FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
The Institute of Hospitality (IoH) has joined forces with Mental Health at Work, a programme curated by Mind, to produce a toolkit which provides a range of resources to help individuals across the industry tackle mental health issues in the workplace, including information on financial wellbeing, how to deal with stress, and more.
The new toolkit is being launched following a survey by Burnt Chef, which found eight out of 10 (84 per cent) people had experienced mental health issues within their career, and 46 per cent saying they felt uncomfortable discussing their health concerns with their colleagues.
Speaking about the partnership, IoH CEO Robert Richardson said: “We are delighted to work with Mental Health at Work. Mental health issues continue to be a major part of everyday life in the industry. And while the conditions and working practices across the industry have improved in recent years, there is still a great deal of change required. This latest initiative in conjunction with Mind is all part of the change needed. However small it may seem; this mental health toolkit moves us in the right direction and is available to everyone in the hospitality industry to access.”
Sarah Merrington, Head of the Mental Health at Work Programme at Mind, said: “The hospitality industry has had a particularly tough few years – just as the sector begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s hit with a cost-of-living crisis, which is affecting employers and their people in so many ways.
“Good mental health is vitality important in the workplace. A recent survey from RSPH (Royal Society of Public Health) confirmed more than four out of five of people reported feeling stressed directly because of their job.
“Something desperately needs to change. That’s why we’re delighted to partner with the Institute of Hospitality, to help provide support to the hospitality sector at a time when it’s so needed. Hospitality is a people driven industry, built around customer experience – and the best customer experiences begin and end with happy, healthy staff. Looking after your people at work is so important.”
Dorothea Jones MIH, the IoH’s lead on Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) added: “As the global professional body for the hospitality industry we take our role to help support those professionals within the industry extremely seriously. As the IoH’s lead on EDI, it is crucial we collaborate with other significant organisations to access their expertise and combine it alongside our own. Everyone needs to understand the impact that mental health has on daily life. If this Mental Health at Work toolkit helps just one person in the industry, we will have collectively made a difference.”
The Institute of Hospitality is also running a CPD webinar on Mental Health on 12 September 2023 which is free to its members, and costs £10 for non-members. To find out more and to register please follow the link here.
