Devon hotel’s commitment to employee wellbeing recognised in national award
A Devon hotel’s outstanding commitment to employee wellbeing has been recognised in a national award.
The Eden Hotel Collection, which runs Bovey Castle on Dartmoor, was named winner in the ‘Excellence in Wellbeing’ and ‘Human Resources Team of the Year’ categories at the HR in Hospitality Awards for Excellence in London on Friday, September 29.
The awards, which are in its 27th year, shine a light on HR teams or individuals within the hospitality sector who have developed great people practices.
The award follows a string of wellbeing initiatives launched at Bovey Castle in the past year such as its Employee Wellbeing Strategy, its new ‘money, mind, body and heart’ ethos, two cost-of-living pay rises, and enhanced ‘Eden Extras’ staff benefits.
Bovey Castle is a luxury five-star boutique hotel set within 275 acres of beautiful countryside in Dartmoor National Park, North Bovey, offering 60 bedrooms throughout the historic manor, 22 self-catering country lodges, two on-site restaurants, and activities including falconry, archery and 4x4 off-road driving.
Lisa Redding, Group People Director at The Eden Hotel Collection, said: “I feel incredibly proud of what we have achieved over this past year, so to receive the award for Excellence in Wellbeing is testament to the hard work of everyone in our brilliant team.
“We are a small collection of hotels with a big heart, and genuinely care about our people.
“Our multi-faceted approach to wellbeing has considered our ‘money, mind, body and heart’ ethos, looking at the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of our employees by devising practices and policies which matter to them the most – shaped by staff surveys.
“We’re proud of the work undertaken so far, whilst being aware that there’s always more than can be done.”
The Group’s Employee Wellbeing Strategy included the creation of new Wellbeing Champions at every hotel, new health plans and family-friendly policies, and introducing financial wellbeing platform Wagestream to give employees instant access to track and manage their earnings.
Its newly-launched Eden Extras scheme enhances its employee benefits with measures including a £1,200 cash bonus to parents returning from maternity leave to help with childcare costs; greater maternity, paternity and adoption leave; and support for eyecare.
Mark Chambers, Group Managing Director, added: "Our people are our greatest asset, which is why we dedicate a huge amount of investment into our employees.
“It is always great to celebrate successes alongside esteemed peers in the sector, so I would like to congratulate all of the finalists and winners – and in particular our own hardworking team.”
