The Hidden Challenge of Mental Health in Hospitality

Mark Wright • 11 September 2019
This blog wasn’t the blog I intended to write this week. In fact, a few weeks back I had already written the blog I wanted to post today, but then something changed last week which made me reprioritise the topic for this week.

Across the company’s social media feeds my ‘Thought Thursday’ topic last week was in response to a conversation I had with a good friend of mine about the state of mental health awareness in the hospitality industry. That fired a spark in me and so Thursday’s video became about asking others for their input and opinion.

Was there in-fact an issue with regards to mental health awareness in our industry? Were we doing enough to address the topic if it was an issue? Who out there were the shining lights tackling this? Where was the support for industry workers coming from? The response both on-line across the social platforms and off-line in messages, conversations and phone-calls was enlightening and led me to want to learn more, so off to the internet I marched!

Where to start?

Back in May of this year the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) published a report titled‘Service with(out) a Smile-The Mental Health of Hospitality Workers’. The report gave insight from 743 Hospitality workers that had been surveyed between March and May’19. It is important to put into context that with 6 million people employed within the industry the limitations of the RSPH report should be self-evident in sample size, however when the data is taken as a benchmark to compare against other similar surveys there are some interesting similarities on the results of the big-tickets questions.

The headline results were:

·       1-in-5 respondents reporting severe mental health problems they believed were a direct result of their job.
·       84% of hospitality workers reported increased stress which was believed to be a direct consequence of their job.
·       Two-third of workers do not believe that the sector looks after the wellbeing of its employees.
·       The mental wellbeing support available for workers is inconsistent, and where it is available there is limited awareness amongst employees.

You can find access to the full report HERE.

Further data from other sources included:

·       In May ‘19, a survey by the Morning Advertiser reported that 81% of chefs had experienced poor mental health at some point in their careers.
·       In 2018 The Caterer reported that 59% of hospitality workers had a mental health problem.
·       A survey conducted by CV Library in 2015 found that 45% of employees reported taking time off work due to stress, with 33% reporting that their stress was due to poor management.
·       A survey of 500 hospitality employees by Industry showcase ScotHot showed 57 per cent reported mental problems including stress, depression and anxiety.

……and there are more statistical reports that I haven’t referenced, however all have a common theme – we have an issue and we’re not doing enough to tackle it in the eyes of those suffering.

Are we any different from other industries?

Now, full disclosure, I’ve spent my entire career of almost 25 years in hospitality, I’ve never known anything else. As a result, I don’t have a comparison from any other industry to bench-mark whether we in hospitality are alone in these challenges – I expect not; in fact the only comparison I could find was in the RSPH report which used the Legal profession as a comparative sector in that they would also work long hours, experience a high workload, stress and demanding situations.

Some research from across the web on this matter showed that the Legal sector launched ‘The Legal Professions Wellbeing Taskforce’ in 2016 with an agenda to raise awareness around mental health and share best practise across the industry from all avenues of society. Reports conclude that this has helped but progress is slow.

The hospitality sector accounts for the 3rd biggest employment sector in the UK. An estimated 70 million working days are lost every year within the industry to mental health problems believed to cost employers around £2,4 billion a year; of that 12.7% of all sick days are attributed to mental health conditions. Even if we don't consider a move to improve mental health within the industry a societal obligation, from a pure business standpoint the benefits for employers to take mental health seriously and to put measures in place to improve employee wellbeing would appear obvious.


Help is at hand

So what can be done? What is being done? Externally there are organisations who offer support indiscriminate of industry:

- Mind
- Mental Health Foundation
- Depression Alliance
- Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous
- Sane
- Rethink Mental Illness
- Young Minds

Those named above aside, it is the organisations I came across that are supporting the hospitality sector specifically that I was interested to learn more about, and more interested to learn that they existed at all!
Hospitality Action was established in 1837 and has since offered vital assistance to all who work or have worked within hospitality in the UK. They offer counselling, support, grants (for those falling into financial hardships) and training of mental health awareness. Their helpline is open 24/7.
While this is a progress service for the sector it places the emphasis on the employee to seek out their own help and support. Already reports show that 28% of workers surveyed sought medical assistance for their mental health issues and 24% undertook counselling or talking therapies as a direct result of work-related issues. Indeed, 37% saw their GP, and 16% saw a professional counsellor.
The question is that outside of employees taking their own wellbeing into their own hands what can leaders within the industry do to offer support to their teams, and by leaders I mean specifically employers. From employee feedback, much it appears is within our own hands and simply needs a commitment to tackle this issue:

·       Ensuring breaks can be taken and in an environment away from the workplace.
·       Access to healthy food that can be eaten in an environment where your team can connect on a social level.
·       Paying a wage that not only allows an employee to survive but to live.
·       Employees having access to 100% of their tips (surprisingly an issue that I’ve come across time and time again when researching this topic).
·       Having a team big enough to allow for shorter shifts and time off to be granted; and that time off to be paid.
·       Regular 1-to-1’s to encourage open dialogue and regular communication/feedback with their line managers.
·       Keeping your Team abreast of the business performance so they feel valued and involved.
·       Encourage ideas allowing them to feel creatively engaged.

