More than 1,000 team members will take on training that focuses on giving them confidence to approach difficult conversations with staff who may be suffering from mental health issues.
By April 2020, Stonegate will have a mental health champion in each site it operates.
The heart of what we do
Stonegate head of human resources Suzanne Haydon said: “Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and their physical and mental wellbeing is of the utmost importance.
“We strive to enable our employees to be the best they can be through our award-winning, forward-looking, ‘Bar to Boardroom’ career development programme, Albert’s Theory of Progression.
“This equips them with the skills and behaviours they need to progress. However, as the largest operator of late-night venues in the UK, we also recognise their health and wellbeing is equally important in their career progression."
Fuelling the programme
Recent studies have highlighted both the individual cost of poor mental health and the cost to businesses.
Stonegate has identified significant cost directly attributed to sick days taken as result of mental health issues which, combined with a philosophy deeply ingrained in the wellbeing of its staff, has fuelled the programme.
Haydon continued: “The statistics reported on World Mental Health Day, where 84% of hospitality workers reported an increase in stress as a direct result of their job, were alarming and we take this responsibility in looking after our teams very seriously."
Specialist help
She added: “Within the last two years our employee base has grown by 13%, from 13,200 to 15,000, as we continue to acquire a mixture of pubs and bars, including late-night businesses.
“We are not trying to turn our teams into counsellors, but this programme is designed to give our people the skills and confidence they need to identify someone who is struggling and guide them towards specialist help and support services.”
