Voted fourth best company to work in the UK, first in hospitality and leisure, and ranked twelfth highest rated company on Glassdoor, Dishoom has got company culture in its skin and knows how to put its staff wellbeing on top of the rest.
We think companies need to make their people feel comfortable at work and the more they take extra care in providing staff with appealing benefits and genuine kindness and flexibility tailored to each individual, the more individuals will want to consider hospitality for their career.
So, what’s Dishoom’s approach? A better work-life balance? No, no, no. It’s MUCH MORE than that.
It has everything to do with their core belief: HUMANITY, the essence of any decision they make for their people. It’s called Seva, a “combination of big heart and applying our minds to be first-class”. Dishoom anchored this powerful motto in their values to help their people grow and unlock their potential to achieve remarkable things. “Seva means that we do not just serve people, we take them in and truly look after them. Guests and team alike.”
Genius. We thought that highlighting what Dishoom are doing to engage and keep their Dishoom-wallas (the cute name for their tribe members) it could be inspiring to your business to boost your employee experience, all throughout their customer cycle.
Meaningful Humanitarian missions
First, let’s talk about their humanitarian mission: for every meal served, the company donates a meal to a child through charities like Magic Breakfast and Akshaya Patrain, in the UK and in India. As of February 2022, 12 million meals were provided to children to tackle hunger and poverty and help them learn fully without feeling. Reflecting on their charitable initiatives, they ask their staff to book one day every year to support the charity of their choice and that day isn’t debited from their 28 holidays.
Of course, top-class training
Heard of Babu Masterclass? Because the company wants its staff to thrive and achieve what is important to them, they can sign up to the Dishoom Learning Library and enrol in either Babu Masterclass or Kitchen Academy. “Babu Masterclass is a six-month management training programme for Front of House teams to develop specific fine skills. Hard-working and enterprising kitchen team members become highly-skilled Junior Sous Chefs through Kitchen Academy – a most thorough and rewarding training course.”
Team building, yes, but… in Bombay, and more
What!? A retreat for staying for five years in the company? Yes, Dishoom did it - it’s called the Bombay Bootcamp! Anyone with the company for five years or who is promoted to Head Chef or General Manager is taken to Bombay for an immersive five-day tour of the city to learn about Bombay’s food, culture, and heritage. This is a reward to be proud of, as a company and an employee! And because cricket is big in England, competitions with passionate cricketers are organised in Dishoom cafes, too.
Unique financial benefits
The most incredibly attractive thing to workers in any industry: benefits. The “Dishoom-walla wellbeing” is divided into three core categories: financial, mental, physical.
Because lots of care is invested in their people, Dishoom wants just what is best for their staff to keep them and nurture their ambition to build a career within the company. Not everyone wants the same thing in life, it varies from one profile to another, but here’s a glimpse of what they offer. An extremely competitive salary package - kind of the best in hospitality, to be fair. Usually, the most stressful part for people is speaking openly about their salary. So, to get the transparency and fairness they need, the company has arranged for the service charges to be shared between the teams at the cafes. Plus, every Dishoom-walla can access a share of their earned wages whenever they need it.
Caring about health
It’s no news that people have families, and some are parents! To give staff flexibility for their personal life, Dishoom provides them with a day off to take kids to their first day of school and sends a little package for every childbirth. Food-wise, every café worker has access to delicious meals as well as bottomless hot drinks. On top of that, they get 50% off the price of food and drink at all Dishooms before 5 pm and 25% off afterwards.
Because exercise is important for the body and the mind, the teams get free sporting sessions monthly. Incredible perks help lift the mind whether you’re on your own or surrounded by your peers, so amongst the very special package offered by Dishoom teams also get half-price cinema tickets, savings on clothing from top-notch retailers, exceptional discounts for holidays and special prices for technology goods.
