The hospitality industry, whether that’s front of house staff or those working behind the scenes, is based on talent, commitment and hard work. When the UK went into lockdown in March 2020 because of Covid 19, hospitality staff were hit with the double blow of an industry which had ceased to operate and lack of financial support. For many this impacted negatively on their mental health, with financial worries and relationship strains taking their toll.
Because of the nature of the industry – long, often unsocial hours, high pressure, demanding working conditions – hospitality staff are four times more likely to experience mental health issues than the general public. Four out of five of them will be affected by a range of conditions, such as depression and anxiety, during their career.
Burnt Chef Project Partnership
It’s something that our MD, Will Gennard, has direct and personal experience of, and it’s something he’s decided to do something about, in the form of a new partnership with Burnt Chef Project a non-profit social enterprise which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues within hospitality across the world.
Will says that he wasn’t particularly receptive to the idea of mental ill-health before Covid, dismissing it, like many other people, as a weakness. However, he had experienced physical health issues previously – 80 hour working weeks, with only one day off impacted him personally – and he was well aware that for many hospitality staff the culture of ‘don’t complain and simply get on with it’ was rife.
Pressure of the Pandemic
When Covid struck, however, the whole hospitality industry disappeared overnight and left Will feeling responsible for Talent Hive’s staff, their candidates whose new roles vanished before they had the opportunity to take them up, and their clients whose businesses were so badly affected. Those responsibilities as well as his own personal worries about paying the mortgage together with missing friends and family took him, he says, to a ‘dark place’. Depression and anxiety were new feelings for Will but, having never experienced them before, he was unaware of their extent and found them difficult to articulate.
Seeking Help
It was during these bleak times that Will sought answers and help. While researching his own situation he came across the Burnt Chef Project. BCP is committed to making the hospitality profession healthier and more sustainable by offering a range of accessible services to those working within it. These include:
- Podcasts which feature a wide range of guests from the world of hospitality who discuss their own journeys through the industry and the tactics they employ to stay mentally resilient
- A free text-based service available 24-hours a day for anyone involved in hospitality who needs to talk about their mental health
- The Burnt Chef Academy – an online training app and resource centre aimed at both individuals and management teams worldwide, which provides frequently updated learning modules on mental health, all geared up to the very specific needs of those working in the industry
- Training courses designed to create a healthy working environment by educating hospitality staff about mental health awareness and reducing the stigma associated with mental ill-health
- Support for HR teams through operational audits and action plans.
Will felt an immediate rapport with the objectives of BCP and recognised how important its work is. After his own experiences, and after seeing the impact of mental ill-health among members of his profession, he now has a far greater empathy with those people who were so badly affected and let down during lockdown.
Giving Back
Talent Hive is now partnering with BCP, in an attempt, in Will’s words, to give something back to the industry that has supported him. He feels very fortunate to be in a position to be able to help other people and hopes that Talent Hive can have a big impact for BCP, not only in terms of donations and charity funding but also by raising awareness of its activities and how it can help.
Will is mentally well again now, after getting his mojo back when lockdown was lifted, but is acutely aware of the importance of changing the culture of the hospitality industry, especially among men who are notoriously reluctant to discuss their mental health issues – a throwback to the ‘bad old days’. He feels that the industry has started to up its game, both in terms of working conditions and looking after staff properly – implementing strategies such as a reduced working week and, in some places, mental health first aiders who are trained to recognise the first, tell-tale signs of mental ill-health and act on it, rather than waiting for it to implode.
His plans for engagement with BCP encompass both candidates and clients. Candidates will be provided with information about BCP when they’re placed in a role so they can draw on its resources if they feel they need to. Clients will also be encouraged to participate in activities such as workshops, and will be advised of the full range of support services available to their staff and to themselves.
Care and Compassion
Ultimately Will wants the industry to thrive on a diet of care and compassion, which he feels will not only support professionals suffering from mental ill-health but will also improve retention rates and increase recruitment opportunities. Talent Hive has, therefore, pledged to donate £50 to BCP for every candidate it successfully places into a new job.
He added, “It’s only through bringing these issues to the fore, talking about them and taking them seriously that we can bring about change and create a happier, healthier and more sustainable hospitality industry.”
For more information give us a call to find out how we can help you today.