Caring for Others Starts with Caring for Ourselves

Supporting Wellbeing in the Hospitality Industry

This Sunday, October 10, marks World Mental Health Day – a day recognized by the World Health Organization to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world, show support for those experiencing mental health challenges, and share educational resources on how to care for mental health.

Prioritizing the mental wellbeing of Hyatt colleagues, guests and customers is at the core of our purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. As Hyatt’s Chief Human Resources Officer, a priority in my role is to create an environment that supports our colleagues in caring for their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

For most of us mental health is a challenging topic to discuss in our personal lives and that’s even more true in the workplace, which is why I reached out to Katrina Gay, Chief Development Officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), for additional insight on mental health and its impact in the workplace, more specifically among the hospitality industry.

Katrina shared that approximately one in five adults in the U.S. experience mental illness each year, and 8.4 million Americans provide care to an adult with an emotional or mental illness. And those numbers increase when we look at the hospitality industry – a 2020 study in Australia found 68% of workers in the hotel and food services industry have experienced a mental health condition.

“I think we can all admit that since the pandemic started, many more of us have encountered mental health struggles of our own, or those we care about – and yet, we still move through everyday life, including having to work. You don’t just separate who you are and what you’re going through because you’re at work,” says Katrina. “Particularly in industries like hospitality, people try to be there to give to?their customers and may ignore their own needs. However,?to be our best selves, we?have to focus on our own wellbeing as well.”

Between the ongoing pandemic and personal and professional pressures of everyday life, we recognized early in the pandemic that stress, anxiety and exhaustion were very real threats to our colleagues, who are the heart of our business. While Hyatt had strong colleague wellbeing programs in place pre-pandemic, we needed to increase our focus on colleagues’ mental wellbeing.

We also had data that showed a correlation between colleagues’ wellbeing and our customer satisfaction scores, which confirmed what we intuitively knew…when you’re able to bring your whole self to work, you’re able to make a much stronger contribution to others.

As we approach World Mental Health Day, I wanted to share some of the mental wellbeing practices we employ at Hyatt: ??????????????????????????????????????????

1.?????Check in with your mental health on a regular basis: I personally use the Hyatt Well-Check app to help me “check in” with my mental wellbeing every few weeks. Hyatt Well-Check helps our colleagues understand their own mental wellbeing and provides resources to support them in improving it. The app helps me raise awareness of my mental health by asking me questions like:

o??How am I feeling today (mentally and physically)?

o??What is taking up most of my mental energy?

o??Am I providing my body with its basic needs (sleep, movement, water and nutrients)?

o??What am I doing to bring myself joy?

2.?????Make mental health part of the daily conversation: In many workplaces, there is still a stigma around discussing mental health. Katrina shares that employees may be afraid to speak up due to fear of being excluded or missing out on career opportunities. At Hyatt, we are committed to making mental wellbeing a part of the daily conversation. We recognize days like World Mental Health Day and, earlier this year, World Wellbeing Week, as opportunities to foster honest discussions among our teams and encourage colleagues to reflect on their mental health.

3.?????Make use of trusted mental health tools and resources: There are a number of organizations that provide free resources. Check out the World Health Organization’s Mental wellbeing resources, or visit the NAMI’s Support & Education page. Miraval and NAMI recently worked together to create sensory meditation videos but there are also books and podcasts dedicated to better understanding and supporting your mental health; check out some recommendations here. At Hyatt, we have collaborated with Headspace to provide all Hyatt colleagues with free access to guided meditations, mindfulness and sleep exercises.

4.?????Dedicate a team to focus on wellbeing best practices: Katrina shares that employee resource or affinity groups can also go a long way in impacting workplace culture surrounding mental health issues. “Employee groups come up with very creative ideas to encourage learning and model open conversation,” she says. Within Hyatt, we’ve introduced an entire team of internal leaders and wellbeing experts, known as our Wellbeing Council, to keep wellbeing top-of-mind for colleagues, guests and customers.

5.?????Consider making a formal commitment to mental wellbeing: Whether at the individual, leadership or company level, formally making a commitment to care for mental health can help ensure accountability and drive progress. Earlier this year, Hyatt launched our new Environmental and Sustainability Governance platform, World of Care, designed to address the pressing challenges faced by our colleagues,?guests and others. As part of this platform, we’ve prioritized Caring for People as a key pillar and focus area. This includes commitments to advancing wellbeing and continually expanding our offerings to meet the evolving needs of our guests and colleagues.

While we have made mental wellbeing a priority for Hyatt, we’ve also done our best to not make it feel like another item on the “To Do List.” Ahead of World Mental Health Day, we are encouraging our team members to dedicate just two percent of their week (30 minutes total) to mental wellbeing with whatever activity, hobby or resource might clear some headspace.

Katrina reminded me that simple actions like going for a walk, staying hydrated, taking a short break or having a conversation with a trusted colleague can significantly improve mental wellbeing. It’s all about making wellbeing approachable, which really rings true for me.

"As leaders, we can model the behavior?and meet employees where they are,” Katrina says. “Anything?a company does?to acknowledge and bring awareness?to mental health?in the workplace?helps.”?

As we approach this year’s World Mental Health Day, I encourage you to reflect on your own mental wellbeing, be an ally to those looking for support, and help end the stigma in the workplace by opening up the conversation.

To learn more about World Mental Health Day, visit www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day.

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