What do workers in the busy hospitality industry think of their job? An online survey by Mensura shows that the large majority find the workload excessive. One in five also experiences severe stress.

Finding and retaining sufficient staff remains a challenge for hospitality employers. An online survey of more than 850 hospitality workers in the period from 2016 to 2018 confirms that as many as 2 in 3 (67%) feel their workload is excessive. In addition, a majority believes that there is too much mental, emotional and physical stress in the workplace.

Stress appears to be a widespread phenomenon. More than 4 in 5 (82%) workers experience some degree of stress. 1 in 5 indicate that they are highly stressed. Koen Van Hulst, head of Psychosocial Aspects at Mensura: "The fact that 77% indicate that they are usually or always able to cope with stress healthily is uplifting. But we need to keep looking out for the 23% for whom this is not always or never the case."

Hospitality workers are for the most part positive about the work atmosphere: 53% are satisfied, which is slightly higher than in other sectors. Almost 2 in 3 also feel they get enough support and appreciation from colleagues, which is a major counterbalance to stress.

Koen Van Hulst: "Hospitality businesses do well to have a psychosocial risk analysis carried out, as it is a good start to take targeted actions."