take the lead with east coast concepts: supporting frontline teams with tom
We recently had a conversation with Tom, bar manager at East Coast Concepts. After starting out as a barback at the age of 17, Tom worked his way up the ladder to become a bar manager. Ambitious and driven, he hopes to reach even higher decisional positions in the future. Read below to learn how ECC’s choice of supporting frontline teams through financial wellbeing and efficient communication helped prop up his growth and engagement at work.
When employees are supported by their leaders, the sky’s the limit!
Wagestream and Yapster against the cost-of-living crisis – How East Coast Concepts prioritises employee financial wellbeing
Tom has been working at East Coast Concepts for about 4 and a half years. Through the hospitality industry’s ups and downs and the cost-of-living crisis, he’s worked his way up the corporate ladder and has grown as an employee, but also as an individual. Here’s why he believes supporting frontline teams is key to a successful business.
Tom started out as a barback at the age of 17, essentially ensuring that bartenders were equipped with everything they needed to prepare drinks smoothly. This was his first introduction to the hospitality industry: he was on the frontline, working hard to provide customers with the best experience possible.
After a while, he was promoted to bartender and in-store trainer, an achievement that allowed him to hone in on his customer service and leadership skills.
He now is bar manager at East Coast Concepts, which means he makes daily decisions regarding rotas, hiring processes, and operations.
Tom is proud to be part of a company that genuinely values the unique skills of each worker. At ECC, decision-makers know that talent isn’t disposable. They choose to retain and train staff rather than seek people elsewhere. This ensures that their teams are truly engaged and that their people know that they have the opportunity to grow within the business and reach their career goals.
ECC is a big family and supporting frontline teams is at the core of its ambitions. ECC employees strive for a common goal: the success of their business and the satisfaction of their guests. Leaders from the support office engage with the team through Yapster and share regular updates and announcements on the newsfeed.
ECC workers also have access to Wagestream, a market-leading financial wellbeing solution. Through Wagestream, they are able to access their wages in advance should they need it. This benefit makes all the difference: it shows employees that their company cares about them as individuals, even when times are tough.
Following the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, all hospitality businesses suffered immense losses – and it took a while for them to recover. In 2022, Tom is happy to say he feels like the situation has returned to normal.
Unfortunately, with the cost-of-living crisis and the rise of the cost of energy bills in the UK, financial wellbeing has become a question mark for many employees. With Wagestream, employees can rest assured knowing that their company has their back.
At ECC, career progression isn’t just a fancy word – most servers have worked their way up and reached higher positions within a few months. This can be in part attributed to the excellent communication that exists within the business: with Yapster, they’re able to send instant messages to anyone within their teams and access operational updates from their smartphones. Supporting frontline teams shouldn’t be an empty promise: it’s a true commitment.
Now, Tom looks forward to reaching even higher decisional levels within the business. In a few years, he could see himself becoming a regional manager. And he knows that ECC will support him in growing in that direction. Financial wellbeing is also about knowing that you are fairly rewarded for your work and that you have the opportunity to grow within your company.
When you prioritise supporting frontline teams, they’re motivated to give their all to their company in return – that’s the key to delivering exceptional service and boosting revenue!
Access the Wagestream platform easily by clicking on the yapster Apps tab.
Easily find your teammates’ Yapster profiles and message them instantly by creating a chat (or group chat)
If you’d like to find out how Yapster compares to other communication tools such as WhatsApp, check out our blog post!