About ASK Italian

Senior Managers and Directors are available and accessible, listening to ideas and feedback and genuinely doing something about it. Face to face feedback and collation of more ideas via the we are ASK Italian engagement tour. You can never over communicate, continuing to evolve their communication processes, checking how to reach all employees by testing new communication channels and asking what works and what doesn't for their teams. Striving to increase their green credentials and sustainability and telling everyone what they have achieved. Focussing on what they do well including team events, team and individual development, non hierarchical inclusive culture personal contact in restaurants, making time for everyone. They have a clear career path, they continue to make it as visual as possible. Adding in new elements regularly to the ASK Italian journey, to keep it fresh and providing opportunities for promotion. 

The ASK Italian Journey has had a major impact on our business results and HR metrics as well as employee development and engagement. The Journey is open to everyone and it provides an opportunity for self-driven learning and career progression from waiter to operations manager and from kitchen assistant to chef trainer. The journey provides clarity around the responsibilities, knowledge and skills required for every role, with training before graduating into a role or taking up a promotion. This year they have added further development modules to the journey for managers to develop as area support trainers and a special programme called Spotlight that prepares managers for high volume sites and managing large teams. The journey is enhanced by a bespoke 12 month leadership development programme for high potential head chefs, a bespoke 12 month leadership programme for high potential restaurant managers, and leadership development for their operations managers and senior department heads. In addition they use Myers Briggs for team building and developing collaborative working across all functions.

The ASK Italian Summer Triathlon in July 2014, a fundraising event for GOSHCC, which was open to every employee to take part. With 275 competitors, 57 volunteers and 98 spectators it was a fantastic team building day. Entry was either as an individual competitor or in a team. Most restaurants were represented raising over £40,000 through local and national fundraising. All of their volunteers and spectators were team members, family and friends. In September they took their entire Head Office and Operations teams to Sicily for 3 days to celebrate their financial results last year. They arranged Italian Education sessions, inspiration trips to Mount Etna and a vineyard and two exceptional evenings of food and wine. Everyone stayed together for the entire time even enjoying some team games and fun, personifying the strength of their inclusive culture. The annual road shows create real buzz and engagement. In March in London’s East End they launched their “We Are ASK Italian” internal engagement brand. With all of their managers and head office teams they revisit their mission and set direction for the coming year whilst partying the night away. Twice a year (April and December) they close Head Office and visit every restaurant on one day to build the teamwork between their restaurants and head office teams. For every restaurant transformation (nearly 30 this year) they hold a Taste of Italy team building event for the teams.