Building better leadership: Lessons from the experts

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4 min read

Building better leadership: Lessons from the experts

Alex Francis

Alex Francis

Aug 4, 2025

What's on the menu?

    With burnout still taking its toll on the hospitality industry and those within it, managers and business owners are asking themselves: what can we do?

    And with a staggering 69% of shift workers feeling exhausted due to their schedules, it’s a fair question. And the answer isn’t a simple one.

    So we asked some experts from around the industry for their insights and experience of burnout. What it looks like, how to spot it, and what we can all do about it. It was part of our recent panel event, in collaboration with Tech on Toast, and our panellists didn’t hold back.

    We took a deep dive into hospitality to look at what’s working, what’s not, and the burnout-busting power of people-first leadership. Here are some of the highlights and insights.

    The expert panel

    Tim Maguire, Head of People at Market Halls

    Sierra McVey, People Manager at Bubala

    Nicki Sahota, People Director at Fulham Shore

    Brett Smith, VP of Customer Experience at Planday

    It starts with listening

    Burnout doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a slow leak. A leak of motivation, of connection, of support. There’s no single solution for tackling this, but the panel outlined one consistent theme: you have to understand what’s going on in people’s lives.

    That might not seem easy is during a hectic evening shift, but as Nicky Not al

    Nicki shared a practical tip: “A daily pulse survey at clock-in helps spot dips in employee sentiment.” Small actions, big impact.

    Sierra added: “Wellness check-ins aren’t fluffy—they’re strategic. Managers need to connect employees with real support, both inside and outside of work.”

    If you're not spotting burnout, your guests will

    Hospitality thrives on energy, and when that fizz starts to fade, guests feel it. Tim Maguire put it simply: “If you’re not spotting the early signs of burnout, your guests will.”

    The signs might not scream burnout at first, but they could be a sign of weariness, frustration, or disengagement. None of which you want in your team.

    As Nicki Sahota said: “Sometimes it’s not outright exhaustion; it’s someone seeming moody or short-tempered.” The risk? These red flags often get mistaken for performance issues rather than calls for support.

    Those in the middle need support too

    It’s not just those on the floor or in the kitchen that need support. Managers and team leaders are often stuck delivering results and absorbing the emotional weight of their teams. Nicki coined it perfectly: “The messy middle is the most at risk.”

    So how do we protect them? It’s about delivering leadership that cares and developing compassionate management within a business.

    That could start with empathy coaching for managers and business owners, to help them manage their teams better. And for the leaders themselves? Mentorship and peer coaching can be a great way to build support structures for managers.

    Make tech a support act, not a stressor

    Modern scheduling tech can do wonders, but only if it works for your people, not against them. It should be an enabler for better work and happier teams, not a hindrance.

    “The right platform can be the glue that holds your people-first strategy together,” said Brett Smith.

    The panel recommended ditching apps like WhatsApp for communicating with your teams, and choosing a dedicated work platform for sharing team updates and info on shifts. People use WhatsApp in their daily lives, making it harder to separate work and personal life if they also have to use it for work.

    They also pointed to platforms like Planday for giving teams further visibility over their shifts. By using automation and schedule templates, managers and business owners can plan shifts further in advance and help their staff plan their lives better.

    Build culture every day

    Tim reminded us: “Even the best strategy won’t work without local buy-in.” In other words, real change happens site by site, person by person, when everyone is on board.

    Some tips on building culture from the experts included aiding wellbeing through setting up clear working processes, establishing realistic targets and being flexible. Employee wellbeing is vital to overall workplace culture, and these make it possible – not just aspirational.

    Brett, who used to work at Hard Rock Cafe before joining Planday, said they built their culture through retaining the right people and holding themselves accountable when they didn’t live up to their values.

    As Nicki added, “being looked after by your employer or manager, is what keeps you in the industry.” And with so many people leaving hospitality these days, holding on to talent is more important than ever.

    What's next?

    We’re proud to support ongoing initiatives like Kelly’s Cause and The Burnt Chef Project, because people need tools, not just talk. Whether it’s coaching leaders, using smarter tech, or building psychological safety, the industry’s next chapter must be written with wellbeing at the core.

    As Tim put it, “Turnover is a silent killer of your bottom line. United leadership is the only way forward.”

    At Planday, we’re here to make that leadership possible. One shift, one schedule, one conversation at a time.

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