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Why Leaders in the Hospitality Sector Need a Plan for Employee Well-being

Updated: Feb 5

Workplace well-being and employee well-being.

In the hospitality sector, both guests and colleagues can benefit from a workplace culture with a focus on care. It’s why leaders in the hospitality sector like Hyatt are deepening their commitment to well-being for both colleagues and guests, and Hilton Hotels and Resorts is focusing on “creating a more human experience” at work. The founder of Marriott Corporation concurs, famously saying, “We know if we treat our employees right, they’ll treat the customers right.” 


This consensus hasn’t changed, as a recent systematic literature review of the well-being of hospitality employees links better employee well-being to better service quality and higher organizational success.



Why hospitality—in particular—needs greater support


There is a unique triad of stressors that hospitality workers face: psychological stressors (such as engaging in emotional labor to support customers), physical stressors (like standing for long periods), and social stressors due the nature of hospitality being a “people industry.” 


In a recent Forbes article, we covered the overall top work-specific stressors that are harming hospitality workers’ well-being, which include a severe lack of work-life balance, high expectations or workload, and long working hours. 


Most hotels and restaurants are facing industry-wide staffing shortages, which is directly contributing to a rise worsening guest experiences.


Creating a strategy to support hospitality workers’ well-being


While every organization is different, there are few strategies that we recommend for hospitality leaders to address the unique needs of the industry. Supporting employee well-being has positive outcomes, including reducing turnover, improving job satisfaction, and increasing productivity. 


Use storytelling to reduce stigma across locations. 


In hospitality, the company culture can be different from the subcultures that occur in each location. This is even more true when locations span across continents. Individual ownership and leadership at every location also plays a role. 


In our work, we use storytelling sessions to pierce through those cultural layers to reduce mental health stigma at each location. Hearing personal mental health stories from executive leadership plays is vital in giving employees permission to also talk about their own experiences. Sometimes hotel leaders can often feel pretty far removed from workers across locations, so we encourage stories from their local leaders and managers. Storytelling has become an important pillar of Hyatt’s overall well-being strategy.  


Include employee input across locations—not just at the corporate HQ.


Employee listening is a way for organizations to gather, analyze, and respond to employee feedback. In our work, we use this strategy to gather feedback from both employees and key stakeholders across locations. This gives workers a chance to share what kind of support they actually want and need. The results provide a more holistic picture of employee voice within an organization. We recommend a well-being strategy that is based on these insights—and also include national benchmarking—to create a data-driven plan.


Equip managers and repeat training to maintain awareness. 


Tensions between workers and managers is a major burden on employee well-being within hospitality. Research from Hospitality Action found that just 17% of managers have been offered mental health awareness training in their workplace. Workers look to their managers for support when interpersonal conflicts arise. Providing clear training to managers on what their role is—not as a therapist but as a manager—and giving them a roadmap to navigating mental health  conversations with understanding can make all of the difference. 


Additionally, training for managers on ways to create autonomy, flexibility, and balance around work can help them proactively support well-being on their teams.


Additional resources for hospitality leaders


Here are some additional resources from Mind Share Partners to help leaders and managers support employee well-being in the hospitality industry. 



  • Use this blog as a guide to get clear with your team members about what a manager's role is when it comes to mental health at work.

  • Learn what a culture-focused well-being strategy looks like.


Employee mental health is at the heart of a successful business culture. When employees thrive, businesses do, too. Learn how to partner with us>
 

About Mind Share Partners


Mind Share Partners is a nonprofit that is changing the culture of workplace mental health and well-being so that both employees and organizations can thrive. Since 2017, we have been the industry leader in workplace mental health through consulting, and movement building. We partner with nonprofits and global business leaders in retail, tech, hospitality, and finance to prioritize both employee well-being and business success. Our work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, Forbes, Fast Company, Good Morning America, and The New York Times.


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