Conclusion

This report has given voice to key hospitality industry stakeholders on the issue of how to design policy levers that might improve fair work. The industry faces distinctive fair work challenges and it is clear that there is no policy ‘silver bullet’ that can address these challenges. However, it is clear from the various stakeholders engaged in this research that staff and skills shortages have created a context conducive to more constructive discussions of fair work.

Like other industries, hospitality has a range of businesses at different stages of what might be called a fair work journey. What would assist businesses at the beginning of that journey – for example, better awareness and understanding - is likely to differ significantly from what would assist businesses with significant engagement with fair work practice – for example, support with evaluation of outcomes. The challenges facing smaller and larger businesses differ, as do those facing city, rural and island businesses.

There was less consensus on the adoption of specific fair work practices than on the need to build capacity to deliver fair work in the industry, whether that be through training, workplace champions, or fair work communities of practice. There was also an acceptance of the need for leadership at industry and workplace level, and employers have a key role as the primary adopters of fair work practice. This does not preclude, however, collaboration with other stakeholders, such as unions and policymakers, and shifting the dial in fair work in the industry is likely to require both joint working and innovation in addressing the experiences of workers in a challenging business context for many. Constructive dialogue is crucial to delivering change that in turn delivers fair work across the industry.