London news – mental health workshop for hospitality workers

The Burnt Chef Project and Brigad join forces to host London hospitality mental health and well-being workshop

Hospitality workers can learn how to handle the workload stresses of the festive season in a special one-off workshop hosted by The Burnt Chef Project CEO and Founder, Kris Hall.

The workshop, which will be held at The Corner London City, Adler Street, on Monday 4^th December from 9.30am – 12pm, has been jointly organised by The Burnt Chef Project and hospitality freelancing platform Brigad to raise awareness of the need for hospitality staff to manage their mental health and well-being.

The event will start with a networking breakfast, followed by a stress workshop presented by Hall, which will enable attendees to understand how to identify, tackle, and manage workplace stress.

Mental health awareness is a continual issue for the industry, which will be compounded by the additional demands on workers to cope with the demands of the festive period.

The Burnt Chef Project identified that 4 out of 5 hospitality workers had experienced mental health issues within their career, while almost half would not feel comfortable talking about their health concerns with their colleagues.

Hall said: “It’s no secret the hospitality industry faces increased pressures throughout the festive season, with increased footfall, new menus, personal pressures of family, expense and missed time with loved ones can all add up. 

“Hospitality staff will work an average of 28 hours overtime at Christmas, which can lead to burnout, exhaustion, and ultimately mental health issues if not properly managed. It’s vital we put structures in place to support our teams during this busy period.

“This workshop gives the skills to cover how to spot stress, how to speak to your teams about mental health and ultimately support them, leading to better productivity and increased retention throughout the festive period and beyond.”

Brigad, which will supply hundreds of freelance hospitality workers to meet demand during the traditional ‘party season’, is supporting the venture as part of its own campaign to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues in the hospitality industry.

Nicolas Ferrary, Brigad’s UK Managing Director, said: “Brigad’s mission is to make work attractive and accessible to all. This includes empowering those in the industry to be able to care for their wellbeing and mental health, in order to have sustainable and successful careers. The holiday season is always a tough period for those in hospitality, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with The Burnt Chef Project to provide more support.”

The workshop will cover subjects such as:

• financial and legal implications
• identifying some of the signs of workplace stress
• methodology for tackling work-related stress
• designing and implementing workplace risk assessments

These will form the foundation for bases to reduce burnout risk and work towards psychological safe accreditations, such as globally recognised ISO 45003 standard.

Featured Photo by Crew on Unsplash.