Pizza Hut Restaurants calls on industry to protect employee mental health
Research commissioned as part of Pizza Hut Restaurants’ new partnership with Mental Health UK revealed that only 7% of hospitality workers would feel comfortable talking to their employer about their mental health. Additionally, 44% said they wouldn’t talk to anyone at all, not even family or friends.
According to the research, four out of five people who did ask for support from their employer said that they received it. However, the research revealed there is still a stigma attached to mental health problems and over half (56%) said they received adverse treatment at work as a result. This suggests that more needs to be done to ensure employees experiencing problems with their mental health feel comfortable speaking to their employer.
The partnership with Mental Health UK, a network of four national charities working across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to improve the lives of people with mental illness, was initiated to help break the taboo around talking about mental health. It forms part of the company’s overall aim to put people at the very heart of the business – whether these are employees or customers.
The survey also looked at what the hospitality industry can do to help address mental health problems in future, with flexible working the biggest support in the eyes of employees (24%). Three quarters of respondents also said they would be interested in receiving training to support colleagues experiencing mental health problems. This will therefore be a core strand of the partnership with Mental Health UK offers, alongside fundraising.
Half of those surveyed said they felt that they are personally responsible for their own mental health at work, while 15% believe it is the responsibility of the entire organisation. Additionally, the statistics revealed that on average, those working in back of house roles have the highest prevalence of symptoms related to mental health problems.
Commenting on the research and new partnership, Kathryn Austin, Director of HR and Marketing at Pizza Hut Restaurants, said: “Research tells us that one in four people in this country are affected by mental health each year. When you consider the number of people working in hospitality and using hospitality services, this puts our industry in a unique position to impact people’s lives for the better. We know we have a responsibility to support and protect all the people who touch our business – whether that’s our employees or our guests."
“As a business we put people at the heart of everything we do and that’s why we are investing heavily in training and development. It’s not just about teaching our people the skills they need to do their jobs, but also giving them skills for life including behavioural, emotional and relationship skills. We have a culture which encourages our teams to support each other and provide an environment which welcomes our guests and puts them at ease. Through our partnership with Mental Health UK we want to help break the taboo of talking about mental health issues, raise awareness of the challenges people face, and ultimately support the great work Mental Health UK is already doing.”
Emma Malcolm, Associate Director for Fundraising and Engagement at Rethink Mental Illness (one of the charities that makes up the Mental Health UK network) said: “It is incredibly important to support your staff’s mental health in the workplace. As these findings highlight, mental health problems are extremely common, and yet people still shy away from talking openly about them with colleagues. We are delighted to be working with Pizza Hut Restaurants to help them lead the way in the hospitality industry and make it a priority to support the mental wellbeing of its employees through fundraising and training opportunities.”
