The Silent Pandemic: Mental Health in the Hospitality Industry

The discussion navigates the challenging terrain of mental health issues faced by hospitality workers, especially in the context of the ongoing global pandemic.

With a significant portion of hospitality businesses in the UK still not fully operational, the episode brings to light the emotional and psychological struggles that employees are experiencing.

The guests, Susan and Dan Grandfield, provide valuable insights into how the hospitality industry's unique nature, where work often blends with social life, has compounded feelings of isolation during lockdowns.

The episode underscores the importance of community and connection in the workplace, which have been severely impacted by the pandemic, leading to increased anxiety and a sense of void for many workers.

Furthermore, the podcast emphasises the need for proactive mental health support within the industry.

Susan and Dan advocate for a culture that prioritizes mental health awareness at all levels of a hospitality business. They highlight the necessity for managers and supervisors to recognize the signs of distress among their teams and to create an environment where employees feel safe to express their concerns.

The discussion serves as a call for the hospitality sector to not only address the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic but to also foster resilience and mental well-being as integral components of the workplace, suggesting that the road to recovery must include a focus on the mental health of employees to ensure a sustainable future for the industry.

Takeaways:

The hospitality industry is facing unprecedented challenges, with many businesses yet to fully reopen.
Mental health issues have surged among hospitality workers due to job uncertainty and isolation.
Engaging in open dialogues about safety can alleviate anxiety for returning hospitality staff.
Creating a supportive workplace culture is essential for addressing mental health concerns.
Understanding that customers share the same concerns can foster a more empathetic service environment.
Leadership plays a crucial role in encouraging staff to voice their mental health concerns.

If you are struggling, or know someone who is, please contact the following immediately:

Hospitality Action https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/get-help/
T: 0808 802 0282 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/
T: 116 123

Links referenced in this episode:

🎧 Tune in to listen to the full episode for more advice on how to recognise and deal with mental health challenges for workers and employers in the hospitality industry, with advice that is still very relevant post-lockdown.

Transcript

Sarah Kettel

00:00:10.680 - 00:00:38.441

Welcome to our podcast, Timothy Put the Kettel On, part of the Talking Hospitality series. I'm Sarah Kettel and this is Timothy R Andrews. Hello.

Timothy, Put the Kettel on is a podcast looking at issues within hospitality solutions and inspirational stories within the sector. The podcast is shared on all major platforms iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, YouTube and will soon be available on Audible.

Timothy R Andrews

00:00:38.593 - 00:00:47.657

Some of our regular listeners will have noticed our new theme tune this episode. This was made by our friend and follower, Pawel Sikorski, a listener in Poland.

Sarah Kettel

00:00:47.801 - 00:00:48.657

Thank you, Pawel.

Timothy R Andrews

00:00:48.761 - 00:01:28.375

We love it. Welcome to today's special episode. Mental health in hospitality and returning to the workplace.

With an estimated 20% of hospitality businesses yet to open in the UK and many more not yet fully operational, a third of hospitality jobs are expected to be made redundant by the end of the year. These are difficult times for hospitality workers and mental health is now a major concern.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health reports that there are two pandemics. The first is coronavirus, the second are issues with mental health.

Sarah Kettel

00:01:28.715 - 00:01:44.251

So to help us lift the lid on some of the issues, how to recognize them and how to address that, we're all delighted to welcome Susan Grandfield, mindset Coach from Susan Granfield.com and Dan Grandfield, Hospitality Consultant from BlueCragsConsulting.com hello.

Timothy R Andrews

00:01:44.323 - 00:01:45.475

Welcome to the show.

Susan Grandfield

00:01:45.635 - 00:01:46.971

Hello. Hi.

Sarah Kettel

00:01:47.123 - 00:01:49.843

Hello, Susan. Welcome to the show. Tell us about yourself.

Susan Grandfield

00:01:50.019 - 00:02:22.835

Hi, Sarah. Yeah, so I am a mindset coach. Prior to that I worked in the hospitality industry, so I worked for Hilton Hotels for a number of years.

I've been working with people one to one as a coach, working with teams and groups within organizations as well. And it's all around creating a mindset that enables us to achieve what we want to achieve in life, in our business, in our work.

So it's all about helping people turn their attention inwards and show up in the world the way they want to show up in the world.

Sarah Kettel

00:02:22.995 - 00:02:25.931

Amazing. Hi, Dan, tell us about yourself.

Dan Grandfield

00:02:26.123 - 00:02:43.803

Hi, Sarah. I am a hospitality consultant, presently doing career coaching, recruitment and project management.

Prior to that, I was in the hotel industry for 25 years, laterally as general manager of a hotel in the city centre of Glasgow.

Sarah Kettel

00:02:43.939 - 00:02:54.595

I have a question for you. I'm interested in your thoughts on this pause that's been forced upon us this year. Lockdown was not a choice for any of us.

