UK: London-based management company RBH Hospitality has collaborated with charity Mental Health UK to raise funds and awareness of mental health in hospitality.
Mental Health UK provides support and services for a range of mental health issues, including but not limited to isolation, loneliness and money problems. The charity also promotes awareness and the understanding of mental health conditions, as well as how to access mental health support.
This new partnership builds on RBH’s Giving Something Back pledge which promises to support the group’s community. It also forms part of the Tree of Life Health & Wellbeing programme, in which RBH encourages staff wellbeing.
The first initiative which RBH is launching with Mental Health UK coincides with Time to Talk Day, on February 3. RBH employees across the group’s portfolio of more than 45 hotels have been asked to download Mental Health UK’s Conversation Guide, and set a challenge to have at least one conversation about their mental health.
Employees are being encouraged to watch a webinar by the charity, entitled How to talk to your manager about your mental health for the first time. Teams have also been urged to join Mental Health UK’s online community platform Clic, which offers peer support and access to forums and more information.
A fundraising event will take place in March at RBH’s annual conference and award ceremony. It will kick off a two-year campaign to raise money for Mental Health UK, beginning with a raffle.
Martin MacPhail, HR director at RBH, said: “Every few years, we seek to support a worthy charity that aligns particularly closely to our own company values. It is our people who choose our new charity via a vote, so the fact that they have opted for a mental health charity illustrates how important it is to us.
“We’ve already put a lot of work into campaigning the importance of the wellbeing of our workforce and the whole hospitality industry, so the work of Mental Health UK is a great fit. We’re delighted to be undertaking efforts that simultaneously positively impact our own employees with increased support and tools, as well as hopefully raising a significant amount of money to aid the charity’s resources.”
Katie Legg, director of strategy and partnerships at Mental Health UK, said: “We are delighted that RBH management colleagues have chosen to support Mental Health UK at a time when our services are needed more than ever. Over the last two years not only have we experienced the Covid-19 pandemic, but also a crisis of poor mental health. The effects of this pandemic on the nation’s mental health will be felt for years to come, and we need partnerships like this one to enable us to be there for the people who rely on our support.
“At Mental Health UK, we won’t stop until everyone has the tools they need to live their best possible life, and we cannot do it alone. Thank you to everyone at RBH management for your support, and we can’t wait to get started!”
