The survey builds on an initial study first commissioned in 2018 that found that 46% of respondents had struggled with a mental health issue in the last 12 months.
The charity, which is urging as many people as possible to take part, anticipates that the added stress due to Covid-19 combined with an increased openness towards talking about mental health could result in many more people flagging concerns about their own mental wellbeing.
The survey results will help the charity further develop its mental health provision which includes access to high quality counselling services and a wide range of resources for managers and staff to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
“We know from the increased calls to our helpline and the unprecedented demand for financial assistance that people at all levels in the industry are currently experiencing extreme pressure,” says chief executive Mark Lewis.
“We wanted to take the temperature now, during this difficult time, to discover how Hospitality Action and other agencies in the sector can come together to support the industry during its most challenging time.
While we anticipate that many people will be struggling, the news isn’t all bad; the industry has made huge progress since 2018 to challenge taboos and to encourage more honesty and openness in the workplace around mental health.”
Over the past few months Hospitality Action’s mental health advice hub has launched more than 15 new help pages covering issues as diverse as home-schooling to debt advice and coping with bereavement. Over the next few months, the charity will be rolling out additional resources to support both managers and staff impacted by restructuring and job losses.
Last year, a survey of UK chefs commissioned by Nestlé Professional found that 81% have experienced poor mental health during their careers and that nearly half believe that not enough is being done to support their mental wellbeing in the workplace.
The survey is completely anonymous and takes just a few minutes to complete. Click here to complete it.