Blog. A word from our Ambassadors
February 02, 2022 | Author Jeremy Gibson
Why we support Hospitality Action, and why you should too.
Our fantastic supporters are vital to our success, Simon Numphud from AA Hotel & Hospitality Services asked a couple of his fellow supporters what HA means to them. Here's their story...
Since the start of the pandemic our industry charity Hospitality Action has gone the extra mile to support thousands of hospitality people with financial assistance, wellbeing and mental health support. Just as importantly, they’ve provided hope to lots of industry folk during desperate times.
In our roles as Ambassadors, Patrons and supporters of the charity we’ve seen first-hand the dedication and innovation they brought to their response to the crisis. And as operators or suppliers to the industry we have experienced the positive impact they make to our businesses and teams.
You may be surprised to learn that the charity doesn’t receive any government support, all the fantastic work they do is paid for via fundraising and income from their Employee Assistance scheme, which enables operators to invest in their teams’ wellbeing. Here’s why we believe that you should get closer to your industry charity in 2022.
Supporting our industry charity builds teams and networks.
Simon Numphud. Managing Director – AA Hotel & Hospitality Services.
In many parts of the country there’s a strong local community (and healthy rivalry) amongst hospitality operators who are also often big employers and drivers of their area’s wider economy. The pandemic has made our all-important networks more valuable than ever before. Supporting HA is a great way for us to get together to not only raise money, but to bring the charity’s work to life. The “To Hell and Back” virtual challenge is a great example of a fundraiser where teams can engage in some healthy competition while also making a positive impact on physical and mental, wellbeing and having a great time as a team.
As well as fundraising, they also demonstrate to people that HA’s help is both tangible and accessible, in the sense that they can see people they know showcasing what the charity does, which is a vital part of giving people the confidence to reach out if ever they need help.
Supporting Hospitality Action is a matter of both head and heart.
Sue Williams General Manager, Whatley Manor.
Motivating and retaining a top-class team is one of the biggest challenges the industry will continue to face in 2022; and staffing is a huge operational risk whether you are based in a city centre or a rural site like Whatley. For a number of years my whole team has been protected by Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme. It provides staff with free access to a wide range of services from counselling - on the phone or face-to-face - to legal advice or help with managing issues like debt. The scheme benefits my managers too, as they are given specific support if ever they’re called upon to help an employee overcome a particular challenge. The business sees tangible benefit from our membership in terms of improved staff retention, and reduced absence. Of course all costs are always under scrutiny, but our EAP fees are an effective way to deliver huge benefit in a number of areas of the hotel.
Our staff also fundraise for Hospitality Action, whether by taking part in a challenge event, or talking to our customers about the Chefs at Home cookbook or Invisible Chips. Because they appreciate the support HA provides them via the EAP it drives their commitment to fundraise and it also helps us keep the conversation on wellbeing active in the business.
It doesn’t take a huge commitment to make a big difference.
Tom Kerridge Chef Owner
Supporting HA is a no-brainer for me. As business slowly recovers it can be a struggle just to stay afloat, but we should all try to keep the solidarity we saw across the industry during those dark days of 2020, and that’s why I try to support HA in any way I can – from fundraising to contributing competition prizes, anything any business owner can do makes a huge difference. On a personal level, I’ve had moments when I’ve been worried that an industry friend might be struggling, and it’s amazing to know that I can mention HA to them and encourage them to reach out for help. We’re so lucky to have a charity that’s just for us that’s staffed by people understand what it’s really like to work in our industry. If you’re going to support a charity in your business in 2022, you should consider Hospitality Action alongside your other charity partners.
Our collective plea to you is to get involved with your industry charity in 2022. Helping them helps all of us. Not only does membership of their EAP add direct value to your bottom line, fundraising can build morale in your team, and if life takes a wrong turn for you or one of your team, you’ll be confident there’s somebody there to get you back on your feet.
Five things you can do to support Hospitality Action today.
- Sign up for their EAP programme to give your employees industry-leading wraparound care.
- Make Hospitality Action your nominated charity for 2022.
- Add Invisible Chips to your menu or a discretionary donation to customer bills.
- Donate a prize, host or buy tickets to one of their events.
- Shout about your industry charity to your teams, competitors and customers.