By Tom Nightingale COVID-19 has brought lasting change to the foodservice and hospitality industry, from the way restaurateurs and chefs manage and lead their business to the way they communicate and support their colleagues and staff. That evolution has been a necessary one, fueled in no small part by the ongoing labour crisis – “The […]
By Tom Nightingale Foodservice has been going through something of a technological revolution in recent years, an apparent long-term shift that took another leap forward during the pandemic. Increased digitization and automation bring benefits, such as increased convenience and accessibility, but what it cannot and should not attempt to replace is human connection. Perhaps now, […]
For many Canadian workers, particularly in intense industries like foodservice, the burnout is real. A recent survey found that 84 per cent of Canadian employees have experienced burnout, with 34 per cent reporting high or extreme levels. Will easing public or workplace restrictions around COVID-19 automatically reverse employees’ pandemic-related burnout? For restaurant staff such as kitchen workers […]
More than a year into the pandemic and frontline staff continue to deal with COVID cases in the workplace and aggressive customers. Grocery workers are struggling with heightened stress and anxiety as they remain on the front lines of a surge in COVID-19 infections in Canada’s hot spot areas, industry watchers say. Despite being deemed […]
As prolonged COVID-19 related lockdowns continue across Canada, the restaurant and foodservice sector has reached a critical point when it comes to mental health. Survival of the industry as a whole may not be an option if viable widespread relief doesn’t arrive soon. A major casualty of this crisis is a growing mental health epidemic […]
The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA) has officially launched its extensive Hospitality Stay Strong mental health portal to support the foodservice industry during these tough times. ORHMA notes there continues to be a rise in concern about the mental health of the industry’s employees, supervisors, managers, and owners. “We have heard from many […]
ORHMA has partnered with CAMH to offer three free mental health webinars in response to the overwhelming need of industry personnel.
The foodservice and hospitality industry, one with a long history of not helping itself, must do better in a pandemic world.
Nearly half of small business owners report they have suffered from mental health issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We need to care about this.” Toronto non-profit Not 9 to 5 is advocating for greater mental health support for foodservice workers.
