Founded in 2007, Eataly brings together top-quality food, shopping and eating experiences in more than 40 stores across the globe, employing 5000 people around the world. The London store opened in Liverpool Street in April 2021 and follows the same Eat, Shop, Learn philosophy with 4 restaurants and bars, 6 eateries, 6,000 Italian products to buy - alongside cookery lessons, wine tasting and other classes and events.
HR Manager Cecilia Odengran explains: “It has been a difficult time to set up a venue that brings together people, food and ingredients. Despite pandemic pressures, Eataly London is going strong, and currently employs around 320 staff – all of whom are passionate about great food. As the business continues to mature it’s really important to us to look after them.”
Eataly started out as a family firm, supporting, and partnering with local producers and local communities. That ethos and family-feel is something each store aims to recreate.
Cecilia continues: “Hospitality is a tough sector to be in at any time. On the frontline it involves hard, manual work and often unsocial hours - and turnover is high. Right now, it is a jobseeker’s market. For us, developing a health benefits package is part of how we can attract and retain good people – and stand out from the hospitality crowd as we continue to grow.
“The simplicity and scalability of Equipsme was what really appealed to us – we could personalise it to suit our team. We also liked that people could get instant, practical health support. One of our staff has already sorted out a health issue that he’d been putting off because of Covid and NHS waiting times - and that’s exactly what we wanted a health insurance plan to do. There’s no point in having health cover that no one uses.”
Eataly employs people from across the world, many of whom don’t have English as a first language. “Not every country in the world takes staff welfare seriously, so it has been well received so far,” says Cecilia. “It’s a great way for us to build the idea that HR here doesn’t just work for the employer but for employees, too! People are pleasantly surprised we actually care.”
“I am very excited about the future and rolling Equipsme out to more staff at more levels. It feels like just the right fit at just the right time for us.”
Visit Eataly website
