Pizza Hut to address prejudices towards mental health in the workplace

13 September 2016 by Katie Pathiaki

Pizza Hut is calling on the hospitality industry to address mental health problems after a survey revealed that 93% of employees in the sector felt uncomfortable talking to their boss about mental health.

The survey, commissioned by Pizza Hut Restaurants in partnership with Mental Health UK, also found that four out of five people who did approach their employers to ask for support said they had received it.

However, over half (56%) of the respondents said they received adverse treatment at work as a result of the negative perception of mental health.

The statistics also revealed that those working back of house had the highest prevalence of symptoms related to mental health problems.

Three-quarters of those surveyed said they would be interested in a training scheme to help them to support colleagues. This is something that Pizza Hut will aim to provide to its staff through the partnership.

Kathryn Austin, director of HR and marketing at Pizza Hut Restaurants, said: "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."

The partnership between Pizza Hut and Mental Health UK was initiated to break the taboo surrounding mental health.

Emma Malcolm, associate director for fundraising and engagement at Rethink Mental Illness (one of the charities in 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."

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