Striving to be a leading employer in the Lake District

As an employer in the hospitality and catering industry here in the Lake District, our aim at English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues is to provide working environments for our team members which allow them to thrive and develop.

Their health, wellbeing and happiness is an all-important factor, especially in an industry which often presents moments of higher pressure and the need for agile responses and quick thinking to ensure our guests are happy.

That’s why we have partnered up with Kendal based provider Cornerstone Training to give line managers across our venues the benefit of a training course in mental health awareness to improve their skills and better support their teams.

Supporting our managers and their teams with customised training

We are investing in the mental health support programme with an initial cohort of 48 managerial staff undertaking the course.

During the programme, the hotel group’s managers are learning about common mental health issues, how to challenge the stigma often associated with them, and the tools they need to take the best possible care of the mental health and wellbeing of their team members.

Training management teams in mental health awareness

The mental health awareness training is designed to help participants recognise early warning signs of mental health issues amongst their colleagues and give them greater confidence in supporting someone who may be experiencing such difficulties.

It teaches them how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a ‘first aid’ basis, promoting early intervention which supports recovery.

Staying ahead of the game in staff retention initiatives and recruitment

The mental health awareness training for our management teams is just one example of a series of initiatives which English Lakes Hotels is undertaking to support our employees.

As well as development projects such as our personal development fund to subsidise agreed courses for individual members of staff, we also provide our teams with mental health and wellbeing support via the Help@hand app.

The app is a gateway to a fully integrated employee assistance programme (EAP). It includes wellbeing assessments, lifestyle coaching tips and a round the clock support helpline for confidential consultations to address emotional and practical issues.