How do you think that's affected people?

Susan Grandfield

00:02:54.675 - 00:03:23.191

I think people, when they have a job or a career, that is really part of who they are. It's a real vocation.

The pause, I think, has been challenging for people So I think particularly in hospitality, where there's really not been any option about can I work from home or not, that pause has maybe felt like there's a bit of a void and it's like, what do I actually do with my days? Who am I if I'm not doing what it is that I do to serve guests or customers?

Timothy R Andrews

00:03:23.263 - 00:04:09.777

I think one of the hardest things for a hospitality person is that they're so busy all the time, they're always interacting with, whether it's the team, customers, there's always something going on, there's a lot of reactivity and then suddenly it was stop. There was no sort of scaling down, it just was stop.

And I think that's been exceptionally hard for so many people because everything they've known, and particularly if you think about the hours that people have been putting in and that's what they know, what do they fill that gap with? And I think that's been incredibly hard.

Which leads me to question, Dan, what do you think are some of the mental health or health issues that hospitality workers are facing at the moment?

Dan Grandfield

00:04:09.921 - 00:05:19.731

Quite, quite a lot at the moment, to be honest. From a hospitality workers perspective, I think the lack of social network.

I know when I started out in the industry, my work was also my social network.

So if we just start, you know, from, you know, speaking to people, having fun, having banter, et cetera, your workplace for a lot of hospitality people, due to the long hours worked and the weekends worked and the evenings worked, is also your social network.

So if you're taking that away, as well as the threat of redundancy, things like that, that can lead to quite a powerful impact on someone's mental health. The threat of redundancy, unfortunately is prevalent.

So losing one's job, especially if you've already had your hours reduced, if you're on a zero hour contract, for example, is going to put a lot of mental pressure, pressure on people's mental health. Uncertainty, lack of social kind of interaction and also the fear that the business they've been working for might very well go bust as well.

So everyone involved in it might lose their jobs.

Sarah Kettel

00:05:19.883 - 00:05:22.815

That can have a huge effect on your stress levels, can't it?

Susan Grandfield

00:05:23.235 - 00:06:22.649

Yeah, absolutely.

I think the main reason why the uncertainty has such a big impact on stress levels is because the amazing mind that we have is fantastic, great imagination, which is wonderful. We're very creative, but that means we can actually create the worst possible scenario, the worst possible outcome to a situation.

So when there's uncertainty, we tend to create a future that's not the best. You know, we tend to be prepared, be preparing ourselves for the worst that can happen. I think the uncertainty is unsettling for a lot of people.

And if. If people haven't maybe had that before or maybe haven't created their own sort of ways and techniques to deal with that, then it can feel really.

They can feel really out of balance and your stress levels elevate and then you get into a bit of a perpetual cycle of being stressed and that then reduces your ability to deal with, you know, situations.

Sarah Kettel

00:06:22.737 - 00:06:49.125

I understand how somebody going back into work in a restaurant or a publisher would feel a lot more at risk because we may go there, see 10 people and leave. They're going to be seeing 100 people that day and it's constantly revolving. And they have the pressure of keeping the place clean.

They have the pressure of keeping up with all the COVID rules and then controlling people, especially if they've been drinking, perhaps as well. So what can we do to help ourselves to be in the right mindset to deal with that?

Dan Grandfield

00:06:50.185 - 00:08:17.239

I think it's just remembering that customers are human beings the same as yourself. And the things that you've learned about COVID 19 is the same thing that customers have learned about COVID 19 as well.

So when someone comes in, we may have a bit of a negative mindset about these rules. It is just to protect everybody, both customers and members of staff. It's not just to protect the members of staff.

Also, leadership is going to be really key here, you know, from management and supervisory level in the way that members of staff are encouraged to deal with customers. Especially if there is the odd flash point related to Covid rules, things like that as well. I think that's going to be very, very important.

People on holiday where we live in Crief is a tourist town. There'll be people walking into restaurants going, can I have a table? Even though they would have stipulated it's bookings only.

But those people who've traveled into the town won't have seen those rules on the website.

So it's how that interaction is going, how those rules are put across in a positive manner or in a, you can't do this, you're not wearing a mask, you know, that kind of, you know, go away basically because you're not obeying the rules or what can we do to help that customer come into our business, enjoy their stay, and therefore have harmonious relationship between the number of staff and customer.

Sarah Kettel

00:08:17.407 - 00:08:27.599

I know a lot of people who haven't returned to work in hospitality yet who've been, you know, colleagues or former colleagues of mine are actually feeling more anxious about going back to work.

Dan Grandfield

00:08:27.727 - 00:08:28.435

Yeah.

Sarah Kettel

00:08:28.775 - 00:08:31.687

And I wonder what we can all do to adjust our mindset.

