About Hospitality Health
It is a Scottish charity, formed in August of 2018 to support staff in the amazing world of Hospitality. It is clear that for several years the Industry has become more stressful for an extremely hard working management and staff.
The trustees decided it was time to act and help those who are in need of support, by providing wellbeing advice and signposting organisations that can help. We hope we can make a difference, even to a few individuals.
When the charity was launched we also launched the Wellness Charter, a certificate that recognises a business is doing the right thing for the staff. It includes recognising the following
- Provide non-judgemental and proactive support to individual staff who experience mental ill health.
- Not make assumptions that a person with a mental health condition will be more vulnerable to workplace stress or take more time off than any other employee or job applicant.
- Show a positive and enabling attitude to all employees and job applicants with a mental health condition. This will include positive statements in local recruitment literature.
- Ensure all line managers have access to information and training about managing mental health in the workplace.
- Offer staff access to an Employee Assistance Programme.
- Employ mental health first aiders within the organisation.
- Support and respect team members’ work/life balance, rotas and working hours, providing sufficient notice for changes and requests. A range of shift patterns are available to support working families, students and part time working.
- Support the ambition to pay the living wage, end low pay. Provide consideration to the Fair Work framework. *
- Support industry charities, and other charities relating to the community they serve, respecting and encouraging colleagues’ commitments to additional community endeavours.
- Ensure that all staff involved in recruitment and selection are briefed on mental health conditions and The Equality Act 2010, and given appropriate interview skills. Make it clear in any recruitment or occupational health check that people who have experienced mental ill health will not be discriminated against and that disclosure of a mental health problem will enable both employee and employer to assess and provide the right level of support or adjustment.
By committing to the detail above, you will:
- Show that your organisation is working towards putting its principles in to practice
- Show that your organisation will remove unnecessary sources of workplace stress and promote better mental health and wellbeing in the hospitality industry” while also acknowledging that there will be “times when long hours and stress cannot be avoided”
- By demonstrating your commitment to the mental wellbeing of your staff
- Receive a personalised Charter showing the company name
*Fair Work Framework – https://www.fairworkconvention.scot
There is no specific starting point, no baseline assessment – simply the desire to make a difference for your employees.
The intention, the charter states, is “to remove unnecessary sources of workplace stress and promote better mental health and wellbeing in the hospitality industry” while also acknowledging that there will be “times when long hours and stress cannot be avoided”.
If your business is interested in finding out how they can be awarded the charter, please contact us using the ‘enquiries’ email link at the top of the page.
