You’ve just spent weeks training a promising new member of staff, only to have them hand in their notice after a month. Sound familiar? High staff turnover is one of the biggest headaches facing pub landlords today, and it’s costing us all a fortune in recruitment and training costs.
Understanding why staff leave is the first step to keeping your good people. Here are the main culprits driving pub workers away:
Running this problem at your pub?
Here's the system I use at The Teal Farm to fix it — real-time labour %, cash position, and VAT liability in one dashboard. 30-minute setup. £97 once, no monthly fees.
Get Pub Command Centre — £97 →No monthly fees. 30-day money-back guarantee. Built by a working pub landlord.
Poor Management and Leadership
Bad management is the number one reason staff walk out the door. When team members feel unsupported, micromanaged, or treated unfairly, they’ll find somewhere else to work. This includes:
- Inconsistent or unclear expectations
- Lack of respect or appreciation
- Playing favourites with certain staff
- Poor communication from management
Having a strong bar manager who can lead by example makes all the difference. If you’re struggling to find the right person, check out our guide on what makes a good bar manager for some useful tips.
Wages and Working Conditions
Let’s be honest – pub work isn’t always glamorous, and if you’re not paying competitively, staff will go elsewhere. Key factors include:
- Low wages: With the cost of living rising, staff need fair pay
- Unpredictable hours: Last-minute rota changes cause stress and make it hard to plan
- No career progression: If there’s nowhere to go, ambitious staff will move on
- Poor work-life balance: Consistently working unsociable hours without adequate time off
Smart rota planning can help address some of these issues. Our staff rota software guide shows how the right tools can make scheduling fairer and more predictable.
Workplace Culture and Environment
A toxic atmosphere will drive good staff away faster than anything else. Common problems include:
- Bullying or harassment from colleagues or customers
- High-stress environment with no support
- Lack of team spirit or camaraderie
- Feeling undervalued or ignored
Building a positive workplace culture takes effort, but it’s worth it. Regular team meetings, staff recognition, and creating clear policies for dealing with difficult customers all help.
The key to reducing turnover is addressing these issues before they become problems. By creating a supportive environment with fair pay, good management, and clear communication, you’ll keep your best staff happy.
Ready to tackle staff turnover in your pub? Visit SmartPubTools for free resources and tools designed specifically for UK pub landlords. Our platform includes everything you need to manage your team more effectively and keep your pub running smoothly.
Free Tool for UK Pub Landlords
Used daily at Teal Farm Pub, Washington NE38
The Pub Command Centre handles everything in this article — without a spreadsheet.
Wet GP%, dry GP%, labour costs, beer line cleaning logs (12 lines), HACCP temperature checks, stock ordering, weekly P&L. All in one system. Used every shift at Teal Farm where labour runs at 15.1% against a UK pub average of 25-30%.
On a pub taking £900k a year, running labour at 15% instead of 25% is worth roughly £90,000. That is what tracking it daily — every shift, every week — actually looks like.
£97 once. No subscription. No monthly fee. Works on any phone, tablet or laptop. Setup under 10 minutes. Built and used by a Marston’s CRP licensee with a 5-star EHO rating and 180 covers.
See the Pub Command Centre — £97 →
One-off payment. Works on any device. Used by a working licensee, not a software company that’s never pulled a pint.
SmartPubTools FOH App — Free, Forever
Built by a real pub landlord from the North East. Staff gamification, shift tracking, leaderboards and rota tools — free, no subscription, no credit card needed.
📊 Your EPOS tells you what sold. Pub Command Centre tells you whether you made money.
Real-time labour %, cash position and VAT liability in one dashboard. Built by a working pub landlord. £97 once, no monthly fees. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Takes 2 minutes · Free forever · Made for UK pubs
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is the main reason pub staff leave their jobs?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Poor management and leadership is the top reason pub staff leave. This includes lack of support, unfair treatment, unclear expectations, and poor communication from management.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How can pub landlords reduce staff turnover?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Landlords can reduce turnover by offering competitive wages, creating predictable rotas, providing good management, building positive workplace culture, and ensuring staff feel valued and supported.”
}
}
]
}
Running your pub on gut feel?
The Pub Command Centre gives you wet GP%, cellar checks, staff cost and weekly P&L — from your phone, every shift. £97 once. No subscription.
See the Pub Command Centre →