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Pat King, CEO of the Doyle Collection, and Mark Payne, general manager of The Bristol, have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge, promising that the hotel will raise awareness of mental health in the workplace.
In doing so, the hotel became the first hospitality organisation in the south west of England to commit to the programme.
Time to Change is a campaign to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people who experience mental health problems, and is run by the two mental health charities, Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.
To demonstrate its commitment, prior to signing the pledge, The Bristol appointed six Wellbeing Champions, who organised monthly team activities including a Wellbeing Lunch and helped upskill team members and leaders in matters of wellbeing and leadership soft skills; three of the Champions (along with three other team members) also completed a two-day Mental Health First Aid course, so that they can all assist colleagues.
The Wellbeing Champions have also introduced ongoing activities to maintain the focus on mental health throughout the year; for example, a Time to Talk day in February, a mental health week in May, a Wellbeing Festival for the whole month of June and a Belonging Day in August.
Other initiatives introduced in the last 12 months that support team wellbeing include Length of Service Days, additional days off work for those who have worked for the company for over one year, an Employee Assistance Programme and a Step Forward Day an annual day’s paid leave to enable employees to give a day’s work to a charity or good cause of their choice.
The Bristol has now joined over 1000 organisations nationally, employing over two million people, that have committed to changing the way they think and act about mental health in the workplace.
Payne said: “Working in the hotel industry is great fun, but it can also be tough as we are often working long hours, under a great deal of pressure, late into the evenings and at weekends when most people are with friends or family. Therefore, it is very important to us as a company that we do all we can to support every employee’s physical and mental health, which is why I am proud to have signed the Time to Change pledge.”