“Dishoom offers some pretty tasty benefits! They have huge parties for their teams, Dishoom Family Mela in the summer and the End of Year soiree, along with the Dishoom Premier League help at Lords Cricket Grounds. There are also EID, Iftar, Janmashtami, and Diwali and helps for team get-togethers throughout the year. - Perkbox subscription for endless discounts. - A Dishoom App just for teams where you have access to your rotas, holiday requests, Wellbeing hub, and so much more. - Discounts on products and food when you visit a cafe. The list is truly endless, and Dishoom looks after everyone as if they were family, which has been HUGELY important these last couple of years!” - Internal Communications Manager in London, Glassdoor review
What happy employees say about Dishoom
A good way to know what your people think about your workplace is to take a look at their reviews on Glassdoor - here’s a few compelling ones:
“It takes a village - There are so many positives to starting a career in hospitality, be it the family feel, the fantastic people you meet or the energy you get from being around new people every single day. That is just what hospitality can do for you before you even begin to grow, learn, and develop new skills. When I began my journey with Dishoom over five years ago, I knew that I wanted to progress into other business areas, and Dishoom helped and supported me every step of the way. From cafe floor to internal communications and team engagement with their excellent training and one to one coaching/mentoring. Dishoom has gone above and beyond when it comes to looking after their team’s personal development to make sure that it is a place where anything is possible, always looking internally to promote before looking externally.” (Internal Communications)
“A first-class place to work - Dishoom is a brilliant place to work. It is inclusive, welcoming, and fulfilling. Employees are passionate about working at Dishoom thanks to the care, time and recognition that comes from the top. You even get to eat at Dishoom every week!” (PR)
“I love Dishoom! Your work-life balance is supported, with real attention paid to your mental health and wellbeing - both inside and out of work. I feel like part of a family when I’m in the cafe.” (Waiter)
“Such a fab company to work for, with a buzzy family feel & amazing team. Great charity initiatives (meal for a meal), and the opportunity to take a day paid to work with a charity of your choice. Regular team events, huge staff parties (and a summer festival!), and lots of opportunities for growth and development, and support provided throughout.” (Guest representative)
“Friendly team that works well together and supports each other in busy periods. Management is also supportive and sympathetic to issues in the workplace.” (Host)
“Our Dishoom family celebrates differences breaks down barriers and creates a buzzy exciting, warm place to work. We are an extremely busy vibing café where you will work hard, get paid well and get offered to attend team events every couple of weeks.” (Marketing)
If some businesses in hospitality are so drawn into doing things right for their teams, surely there is room for improvement for those who struggle with staff recruitment and retention? Because there’s a fine line between talking to your people through dealing with their wellbeing, and the real actions you’ll take to help them feel welcome in your business and your workplace.
The Otolo team is passionate about supporting companies in providing hospitality workers with the best experience possible - as Dishoom does. As a company, you can start meeting people on our platform who have lots to share about employee experience and inviting your teams to take ownership of their careers by enrolling in our free courses.
And by the way, if you picture yourself working there, Dishoom is recruiting throughout the UK right now – take a look!
Dishoom: What the ‘best hospitality company to work for in the UK’ gets right for its people
Voted fourth best company to work in the UK, first in hospitality and leisure, and ranked twelfth highest rated company on Glassdoor, Dishoom has got company culture in its skin and knows how to put its staff wellbeing on top of the rest.
We think companies need to make their people feel comfortable at work and the more they take extra care in providing staff with appealing benefits and genuine kindness and flexibility tailored to each individual, the more individuals will want to consider hospitality for their career.
So, what’s Dishoom’s approach? A better work-life balance? No, no, no. It’s MUCH MORE than that.
It has everything to do with their core belief: HUMANITY, the essence of any decision they make for their people. It’s called Seva, a “combination of big heart and applying our minds to be first-class”. Dishoom anchored this powerful motto in their values to help their people grow and unlock their potential to achieve remarkable things. “Seva means that we do not just serve people, we take them in and truly look after them. Guests and team alike.”
Genius. We thought that highlighting what Dishoom are doing to engage and keep their Dishoom-wallas (the cute name for their tribe members) it could be inspiring to your business to boost your employee experience, all throughout their customer cycle.
Meaningful Humanitarian missions
First, let’s talk about their humanitarian mission: for every meal served, the company donates a meal to a child through charities like Magic Breakfast and Akshaya Patrain, in the UK and in India. As of February 2022, 12 million meals were provided to children to tackle hunger and poverty and help them learn fully without feeling. Reflecting on their charitable initiatives, they ask their staff to book one day every year to support the charity of their choice and that day isn’t debited from their 28 holidays.
Of course, top-class training
Heard of Babu Masterclass? Because the company wants its staff to thrive and achieve what is important to them, they can sign up to the Dishoom Learning Library and enrol in either Babu Masterclass or Kitchen Academy. “Babu Masterclass is a six-month management training programme for Front of House teams to develop specific fine skills. Hard-working and enterprising kitchen team members become highly-skilled Junior Sous Chefs through Kitchen Academy – a most thorough and rewarding training course.”
Team building, yes, but… in Bombay, and more
What!? A retreat for staying for five years in the company? Yes, Dishoom did it - it’s called the Bombay Bootcamp! Anyone with the company for five years or who is promoted to Head Chef or General Manager is taken to Bombay for an immersive five-day tour of the city to learn about Bombay’s food, culture, and heritage. This is a reward to be proud of, as a company and an employee! And because cricket is big in England, competitions with passionate cricketers are organised in Dishoom cafes, too.
