Is wellbeing in hospitality genuinely improving, or are too many people still reaching crisis point because the pressures of the job remain too high?
Timothy R Andrews is joined by Mark Lewis, Chief Executive of Hospitality Action, to look at what the rising demand for the charity’s support tells us about working in hospitality today.
They discuss financial hardship, mental health, staffing pressures, managers becoming “accidental counsellors”, Employee Assistance Programmes and why looking after people is both a duty of care and a retention issue. Mark also explains what happens when someone contacts Hospitality Action, from emergency grants and housing support to benefits advice, counselling and practical help at some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
The conversation asks a difficult question: hospitality talks much more openly about wellbeing than it once did, but have working practices changed enough to match the conversation?
What we cover
• Why more hospitality people are asking Hospitality Action for help
• Whether rising demand reflects worsening conditions, greater awareness or both
• What Hospitality Action means by being hospitality’s “safety net”
• Why managers can become accidental counsellors without the training to deal with complex situations
• How understaffing and increased workloads can affect employee wellbeing
• What an Employee Assistance Programme can provide
• Emergency grants, housing support, bereavement assistance and welfare benefits advice
• Why looking after people matters for retention as well as wellbeing
• Whether hospitality has genuinely improved its working culture
This episode is sponsored by Tork (https://www.torkglobal.com/gb/en) , a leading global professional hygiene brand. Tork helps hospitality businesses create easy-to-maintain, comfortable washrooms that work better for businesses and guests. When guests have a positive washroom experience they're more likely to stay longer, spend more and leave with a better impression of your venue.
Useful links
• Hospitality Action (https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/)
• Hospitality Action – Get Help (https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/get-help/)
• Hospitality Action Employee Assistance Programme (https://eap.hospitalityaction.org.uk/)
• Hospitality Action – 2025 Impact (https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/about-us/our-impact/)
• Episode 7: From Crisis to Care – How Hospitality Action Helped During COVID-19 (https://www.talkinghospitality.com/hospitality-action/)
If you work in hospitality and need support, Hospitality Action’s 24/7 helpline is 0808 802 0282.
Keep exploring Talking Hospitality
Discover more conversations, practical ideas and industry perspectives from Talking Hospitality.