Restaurant insights by 7shifts

The industry shows a deep resistance to investing in employee mental health. Which is strange considering workplace psychological safety helps protect and unlock its biggest asset: its people. 

How can leaders tackle this? It starts with education about how to create psychological safety. Workplaces and teams thrive when people feel:

Ever noticed a team member struggling, but didn’t know how to help?

It’s extremely common and it’s why we partnered up with Not 9 to 5, a global non-profit leader in workplace mental health advocacy for restaurants. 

Enrol in our free 7shifts Academy Course where Founder and Executive Director, Hassel Aviles, takes you through 5 training videos. You’ll become equipped on workplace mental health so you can recognize the signs that someone is going through a hard time, and know how to help.

Enrol for free here

We know when folks feel safe, they can show up as they are. Here’s how some operators are creating psychologically safe workplaces:

You’re not alone. There are entire organizations equipped to help deal with mental health issues in the industry. Post this Employee Mental Health Resource List in your kitchen or staff room for your team to access. It’s free!

🔗 Download the list for Canadians

You can’t always control stressful days, but you can control how you deal with the stress. Model and encourage your team to adopt these small healthy habits on the clock:

Read more: Strategies for Managing Stress in Restaurants

Happier, healthier employees, AND a positive ROI on workplace mental health initiatives? Deloitte Canada found companies with:

Q: Does the brigade system still have a place in the modern kitchen?

Quick (interesting) history lesson… Chef Auguste Escoffier famously created the five French mother sauces. But his other legacy was the “brigade de cuisine”. Escoffier transferred his experience from the French Army into the kitchen, defining and assigning over 20 specific cook positions. The goal? Clear purpose and maximum efficiency.

He successfully accomplished his goal, but what’s the trade-off today?

When the requirement is to fall in line and not ask questions, it can nurture a culture of silence and oppression. Hassel Aviles said, “[The brigade system] normalizes a hierarchical organizational structure that’s based on fear and authority. And while initially, in the late 19th century when this first started, it was meant to be in the name of efficiency, in actuality, it’s dehumanizing.”

She says a byproduct of this culture is that people are told that their emotional experiences have to be suppressed. “And there’s also a culture of mistakes being penalized and inducing shame around mistakes versus seeing mistakes as part of a natural human learning process.”