Fresh on the back of UK mental health awareness week ( 13-19 May 2019), more needs to be done to tackle mental health issues in the sector, says UKHospitality, and especially during an “increasingly acute labour shortage”.
The call came in response to a study by the UK Royal Society for Public Health, which found almost one-quarter (24%) of hospitality staff have sought psychological support or medication for mental health.
UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said, “These findings are obviously of concern. Many of our members already have programmes in place to support those dealing with mental health issues but it’s clear more needs to be done – especially if we are to encourage more British workers to consider a career in a sector with an increasingly acute labour shortage.
“These results reiterate the industry must work faster to provide valuable and committed staff with the support they need. In the workplace in particular, staff abuse from customers or colleagues should never be tolerated and businesses must always act firmly to protect staff.”
She continued, “By integrating this thinking into business strategy and investing more in supporting resources, businesses can show they are serious about offering staff a safe work environment. We work closely with charities such as Hospitality Action and the Licensed Trade Charity and help businesses and employees promote measures to ensure better mental health and well-being in the workplace. As a trustee of Hospitality Action, I have seen first-hand the dedicated efforts being made to develop employee assistance and support. UKHospitality is committed to helping on this front and will be signposting these services to businesses and employees.”
And you should also know that there’s a free mental health workshop on Thursday 23rd May at Edinburgh’s Scotsman Hotel, where you can learn about the triggers and how to cope with mental health in the licensed trade.
Contact bookings@bensoc.org.uk