May saw us recognize Mental Health Week in the UK. It was a chance to discuss mental health issues, support those experiencing challenges, and advocate for better mental health support, all focused on the theme of ‘Community’.
Our own foodservice community could do – and must do – so much better with regards to mental health support. There is some extraordinary, admirable work being done by organizations such as The Burnt Chef Project, but otherwise, in far too many quarters of our industry, there’s an awful lot of virtue signaling but ultimately not much actually going on to support those who really need it.
But this column should be focusing on sustainability, I hear you cry. Well, sustainable practices aren’t exclusively related to saving the planet. They should protect its people too. In any effective Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework – used to evaluate a company’s sustainability and ethical impact – the ‘social’ aspect should include mental health, wellness, contributing to communities, and creating change to support these.
Is mental health frequently overlooked by many organizations? Unfortunately, it is. We’re still doing the same things we’ve always done, but the old ways are not always the best ways. To me, the next 15 years of the industry needs to be shaped and guided by the people that are going to live the next 15 years in the industry. Currently, that’s not really happening. It’s still being overseen by a great deal of people who will likely retire and exit the industry within the next five years.
Change is healthy. But also, change isn’t going to be quick. We know that. We’re trying to turn something akin to a very slow oil tanker around.
And there is something of a contradiction here. This industry is very manifestly a people-driven person industry, and yet with it gets people issues so wrong in so many areas. Because it’s also a numbers and output industry. It’s extremely focused on sales and targets.
We think nothing of asking people in foodservice equipment sales to drive halfway across the country to make a 10am client meeting, requesting they stay in a hotel overnight, away from their partners and kids. Living on unhealthy meals, not getting enough sunlight or fresh air, or exercise. But we’ll still expect them to answer five hours of emails when they get home.
Asking someone to be alone with their own thoughts, or on calls all day in their car is a recipe for cabin fever on wheels. I know several industry colleagues who have told me they’ve been driving down the motorway, and their phone won’t stop ringing, and – even if only for a split second – they’ve thought, ‘If I just turn the wheel, this all stops.’ I have too. It’s a bleak place to be and it can be overwhelming. Humans are not built to function this way. We need interaction. We need support. We need a better community.
Finding the balance
This wonderful industry is built on relationships. People buy from people, but we must give people a chance to behave like human beings. Now, nothing in hospitality is nine to five. We don’t sign up for those jobs, that’s true, but we sure as hell also didn’t sign up for 6am to 10pm jobs, six days a week either. There is a balance that we need to find. I firmly believe this is one of the core reasons why we don’t currently have enough young people coming through in the industry.
So, how do we square this circle? Well, let’s get better at offering some perks to our people. We could offer gym memberships, or an annual Headspace app license, so they can have 10 minutes of quiet time to themselves each day.
We also need to get a lot better at listening. Remind your team members that they can only do so much productively in one day. I’ve been coached by some amazing people to look again at my ‘to-do’ list, and rather than seeing it as one day’s work, see it as a week, because other priorities are bound to take over. Pace yourself. The world will not set on fire. Some things can wait until the morning.
We also must be bolder. I’m guilty of sometimes do a thing I call ‘The Frazzle Dazzle’. There are meetings where I have logged on to calls and I’ve got nothing left in the tank, although I pretend I do. Be brave enough to say to your manager, ‘I’m sorry, but my brain is fried. I need a couple of hours.’ Many of us will find we’re pleasantly surprised by the reaction from colleagues. Why? Because they’re probably feeling the same thing too.
If people put away the bravado, and the nonsense they’re writing on social media, and just admit that they’re feeling pressure sometimes, it can be liberating. Putting up a facade that everything’s ok and that life is perfect makes things worse. Sometimes we need to face the uncomfortable, to get more comfortable. We’re allowed to cry about it, even the thickest skinned of us.
Everyone is entitled to a voice in this industry, and we should be in this together, rather than pretending it’s all ok. Sometimes it isn’t, and that’s fine. So, let’s do more to support each other and foster a real community that prizes the wellbeing of its people as much as it does its commercial successes. That’s how we will become truly sustainable.
About the author:
FCSI Senior Associate Lauren Hunter is commercial director at ImpactLoop and chairwoman of CIBSE TM65 for commercial catering equipment. Email her at lauren@impact-loop.com.
