Mental Health in the Coffee Industry
Last week our MD Rachel took part in Climpson & Sons' panel Mind, Body and Barista: Conversations on Mental Health for Coffee People. While we might hear many folks live with the ethos ‘I can’t survive without my coffee’, the coffee cohort of hospitality pros often get overlooked and sometimes undervalued - which is why we thoroughly enjoyed the nuanced discussion we had on Tuesday evening.
Rachel Kerr-Lapsley, Olajide Alabi, Hans Cook, Becky Gooden
68% of coffee employees leave the industry within 2 years, but 70% report that they DO want to stay and progress in this industry, so something is clearly amiss. Here are our key takeaways, which also largely applies across the hospitality industry more widely.
Diversity & Inclusion - A lot of focus is given to attracting diverse talent into hospo when there is plenty of diversity already working in the industry. Greater effort needs to be placed in creating better visibility of these folks. Whole hearted INCLUSION is key. As such, workforce organisations need to ensure that their culture, systems, processes and communications are adapted, refined and improved for the entire workforce.
Progression - People don’t view a career in coffee as serious (*coughs* Climpson & Sons is 23 years old and counting so it really can be!). Structured or unstructured, internal or external, training and development offered should ensure coffee is seen as a viable career option, providing the skills, knowledge, qualifications, and most importantly, interesting networking and mentoring opportunities for people to thrive long term.
Mentoring - Being under someone’s (encouraging not stifling) wing almost always helps progression and talent to flourish. Humans thrive when they feel heard, seen and understood. It’s simple but true for all aspects of life.
For more information about the current landscape of the coffee industry, read the Well Grounded’s “State of the Nation” Report here.