The hospitality sector has spent years talking about mental health. Every new survey says exactly the same thing, and nothing is changing, warns employee health assessment provider Verve Healthcare.
From burnout and stress to poor work-life balance and financial pressure, the industry’s challenges are well documented and widely accepted, with recent research continuing to reinforce this:
A 2025 industry survey by Hospitality Action found that three in four workers have experienced poor mental health, with many citing workload and work-life balance as key pressures [1].
The same research highlights that 47% of workers now see burnout as part of the job, rising to 62% among junior employees.
Analysis of CIPD and ONS data indicates hospitality has one of the highest turnover rates in the UK, with some estimates placing annual staff turnover at over 50%, significantly higher than the national average across industries, fuelling stress and exhaustion [2].
A February 2025 survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by PPL PRS found that all hospitality workers in its sample had experienced burnout at some point in their careers [3].
Steven Pink, CEO of Verve Healthcare, commented:
“Every year another survey lands. A different sample, but the same story highlighting the same issues – burnout, stress, poor mental health and exhaustion – time and time again.
“These are industry-backed surveys that tell the same story year after year. When does the hospitality sector start to accept that more awareness is not the answer, but proactive action which actually makes a difference is?”
There has been progress. Hospitality Action’s 2025 data shows that 78% of workers now feel more comfortable discussing mental health than they did five years ago, and 89% of managers prioritise listening when staff raise concerns.
But the data also shows this increased openness has not translated into better outcomes. Employees still report excessive workloads, understaffing, poor work-life balance and ongoing financial pressure, all affecting mental health.
“In hospitality, where margins are tight and service depends on people, these pressures are amplified,” Steven Pink added. “The fact the sector has made mental health more visible is important, but it means nothing when there is no intervention. If burnout is still seen as part of the job, then the system itself is broken.”
Verve is direct about what meaningful intervention requires. Steven Pink explained:
“Fixing the system means changing what actually happens to a person when they raise their hand and say they’re struggling. At the moment, people might receive a leaflet or helpline number and a return to the same shift pattern that caused the problem in the first place.
“That has to change. If an employee is flagged as at risk – physically or mentally – there must be a clear, supported pathway forward. Rather than offering a generic service and hoping it reaches everyone, each health assessment needs to focus on providing people with clear next steps for further care where necessary. That’s how you turn survey insights into outcomes.”
Verve is calling on hospitality leaders to move beyond awareness campaigns and commit to structural change in how employee health is managed.
Steven Pink concluded:
“The sector doesn’t need another survey to tell it what it already knows. If the industry is serious about protecting its people and its future, it must move beyond awareness and start fixing the system with clear, accessible health pathways that actually support its workforce.”
[1] Hospitality Action’s Taking the Temperature Survey
[2] Talos360 analysis of CIPD/ONS data, 2025
[3] PPL PRS Health & Wellbeing Survey, 2025
ENDS
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