Dan Grandfield

00:08:31.751 - 00:09:11.311

There's quite a lot of organization involved in bringing people back in since the place has been closed.

And again, it's about making sure that those members of staff are comfortable with the risk assessment that you've done and the measures that you've put in as well, and make sure you involve them. You know, it's all about involving people and making them feel empowered.

It's important to do that with the members of staff as well, with the solutions that you're providing to bring customers back in, because if they're not engaged with the solutions that you're using, then that's going to cause them undue pressure.

Susan Grandfield

00:09:11.463 - 00:10:44.011

Yeah.

I think your question's an interesting one, Sarah, because unlike a lot of industries and the people working in hospitality, it's almost that sense of, I don't have a choice. I either go to my place of work to get paid or I don't, and I don't get paid. There's no working from home options.

So the real threat of the virus itself and catching it is at a very basic level. Human beings want to protect themselves.

And if there's a virus out there that we might get, you know, we might get ill from, then clearly that's going to be playing on people's minds.

So in terms of mindset about going back to work, when you've got this sense of, I have to because I need to earn money and maybe I want to because I want to do my work again, there's definitely something about having the courage to really engage in a dialogue with your employer. You know, if you are a member of staff, if you're. If you're in management, you make the decisions.

But to say whether you feel safe or not, because actually your employer has a duty of care to make sure you're safe in all respects of that. Not just, you know, from things falling from the roof or slipping on a floor, but actually your welfare as well.

So I think the key thing is that is to open up that dialogue if you feel unsafe. And I'm sure many, if not all, certainly a lot of employers are going to do absolutely everything they can.

But if you feel unsafe, then they definitely say something, because you won't be the only one who's feeling concerned, guaranteed.

Sarah Kettel

00:10:44.043 - 00:10:53.291

Of course, yeah. No, that's really good advice. Have you been approached, Ann, by anybody from a managerial guidance point of view with regards to that.

Dan Grandfield

00:10:53.443 - 00:11:07.215

I've had some conversations with colleagues who is still working for the hotel company that I used to work for and we've talked about both the way staff kind of mental health is monitored.

Sarah Kettel

00:11:07.555 - 00:11:08.179

Right.

Dan Grandfield

00:11:08.307 - 00:12:08.435

They should be doing it anyway whether there's a pandemic or not. These days especially.

So, you know, one of my concerns about mental health, first aid, which I think is fantastic and is a great thing, but it's all levels, management supervisor, member of staff.

So when you appoint someone responsible for keeping an eye out for people's mental health, if they're a junior member of staff and they can see that their general manager's falling apart, are they going to be able to do anything about that? So we need levels.

So talking to who manages a hotel in Livingston, not far from Edinburgh, and we were talking about, we need people who are aware of that in all levels of the hotel's kind of hierarchy. So supervisors seems to be a little bit off. Then the manager can help them with it.

And instead of just having one person, which is a tick box exercise in my view, it needs to be part of the culture of community of the business.

Susan Grandfield

00:12:09.135 - 00:12:45.915

I think in all industries and all organizations that I work with and have worked with, there's one thing that's quite a common theme, which is there's a perception that the people at the top of the organization are okay. You know, they're getting paid the bigger salaries, they get to make the rules to a certain extent.

Actually it's a really lonely place to be a lot of the time.

And they are human beings just like anyone is who has their home life, which, you know, we've all got our own variations of challenges we've had in our own home lives in this situation. Absolutely up and down and across.

Timothy R Andrews

00:12:45.995 - 00:12:54.557

You know, it's a really good point in that not all one way down. Your managers, your owners could be suffering as well.

Susan Grandfield

00:12:54.661 - 00:13:00.477

If we can remember, we're all human beings and, you know, just really be looking out for each other.

Sarah Kettel

00:13:00.581 - 00:13:28.521

I think we all have a big responsibility in hospitality actually to almost be the unifying force between. Well, for the whole country really to start obeying the rules about going out and about wearing masks.

Because it really is up to us as an industry to bring back the fun factor to life.

No one's been out and we all want to go out, but it's how we approach that is that we can be, yeah, just this huge tool to bring people back together outside of their own homes, but also have a great time.

Timothy R Andrews

00:13:28.673 - 00:13:33.785

This is the end of this week's podcast. We hope you join us for part two next time.

Sarah Kettel

00:13:33.945 - 00:13:40.964

So if you are struggling with your mental health right now and you do need some help, you can contact Samaritans. You can call them free on 116123.

Timothy R Andrews

00:13:41.218 - 00:13:56.385

You can also call Hospitality Action 0808 802 2111 and the website is hospitalityaction.org.uk.

Sarah Kettel

00:13:56.885 - 00:14:27.051

Remember, you are not alone. Thank you for listening. Please share, subscribe and like.