Research conducted by the LTC (Licensed Trade Charity) and KAM reveals the growing impact of workplace pressure, stress, and sleep disruption on both employees and business performance across the hospitality sector.
Delegates and speakers at the LTC Wellbeing Conference
The latest LTC Wellbeing at Work Report highlights that absenteeism is costing the industry £306 million annually, with a third of all sick days linked to poor mental wellbeing. On average, employees in the sector take the equivalent of three sick days (or 24 hours) across a year, resulting in significant disruption to teams.This places added pressure on remaining staff, and ultimately affects service consistency for customers.
Presenteeism — the number of ‘days lost’ in terms of productivity, due to working while in poor mental or physical health — continues to be a major factor affecting people and performance in hospitality, with almost seven million work days lost each year. Employees who are struggling but still attending work are more likely to experience reduced focus, lower energy levels, and decreased engagement, which can directly affect the quality of service and overall guest experience.
The report also reveals that one in three pub and bar industry employees say that they have suffered ‘challenges’ over the last 12 months. This is a slight improvement on last year’s figure of 72%, highlighting how hospitality businesses prioritising wellbeing support is having a positive impact across the sector.
This year, there has also been a rise in employees taking work stress home with them, affecting work-life balance, productivity, and sleep. Sleep has emerged as a new top factor negatively impacting employee wellbeing this year. In fact, 48% of respondents said work-related stress has affected their sleep in the last three months, with one in four saying sleep disruption has significantly impaired their ability to function effectively while in the workplace. One in ten employees went on to say they’re “not fully effective” and/or “not working at their best” either all or most of the time.
The full report can be read here.
In response to these findings, LTC has launched its Supporting Better Sleep for Hospitality Teams guide, a practical guide to help hospitality managers understand how sleep and fatigue impact team performance. This will help them to take proactive steps to better support their workforce through smarter working practices, increased recovery times, and stronger wellbeing support.
The guide was shared exclusively with attendees at the LTC Wellbeing Conference and will be made more widely available to the industry in the coming weeks.
“While the increasing financial pressures on businesses in hospitality are well documented, we also need to bring to life the impact this is having on people, teams, and lives outside of work,” said LTC chief executive Chris Welham.
“Although it’s encouraging to see improvement in the number of employees reporting challenges over the past year slightly down, stress remains a significant issue, and this year’s findings show it’s no longer staying in the workplace but following people home and affecting their ability to rest, recover, and perform at their best.”
He added: “Sleep has emerged as a critical but often overlooked factor in wellbeing, and when it’s disrupted, it impacts everything from staff turnover to productivity, to morale and service.
“That’s why it’s so important we equip managers with practical tools to better support their teams. By working together as an industry, we can create healthier environments that support people not just at work, but beyond it, too.”
This year’s LTC Wellbeing Conference delivered practical insights, expert-led discussions, and evidence-based tools to help organisations strengthen team wellbeing. Speakers included Katy Moses, founder of KAM, and Jon Dale, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) lead at Punch Pubs.
A panel on LTC’s Employee Assistance Programme was hosted by Mark Stretton, chief executive of Fleet Street, featuring Sam Hagger (Beautiful Pub Co), Charlotte Whindle (Barons Pubs), and Joby Mortimer (LTC). A session on supporting better sleep was delivered by Joby Mortimer and Harry Saville, managing consultant psychologist at wellbeing specialists CiC.
LTC also revealed what’s to come from a fundraising perspective, including a first-of-its-kind challenge for the industry, the LTC JOGLE Pub Run. The run will see participants take on an epic 900-mile relay journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End, taking place from July to August, with the goal of raising funds to strengthen LTC’s ability to support even more people.
• LTC will host its flagship awards and fundraising dinner on 1st October, celebrating wellbeing excellence across the licensed hospitality community, and raising funds to support those in need.
