62% of hospitality staff think sector doesn’t take care of employees

Almost two thirds of hospitality staff think that the sector does not take good care of its employees, new research has found. Research from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has found that mental health and wellbeing is “under significant strain” amongst hospitality employees. In its latest report, ‘Service With(out) a Smile’, over four out of five (84%) hospitality workers reported increased stress which was believed to be a direct consequence of their job. As a result, almost half (45%) of respondents said they would not recommend working in hospitality. Other key findings from the RSPH research include: Around one quarter (24%) of hospitality staff have reported seeking psychological support or medication Three quarters (74%) have experienced verbal abuse from a customer Almost a quarter (24%) required medical or psychological help Only around one in ten (10%) had received training to support health and wellbeing, or access to mentoring, health champions or mental health first aiders The report highlights a number of initiatives which have been introduced to address concerns around staff health and wellbeing such as Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme and Me, Myself in Mind’s classes on mental health awareness for the hospitality industry. RSPH also revealed that recommendations that emerged from the research includes employers putting in place a package of support which protects the mental health and wellbeing of staff including sick leave, regular one-to-ones between managers and employees, health champions and mental health first aiders. It also advises Improved enforcement of employment rights and for further research into what hospitality can learn from best practice in workplace wellbeing within other sectors. The survey results and recommendations will be discussed at an event in London, held in collaboration with The Springboard Charity today ( 20 May). The event aims to encourage employers to “proactively consider” how to look after mental health in the workplace. Chief executive of RSPH, Shirley Cramer, said: “At some point in our lives many of us will have experienced working in the hospitality industry, so we understand how demanding this working environment can be. Having access to good mental health support is essential for workplaces, and we are pleased that there are a number of initiatives being rolled out across the sector. However, it is clear from our research that this support is not reaching everyone, with two-thirds of hospitality workers reporting that they don’t believe the sector does enough to look after its staff. “It is also concerning that around a quarter of staff have had to resort to psychological intervention or medication to deal with work-related stress. Investing in staff health and wellbeing is not just the right thing to do for individuals, but it will ultimately benefit the hospitality sector in the long term.”