I appreciate that some of these are easier to initiate then others. Some require a financial commitment that your business may not be able to acquiesce to, however all these changes when taken in isolation can all help to piece together a working environment that would improve the ‘head-space’ within your team.

Employee Assistance Programme

That is not to say that even if you implemented all those ideas that employers won’t still find themselves facing the challenge of mental health in their workplace and to that I turn again to Hospitality Action.

For the cost of £5 per employee per year Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was created by hospitality people, for hospitality people, and already supports over 130,000 industry professionals:

“…Our EAP supports industry professionals by providing specialist, independent and confidential advice, support and assistance. Its range of benefits includes personal counselling, legal guidance, addiction support, debt and money advice, parenting helpline, elder care helpline and a whistle-blowing service - all for an annual cost of just £5 per employee. Whatever the problem, we’re here to help 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

We also offer critical incident and trauma support. For example, we provided on-site counselling to hospitality professionals… should a hardship grant be required by any recipients of EAP support, we’re able to point them towards our grant-giving team, for consideration for further support…”

Five. Pounds. Per. Year .Per. Employee.

If we’re serious about raising awareness of mental health and offering the requisite support that the statistics bare out that we're lacking as an industry, the EAP seems like a 'no-brainer' to start the ball regardless of the size of your organisation. For more information about the EAP follow the link below:pitalityaction.org.uk/about-us/

Who else is out there?

Further clicks around the internet shows that there are other hospitality centric support organisations out there too:

Founded in 1886, The Benevolent’s mission is to help those from the trade facing serious medical or financial hardship or any other workplace or home difficulties. The Benevolent helps anyone who works in any role in the UK drinks industry. They define the drinks industry as any part of the supply chain including, but not limited to, production, distribution, marketing, import, export and sales of alcohol in both the on trade and off trade of the UK market. In practical terms this means anyone who has worked in pubs, breweries, bars distilleries, off licenses and warehouses or in an office-based role at a company producing, distributing or selling primarily alcohol.

www.thebenevolent.org.uk

The Healthy Hospo offer online education, practical advice, and inspiration through their website and social media feeds to help hospitality professionals live healthier, happier lives. Founded by a former hospitality worker who suffered his own mental health issues whilst working in the sector they run a variety of events including Wellness Workshops, regular seminars and flagship health and creativity retreats. The Healthy Hosp also work with hospitality outlets around the world to assist them in implementing health and wellness programs designed to encourage healthier, more productive and profitable staff.

www.healthyhospo.com

The best Aid is First Aid

So, help it as hand. There are organisations out there who are here to support and advise those from the sector, I just don’t think we shout about them enough, or even know that they exist!! I’ll be honest, whether by my own ignorance or not, I had never heard of these organisations until I started to look – and two of them have been around since the 19th century so it’s not like they’re new on the scene!! I’d be interested to find out how many people were also in the dark around these guys being in operation.

Out of the research I’ve done, there was one reoccurring idea, strategy, proposal that really struck home with me and it feels like the next logical step for those looking to make a positive impact within he culture of their own business. That is the appointment of a Mental Health First Aider.

I’m pretty sure we’re all aware of our responsibilities towards First Aid within the workplace as part of our Health & Safety strategies, but it feels like now is the time to take those responsibilities to the next level and to be active with First Aid of the mind and not just the body. A quick Google search (other web search engines are available!) turned up any number of courses available from half day to 2-day durations at non-prohibitive pricing to start the journey of appointing a Mental health First Aider.

The challenge is clear

What does all this mean in the end though? The hospitality industry has always been a place where you can find a place and pursue a career regardless of background. Our Teams are integral parts of the industry and we ask them to put a brave face on sometimes in the fiercest of environments and at times surrounded by the cruellest of critics – our guests. For those in a management position we ask even more; to supply a positive energy for our businesses to feed off regardless of situational challenges, be those personal or professional.

There are so many aspects of the industry that can (and are) causing anxiety, stress and depression and we have a responsibility to put aside the macho attitude of stiff upper lip and ‘get on with it’ and to start to recognise that we start from a base of having done so little despite there being so much to do. Those within the sector should not be held to an impossible standard of mental health in an environment that is testing both physically and mentally and I would hope that the support highlighted in this blog can point you in the direction of the support that is available for us all.

See you at the bar….

Mark

Note: as a result of this topic and my research over the past week I have sent off an application on behalf of WHAM Consultancy to become a corporate member of Hospitality Action. I plan to carry out fundraising activity over the course of the next 12 months to support the work that organisation does within the sector. If you’d be interested in getting involved in any fundraising please drop me a line.

If anyone would like any further information around the support organisations detailed in this blog or would like to discuss ways in which you can tackle metal health awareness or employee wellbeing in your workplace, please feel free to get in touch via my contact details in the website header.