It’s the holiday season, and hotels (and their employees) are BUSY. Travel this holiday season and into the new year is expected to reach a 20+ year high, meaning hotel rooms are fully booked and already stretched-thin hotel teams are often working overtime to compensate for the surge in business. While it’s critical these teams succeed daily in terms of responsibilities, it’s equally as important that they succeed in caring for themselves if hotels hope to keep them on staff long-term. Prioritizing mental health is difficult for working adults even during normal periods of time. The holidays, and the added personal and professional duties that come with the season, made it even harder. However, focusing on a few efforts to care for one’s mental health can have a significant impact on overall well-being as well as performance in the workplace.
Physical Health
The correlation between physical well-being and overall mental health has been proven time and time again. The two aspects of a person’s overall health rely heavily on each other, which means issues with physical health puts individuals at greater risk of experiencing mental health issues. The same can be said of those suffering from mental health issues – that often has physical ramifications. In short, for employees within the hotel industry to remain healthy mentally – they have to care for their bodies.
Caring for one’s physical health doesn’t have to mean expensive juice cleanses and spending hours in the gym everyday. For most hotel employees, that lifestyle is not even possible or practical anyway. Simply making healthy choices daily when it comes to food, physical movement, and sleep is a solid foundation for good physical health. Such choices include eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods, drinking plenty of water throughout the day, and setting a regular sleep schedule (and sticking to it) to ensure enough hours of rest each night. For those working 40+ hours a week – like many in the hotel industry – those strong planning and time management skills are essential.
Work/Life Balance
The concept of a balanced “work to non-work” schedule seems foreign to many working adults. However, more and more members of the workforce are taking steps to achieve a better balance in their lives – and it pays off. Achieving and maintaining a strong work/life balance allows individuals to succeed within the workplace while also maintaining positive mental health and the capacity to enjoy the non-work related aspects of life – family, hobbies, faith, etc.
But, how does a person achieve this balance with busy work schedules, personal commitments, and other responsibilities all fighting for space on the calendar? It takes intentionality, establishing boundaries, and strong time management skills. Boundary setting is important both in the workplace and with personal commitments. Knowing when to say no to additional hours at work starts with clearly defining boundaries between work and personal life. From there, it requires assertive yet clear communication with hotel leadership around these boundaries so everyone remains aware of a contributor’s capacity to serve the organization at that time. Prioritizing mental health requires these boundaries (and sticking to them).
Communication
There has long been a stigma associated with mental health that prevented individuals – often those suffering from mental health issues – from discussing them openly with others. Luckily, Americans are beginning to speak more on the topic both in the media and within their work and social circles. It can be difficult to express one’s needs to others, especially those in supervisory positions (like one’s boss at work). Committing to remaining open when communicating with leaders in the workplace can mean the difference between getting the support you need and continuing to suffer.
In the workplace, employers dedicated to supporting their team often offer in-house resources or connections to those resources for employees to utilize. What they can’t do is insist they take advantage of them. A big step in caring for your mental health when there are struggles is speaking up and accessing/accepting the resources made available to help.
Employer Efforts to Support Staff Mental Health
Even individuals who spend the time and effort on themselves to prioritize the above-mentioned efforts need support from their personal and professional networks as well. And while employers can’t control what happens outside of working hours for team members, they can provide information and resources for them within the workplace. Doing so, in combination with maintaining strong communication channels and a culture of support within the organization, is the best way to support the overall well-being of staff – while they are working and after hours.
The Westmont Hospitality Group has built a reputation for providing employees with the tools and expertise to thrive within our organization and the hotel industry as a whole. Taking it a step further, we aim to also provide an environment that supports the mental health and well-being of all contributors. Strong training programs, ongoing professional development, and thoughtful leadership are the ways in which we make it happen.
Sound like the ideal employee environment for the next step in your career? Good news – teams within our extended-stay hotels across the country are looking for new hospitality professionals to come on board! Our jobs database includes all current opportunities across our over 50 locations nationwide. Caring for employee wellbeing is just one reason we continue to remain the employer of choice within the extended stay industry!