Everyone in the hospitality industry knows how tough work can be – it is accepted as part of working life. During and following the pandemic, that hard work has brought with it increasing stress levels and strains on mental health.
Kitchens and restaurants have been stretched with tough financial decisions, a shortage of staff and long, anti-social hours – often in excess of 60 a week. There may be little or no access to natural light, a ‘work hard, play hard’ culture and perhaps less rigid or informed policies on workplace adjustments when it comes to mitigating the risks of high-stress environments.
What other industry expects staff to start work at 6.00 am after just three hours’ sleep and then work a 12- to 16-hour shift in a hot, dark environment before repeating the process?
In the onboard hospitality industry, kitchens have to be open 24/7. Work may be hard but financial rewards are high and rotas and working hours are strictly adhered to. However, work stress is inevitable, often resulting in mental health issues.
Talking openly
One of the challenges of managing mental health is accepting that issues exist and talking about them. Recent surveys reveal that eight out of 10 people in hospitality experience mental health issues during their careers but only 46% feel comfortable talking about them with colleagues.
In comes Kris Hall, a hospitality professional with 12 years’ industry experience. He has faced struggles with his mental health, he explains: “I hit rock bottom with my mental health and realised that self-medicating with alcohol was not the solution. Fortunately, I was able to overcome the stigma and ask for help.”
With the realisation of his condition and working alongside other people with the same problem, Kris felt it was his moral obligation and duty to improve the industry and the health of those who work in it. His solution was to found The Burnt Chef Project in May 2019.
Changing attitudes
“I’d like to see The Burnt Chef Project become synonymous with leading the charge against workplace mental health stigma and ensure that the hospitality industry flourishes and improves as conversations and attitudes on this subject begin to change worldwide,” says Kris. “Our existence drives conversations within workplaces and the profits that we make from sales of B2B services as well as our merchanidise goes towards paying for mental health awareness training and management training so that we can upskill staff across the world.”
AMI Group, whose business includes supplying cruise lines and airlines, has partnered with the social enterprise to create a range of branded products to generate revenue to channel back and support the organisation while promoting The Burnt Chef Project’s brand and reach.
“We believe that the organisation is changing lives across the hospitality industry. AMI want to support The Burnt Chef Project to allow them to continue to work with those in need of help and support, and ultimately grow the organisation to reach more people,” says David Sharp, Business Consultant at AMI Group. AMI and The Burnt Chef Project, along with some of the project’s chief ambassadors, have developed products with an elevated quality and flavour profile. The range of products includes an entrée meal, hot handheld snacks plus savoury snacks and bites.
“We believe that by creating a product that is giving back to society, the finished products should also deliver a genuine sustainable solution. Plane Talking has developed an innovative card packaging to replace the standard C-Pet tray,” added the AMI Group Business Consultant.
“Plane Talking Products are delighted to be working alongside AMI on The Burnt Chef Project. Our brief was to provide food packaging that meets their objectives with regard to sustainability – our dishes are made from FSC board with ovenable liners, all of which are fully recyclable” says Alison Wells, Director at Plane Talking Products.
A people focus
The Burnt Chef Project is a not-for-profit social enterprise concentrating on people-focused sustainability. Through corporate training sessions and merchandisfffe sales, the project has grown and now provides free-to-access 24/7 support services plus free health and wellbeing training in over 122 countries.
It has now trained over 140 ambassadors to give free mental health awareness advice and support. Globally recognised, it is fully committed to making the hospitality profession healthier and more sustainable by focusing on people’s wellbeing first.
Burning the stigma surrounding mental health, the enerprise continues to raise awareness and educate businesses on how to implement cultural changes. Importantly, that includes creating psychologically safe environments and putting teams’ and individuals’ wellbeing first while adding to a business›s bottom line.
Visit The Burnt Chef Project’s website to discover how to work with it, to access training, browse merchandise and find information on how to access support.
