The Salt Lake Chamber’s social impact foundation, Utah Community Builders, has partnered with the Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition and the Utah Restaurant Association to create a wellness guide for the hospitality industry. The guide, titled “Resilience in Hospitality: A Guide to Employee Mental Fitness for the Hospitality Industry,” is designed to strengthen the culture of mental fitness for Utahns working in tourism, restaurants, hotels and more.
“The hospitality community in Utah has gone through massive shifts and tremendous changes over the course of the last two years,” said Melva Sine, president and CEO of the Utah Restaurant Association. “We continue to weather numerous unpredicted storms both as owners, operators, and extraordinarily talented and important professionals within the industry.”
The guide is broken down into three key sections: leader modeling, manager training and employee resources. Unusual working hours, variability of income, high-stress work and the prevalence of substance abuse can strain the emotional wellness of workers in the hospitality industry. “Resilience in Hospitality” aims to address those issues and provide resources for management and workers alike.
The leader modeling section is designed to engage leadership in the wellness conversation. “Employees at every level who see their leaders model the words and actions that support resilience and mental fitness at work are more likely to follow suit,” the guide explains.
The next section discusses manager training, including steps such as Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR). Just as people trained in CPR save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help.
Lastly, the guide provides resources that can be used by employees and their spouses, children and loved ones.
“The hospitality industry is centered around taking care of others, but sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves,” the guide explains. “In an industry challenged by high rates of mental illness, we can make a difference for our employees starting today.”
Fortunately, the close-knit community and the hospitality industry’s orientation toward serving others means that there is an incredible opportunity to advance a culture of mental fitness. Learn more and use the guide in your company today:
