MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH MONTH: DON’T ‘LEAVE IT AT THE DOOR’

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and with the added pressures the pandemic has placed on those who work in restaurants, it’s more critical than ever to engage in meaningful discussions about ways we can help ease the mental burdens of those in the industry.

In a recent post, @worth.association President and Founder Joanna Jagger detailed her own experiences:

“ ‘Leave it at the door’ was a common expression exclaimed by management in my early restaurant days,” she writes. “It was implied that once in uniform, any personal problems should be bottled up in preparation for a stressful, fast-paced shift. These words were even posted on the staff bulletin board, next to the schedule and daily specials. It was understood you were to keep quiet about your personal issues and get to work.”

Now that she has transitioned to the world of Human Resources, Joanna is committed to continuing and advancing the cause of wellness in the workplace and is highlighting resources that exist for those in the industry via organizations like @mindthebarcanada, @not9to5_ and @shiftchangenow.

Speaking of Shift Change, Joanna will be a featured guest for the latest session in its ongoing ‘Speakers for Change’ sessions on Tuesday, June 8 and will be addressing how the pandemic has impacted women in the industry and what we need to do as a collective to ensure a feminist recovery. Check out their or Shift Change’s instagram account for more details and how to tune in and be part of a vital discussion.

Read Joanna’s full blog post at the link in our IG bio.

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