Noticing Gendered Expectations In Your Pub?

The hospitality industry is fast-paced, unpredictable, and demanding. Working in pubs, especially, requires flexibility, quick thinking, and energy. But as our industry strives to improve life-work balance and support the diverse lives of our staff, there’s an elephant in the room: gendered expectations. This often-unspoken issue impacts everything from shift schedules to career progression and even the culture of respect within our teams. So how can pubs and hospitality businesses create a more equitable environment?

Understanding Gendered Expectations in Hospitality

While progress has been made toward gender equity, certain expectations based on gender still persist, often subconsciously, in pubs and across hospitality. For instance:

• Women in “Caregiving” Roles: Women in pubs are frequently given the “nurturing” roles. You may have noticed that female staff are often expected to be more patient with difficult customers, handle sensitive issues, or take on “mothering” responsibilities—like training new hires or managing interpersonal issues among team members.
• Men Expected to Take on Late, Longer, or Physical Shifts: Male pub staff, on the other hand, are often expected to work later shifts, handle physically demanding tasks (like lifting kegs or restocking heavy items), and jump into action during rowdier situations. This expectation can limit men’s availability for family commitments or personal pursuits outside work.
• “Second Shift” Pressures on Working Parents: Working parents, especially mothers, face the notorious “second shift”—juggling responsibilities at home after a full day’s work. Hospitality’s late hours, variable shifts, and often inflexible schedules can make it especially challenging to meet family demands. And while this expectation affects all working parents, women statistically bear a heavier share of household and caregiving responsibilities.
• Management and Advancement Stereotypes: Men and women in pubs may also feel pressured to fit into specific management roles. Women, even in management, might be expected to handle customer complaints gently, whereas men might feel pushed to be more authoritative. These stereotypes not only limit the potential of individual employees but also reduce the quality and diversity of leadership within pubs.

Why Life-Work Balance Matters in Hospitality

The nature of hospitality demands a lot from its staff, who work weekends, holidays, and late nights, often sacrificing time with family or friends. As we work towards an industry that values balance, it’s essential to understand that gendered expectations can skew how balance is achieved—or prevented.

A more balanced and equitable environment isn’t just good for employees; it’s good for business. Happier, more fulfilled employees are less likely to experience burnout, are more motivated, and are likely to stay longer in their roles. As an industry that often grapples with high turnover rates, finding ways to improve employee retention through equitable life-work balance strategies could have a huge impact.

Practical Steps for Pubs to Create a More Equitable Environment

So, how can pubs start tackling gendered expectations around work-life balance? Here are some actionable strategies to make a difference:

1. Create a Transparent and Fair Scheduling System

• Implement flexible scheduling: Flexibility is the foundation of life-work balance. Allow employees to trade shifts without penalty, and consider implementing a system where staff can bid on preferred shifts. This helps both men and women pursue a more balanced schedule that fits their lives.
• Respect preferences equally: Whether it’s a father needing to be home for his children’s bedtime or a young woman wanting to further her education, all staff should feel equally able to make requests based on their personal lives. A transparent system that respects these preferences helps create a supportive environment for everyone.

2. Equal Access to All Tasks

• Break down role expectations: Assign roles based on skills, preferences, and rotation rather than gender. For instance, if physical tasks like restocking kegs or handling difficult customers are disproportionately handled by men, consider rotating responsibilities so everyone has a chance to develop these skills.
• Allow everyone to work both “nurturing” and “tough” roles: Encourage all employees to handle customer service challenges and “front of house” issues regardless of gender. Not only does this promote skill development, but it also allows for greater respect and understanding among staff.

3. Support Working Parents Equally

• Offer shift accommodations for parents: Encourage managers to proactively check in with staff members who are parents and offer shift accommodations or predictable schedules where possible. But make sure for this not to have a knock-on effect for those without children, as many might feel that parents are favoured more for special requests. While this becomes a catch-22, just trying to balance it all shows a difference to your staff in creating an equal workplace.
• Challenge gendered expectations around caregiving: Remind staff that both mothers and fathers have family commitments and make it clear that it’s okay for any employee to take time for family obligations. Create a supportive environment that doesn’t penalize employees who need to balance work and home life.

4. Leadership Expectations

• Encourage leadership diversity: Create space for women and men to take on a range of managerial responsibilities. For instance, try rotating “conflict resolution” roles or other traditionally gendered tasks to build a balanced team and challenge stereotypes around leadership styles.
• Promote fair and open advancement opportunities: Make sure promotion criteria are transparent and focus on skills and experience rather than assumptions about who “fits” a particular role. For example, if women are often promoted to customer service roles and men to logistical or operational roles, aim to provide equal access to both.

5. Open Conversations about Gender and Life-Work Balance

• Host team meetings or workshops: Schedule regular discussions to explore these issues, encouraging staff to share their experiences and solutions for a balanced workplace.
• Celebrate diversity in career paths: Highlight the journeys of team members who have navigated life-work balance challenges, breaking away from traditional gendered roles to pursue a fulfilling and diverse career path in hospitality.

Why Gender Equity Should Matter to You

As pub staff, you are the heartbeat of the hospitality industry. When you create a supportive, fair, and equitable environment, it doesn’t just benefit your colleagues; it can elevate your pub’s reputation, increase morale, and even attract more customers. Life-work balance is essential, but achieving it equitably means challenging and changing outdated norms. By addressing gendered expectations head-on, pubs can offer staff a healthier, happier, and more sustainable career path.

Creating a more equitable work-life balance isn’t about eliminating differences; it’s about ensuring that every team member has a fair opportunity to thrive. Pubs have a unique opportunity to lead this change in hospitality, setting the stage for a more inclusive and supportive industry.