50% of hospitality staff feel their mental health is in decline

Half (50%) of hospitality professionals feel their mental health is worse than it was a year ago, according to the latest study by independent job board CV-Library. The job board surveyed 1,300 UK professionals in an effort to ascertain how the global pandemic has impacted the wellbeing of the nation’s workforce; with hospitality workers naming the following concerns as having the biggest impact on their mental health. It found that: Experiencing financial difficulties (56.3%) Worrying about not being able to find a job (53.1%) Worrying about the health and wellbeing of friends and/or family members (40.6%) Worrying about the spread of COVID-19 (37.5%) Worrying about losing my current job (25%) It said that “unsurprisingly”, most of the worries are in line with the concerns felt by the rest of the nation. However, it added that workers in the hospitality industry are more worried about losing their current job, when compared with the rest of the nation as “most” UK workers didn't include these in their top five worries. The study also revealed that 45.3% of hospitality employees feel their work-life balance is worse than a year ago, with a further 60% stating working from home as the main reason for this. In addition, 76.6% of the individuals surveyed admitted that they would look for a new job in order to secure a better work-life balance, with 89.3% of hospitality professionals are concerned about their physical and mental well-being due to a poor work-life balance. Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, said: “The last seven months has been filled with a great amount of uncertainty and it’s understandable that so many hospitality professionals feel their mental health is suffering. Businesses need to be aware of these challenges and ensure they’re offering support to employees who may be struggling. “What’s more, it’s no surprise that experiencing financial difficulties is one of the biggest concerns for those in the hospitality sector, as many individuals have been made redundant and employment opportunities have been scarce. While the UK job market may take some time to fully recover, it’s important to remember that the situation is already improving. In fact, as time goes on, we’re seeing more job postings being added to our site every week.” He added: “As an employer, you have a duty of care to keep your employees safe and to protect their mental health. It’s vital that you encourage team members to take regular breaks and to only work during their normal hours.