About Hawksmoor Group

The Hawksmoor Group believe in ‘servant leadership’, where Managers work for junior team members, not vice versa. Senior Managers are always held accountable by their teams and peers on how well they perform in the company’s key areas. Leading on promoting this, Owners, Directors and Senior Managers personally deliver inductions, management inductions and training sessions, this year talking to 283 new employees and more than 80 Managers. Will and Huw spend a huge amount of time in the restaurants with their teams and strive to make themselves available to everyone who works in the company, irrespective of seniority or tenure. Will speaks to every person who joins, taking the first hour of every induction to tell his and Huw’s story and to explain the company and restaurants as he sees them. He also takes the first two hours of management induction, describing the responsibilities of the Managers to their teams. On Fridays Will, Huw and the Senior Staff have an open door policy. They also meet with the General Managers for lunch once a month and have regular informal meetings with Senior Managers over coffee. Will has a blog, started in response to feedback in his 360, where he shares his thoughts on the company and the way they do business. On the morning of the EU referendum decision, he sent a message of support, as the company currently employ 47 different nationalities, assuring that this will always be a place for everyone. Within minutes people were getting in touch, some moved to tears, to say how much it meant to them.

Hawksmoor Group have raised almost £690,000 for Action Against Hunger since 2007. They help by holding an annual fundraising dinner, donating 50p from one of their desserts and pledging profits from the sale of the book ‘Hawksmoor at Home’. Everyone gets a paid day every year to use for volunteering. Football Gambia is a UK charity promoting education through football in The Gambia. The company donate 50p from one of their cocktails and staff members have even travelled to help first-hand. Since 2012 Hawksmoor Group have raised over £32,000 for the charity. In Manchester the company also support Wood Street Mission, which is alleviating the effects of poverty on local families with practical help. Staff donate their time and physical items. At Foxlow they support Magic Breakfast, who are dedicated to ensuring every child starts the day with good breakfast. Since 2015 the company have raised over £11,000. These are just a few examples of the regular giving that the Hawksmoor Group does. Through their Employee Assistance Programme, Lifeworks, they offer all employees and their families access to a 24/7 free and confidential advice on issues such as illness, disability and addiction, with up to six free counselling sessions as well.

At Hawksmoor and Foxlow money is important but it doesn’t come first. Quality, nice people, enjoying work and making sure customers are happy are all far higher up the company's priority list and whilst they think that money, in particular fair pay, is very important, the company don’t think it’s what motivates people to give the best of themselves every day. Hawksmoor Group’s attitude is ‘if you’re good enough to be here you’re good enough to get your bonus’, so they pay people a pre-agreed amount two weeks before Christmas to help with the holiday season. The company’s weekly “15five” reports for all Managers include: “Can you tell me someone who is doing a great job at the moment or has impressed you this week?” This enables immediate recognition of personal achievement. Hawksmoor Group’s ‘Amazing Feedback’ and ‘High Fives’ groups on Workplace by Facebook also gives everyone the opportunity to say thanks, share positive feedback and celebrate the brilliant work that happens in the teams every day. Anyone can post in the group and everyone gets to see it.