Global hospitality is one of those industries where professionals are expected to maintain a modicum of cordiality and friendliness at all times.
The service with a smile aspect of the field is there to help guests feel at home despite being far from everything familiar, for diners to enjoy their meals in a friendly and safe space.
But such positivity takes its toll on working individuals: people get tired, people have their own needs to consider; people burn out.
The challenge, in which case, is providing employees with the resources to properly cope with the workload, as well as to safeguard both their physical and mental well-being.
Why are hospitality personnel burning out?
In a piece for The Access Group, Jen Grenside wrote that it is critical to recognise the impact of workplace stress and anxiety on operational teams throughout a property or a full chain thereof.
Grenside said: “[Hospitality] is known for high employee churn, and employees are often subject to shift work, working weekends, and long days on their feet. All of this can lead to a high-stress environment for employees. However, it's vital to prioritise employee wellbeing to ensure happy, healthy teams that provide a better customer experience and are more productive.”
Likewise, she delineated three critical factors leading to employee burnout in the workplace; namely:
An increasingly stressful and depleted work environment
By depletion, we are referring to the ongoing shortfall of workers for the global hospitality industry.
To go by what ACI HR Solutions chief executive Andrew Can said at ITB Asia 2025: “While the industry has rebounded and rebounded strongly, there is still a severe talent shortage. So, if anyone has made some hires recently or is in the middle of some hires, you're probably looking at some difficulties because the industry lost about 70 percent of staff during the pandemic.”
The Grenside paper also points out how understaffed shifts can lead to delays for customers, giving rise to customer complaints and conflicts which, in turn, lead to greater stress for staff.
Irregular working hours
One key challenge of global hospitality is that the shifts can be long, and they cover nights, weekends, and even public holidays.
This does not, of course, bode well for the conventional notion of work-life balance as it becomes challenging to find time for family and friends.
Unfortunately, as is also the case with healthcare workers (which prompts another aspect of care-centric hospitality), hospitality staff have little to no control over their work schedules.
Over time, this lack of work-life balance leads to stress, depression, and other mental health issues.
No job security
The key issue with global hospitality is that it can be swayed by seasonal travel trends.
As a result, there is a frisson of instability when it comes to the duration of work contracts.
Most of the time, a lot of staff join properties on the basis of short-term or zero hour contracts, and this often results in a high rate of employee turnover.
According to Grenside: “This uncertainty can lead to anxiety and stress, especially for those who rely on their job to support themselves and their families.”
Four points to change the game
Since the end of the pandemic, hospitality experts and those specialising in human resource training, retention, and management have identified four key areas that are critical to changing things in the industry.
Improve work-life balance through more considerate scheduling
Properties need to provide rosters and shift schedules well in advance so workers can plan their personal and family lives.
Likewise, they need to ensure that unsociable hours, late-night shifts, and weekend rotas are fairly distributed and allow adequate rest time between shifts.
Employees also need to be encouraged to take their full holiday allowances and mental health days without fear of penalty.
Finally, it is necessary to implement shift-swapping policies, part-time options, or job-sharing where operational roles permit.
Train and support leaders internally
It should be mandated that managers and department heads are trained to recognise early signs of stress, exhaustion, or anxiety, and teach them how to handle mental health conversations with empathy.
Human resource managers and/or team leaders need to schedule routine one-on-one check-ins where staff can voice concerns about workload or interpersonal friction before it escalates.
It may also be necessary to train dedicated staff members across departments to act as internal peer-support points and direct colleagues to help.
Make mental health resources more accessible
Human resource departments need to offer confidential counseling, digital wellness tools, 24/7 helplines, and possibly employee-exclusive apps like those offered by Accor to their staff.
It would also help to run on-site or virtual training sessions focusing on resilience, emotional exhaustion, and coping strategies.
Also, to protect frontline and housekeeping staff from abusive guest interactions, individual properties need to implement safety technology and clear escalation procedures.
Foster a culture of safety for all
For the most part, this entails mental health discussions through team meetings or campaigns to reduce industry-wide stigma.
Organisations must also acknowledge hard work and creative input publicly and privately, ensuring staff feel seen rather than treated as a replaceable social battery.
Admittedly, it may take a while to see whether these measures bear fruit in individual properties; but any step towards ensuring the wellbeing of staff is a measure worth keeping.
