-LEARNING

GET 10% OFF BLEND LEARNING by using the code: Talkinghospitality26

Back around the microphones

This week we’ve been back at Yamaha Music London for another two days of Talking Hospitality recording.

And the subjects give you a pretty good indication of what we want the next chapter of the podcast to do.

We’ve brought internal and external hospitality recruiters around the same table to look at how the relationship between the two can work better.

We’ve explored transparency in the workplace and asked what hospitality employers can actually do to build greater understanding and trust.

And we’ve had a very different conversation about living and working with chronic illness, looking beyond awareness towards what colleagues and employers can practically do to support people better.

Different subjects. Same principle.

What can we actually do about it?

That question is increasingly becoming the filter for Talking Hospitality.

There is no shortage of commentary about what is wrong with hospitality.

Solutions are rather more useful.

New Talking Hospitality episodes return in September

After a summer of recording, rebuilding and developing the wider Talking Hospitality platform, new podcast episodes return from September 2026.

You’ll hear conversations around leadership, recruitment, learning, workplace culture, inclusion, transparency, careers and some of the bigger operational questions facing hospitality businesses.

There will be one-to-one conversations, roundtables and more voices from people actually working through these issues inside the industry.

We’ll start sharing the individual episodes and release dates very shortly.

VISIT TALKING HOSPITALITY

Come and see Talking Hospitality live at ExCeL London

September will not only be about the podcast.

Talking Hospitality is an official media partner of Food Service Industry Expo 2026, taking place at ExCeL London on:

Tuesday 29 September
Wednesday 30 September

We’ll be there across both days, hosting live hospitality conversations and meeting people from across the industry.

And yes, you can come and see us.

If you are coming to ExCeL, come and find us.

Even better, you can currently register through Talking Hospitality for a free ticket.

GET YOUR FREE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY EXPO TICKET

We’ll share our full live programme before the event.

And one small thank you

Talking Hospitality passed 1,000 followers on LinkedIn this month.

Numbers are only useful if there are people behind them.

So thank you if you follow, watch, listen, comment, share something we produce or occasionally tell me when you think we have got something wrong.

All of it helps.

There is much more coming over the next few months, but that is probably enough of a handover for one email.

See you in September.

Timothy R Andrews
Founder & Host
Talking Hospitality

Moving The Hospitality Conversation Forward

Talking Hospitality
https://www.talkinghospitality.com/

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkinghospitality

Partners & Offers
https://www.talkinghospitality.com/sponsors/