Unique financial benefits
The most incredibly attractive thing to workers in any industry: benefits. The “Dishoom-walla wellbeing” is divided into three core categories: financial, mental, physical.
Because lots of care is invested in their people, Dishoom wants just what is best for their staff to keep them and nurture their ambition to build a career within the company. Not everyone wants the same thing in life, it varies from one profile to another, but here’s a glimpse of what they offer. An extremely competitive salary package - kind of the best in hospitality, to be fair. Usually, the most stressful part for people is speaking openly about their salary. So, to get the transparency and fairness they need, the company has arranged for the service charges to be shared between the teams at the cafes. Plus, every Dishoom-walla can access a share of their earned wages whenever they need it.
Caring about health
It’s no news that people have families, and some are parents! To give staff flexibility for their personal life, Dishoom provides them with a day off to take kids to their first day of school and sends a little package for every childbirth. Food-wise, every café worker has access to delicious meals as well as bottomless hot drinks. On top of that, they get 50% off the price of food and drink at all Dishooms before 5 pm and 25% off afterwards.
Because exercise is important for the body and the mind, the teams get free sporting sessions monthly. Incredible perks help lift the mind whether you’re on your own or surrounded by your peers, so amongst the very special package offered by Dishoom teams also get half-price cinema tickets, savings on clothing from top-notch retailers, exceptional discounts for holidays and special prices for technology goods.
“Dishoom offers some pretty tasty benefits! They have huge parties for their teams, Dishoom Family Mela in the summer and the End of Year soiree, along with the Dishoom Premier League help at Lords Cricket Grounds. There are also EID, Iftar, Janmashtami, and Diwali and helps for team get-togethers throughout the year. - Perkbox subscription for endless discounts. - A Dishoom App just for teams where you have access to your rotas, holiday requests, Wellbeing hub, and so much more. - Discounts on products and food when you visit a cafe. The list is truly endless, and Dishoom looks after everyone as if they were family, which has been HUGELY important these last couple of years!” - Internal Communications Manager in London, Glassdoor review
What happy employees say about Dishoom
A good way to know what your people think about your workplace is to take a look at their reviews on Glassdoor - here’s a few compelling ones:
“It takes a village - There are so many positives to starting a career in hospitality, be it the family feel, the fantastic people you meet or the energy you get from being around new people every single day. That is just what hospitality can do for you before you even begin to grow, learn, and develop new skills. When I began my journey with Dishoom over five years ago, I knew that I wanted to progress into other business areas, and Dishoom helped and supported me every step of the way. From cafe floor to internal communications and team engagement with their excellent training and one to one coaching/mentoring. Dishoom has gone above and beyond when it comes to looking after their team’s personal development to make sure that it is a place where anything is possible, always looking internally to promote before looking externally.” (Internal Communications)
“A first-class place to work - Dishoom is a brilliant place to work. It is inclusive, welcoming, and fulfilling. Employees are passionate about working at Dishoom thanks to the care, time and recognition that comes from the top. You even get to eat at Dishoom every week!” (PR)
“I love Dishoom! Your work-life balance is supported, with real attention paid to your mental health and wellbeing - both inside and out of work. I feel like part of a family when I’m in the cafe.” (Waiter)
“Such a fab company to work for, with a buzzy family feel & amazing team. Great charity initiatives (meal for a meal), and the opportunity to take a day paid to work with a charity of your choice. Regular team events, huge staff parties (and a summer festival!), and lots of opportunities for growth and development, and support provided throughout.” (Guest representative)
“Friendly team that works well together and supports each other in busy periods. Management is also supportive and sympathetic to issues in the workplace.” (Host)
“Our Dishoom family celebrates differences breaks down barriers and creates a buzzy exciting, warm place to work. We are an extremely busy vibing café where you will work hard, get paid well and get offered to attend team events every couple of weeks.” (Marketing)
If some businesses in hospitality are so drawn into doing things right for their teams, surely there is room for improvement for those who struggle with staff recruitment and retention? Because there’s a fine line between talking to your people through dealing with their wellbeing, and the real actions you’ll take to help them feel welcome in your business and your workplace.
The Otolo team is passionate about supporting companies in providing hospitality workers with the best experience possible - as Dishoom does. As a company, you can start meeting people on our platform who have lots to share about employee experience and inviting your teams to take ownership of their careers by enrolling in our free courses.
And by the way, if you picture yourself working there, Dishoom is recruiting throughout the UK right now – take a look!
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