MENTAL


HEALTH MATTERS


T ravel Weekly, in partnership with Deloitte, hosted a webcast about mental health ah


Tui retail boss outlines the impact of pandemic on staff


T


ui’s retail director has spoken of the massive impact a social media backlash over Covid-19


refunds and cancellations had on the mental health of staff. Speaking on a special Travel


Weekly Mental Health Matters webcast supported by Deloitte, Belinda Vazquez said the firm had to provide support for thousands of retail staff whose work stopped when the pandemic closed down travel. And she said that with Tui itself


having to become a homeworking organisation overnight, consistent communication with staff was key when the difficult announcement of permanent shop closures was subsequently made. “In my area of retail, you’ve got 4,000 people that suddenly stopped.


Not having a


routine and seeing the social media [backlash] about refunds really impacted colleagues


That in itself was a massive challenge. What I’ve learnt is that everyone is unique,” Vazquez said. “Not having a routine, not having


any work to do, and then seeing the outpouring on social media about how people’s holidays have been disrupted and [having to process] refunds – it really impacted colleagues.” Vazquez said she struggled when


she herself was furloughed, and realised that companies needed to support those still working and those


‘Don’t dwell on the past or fret unduly about the future’


Travel professionals have been urged to look after their mental health by focusing on the present and beware spending too much time worrying about the future or the past. Mental health advisor


John Binns, a former Deloitte partner, told a Travel Weekly webcast that when people are under pressure, particularly if they are isolated and working in an uncertain environment, they are more likely to feel anxious as their thoughts turn to the future. And he said dwelling on the


8


past ran the risk of a low mood or, in serious cases, depression. Binns said: “When a thought


comes into your mind which might be worrying about the future, capture that thought, make a note of it and set a time to deal with it.” He added: “Engage in


purposeful activity for the next two or three weeks and then review. Purposeful activity in the present, and having a full plan for what you might be doing for the next two or three weeks, is quite a firm basis on which to build.”


on furlough very differently. When she returned from furlough


in June, Vazquez was faced with having to announce the closure of 166 stores. While planning how to deliver the


news, she said she changed her mind, and that instead of focusing on the reasons for the decision, she opted to stress the support available for staff. “I was [planning on] focusing on


the rationale of why we were doing it and the process we would have to go through,” she said. “Actually, what was more


important was what help could we offer people, what support was there that we could help people through this period? “I changed my whole script and


how I announced those closures to our teams based on the fact that that was more important at that time.”


‘Bosses must look after themselves too’


Industry leaders and business owners have been warned they must find time to look after their own mental health. Speaking on a special Travel


Weekly webcast to mark World Mental Health Day last Saturday, Chris O’Sullivan, head of communications at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “It’s very important leaders recognise the need to look after their own mental health. “We know people pour their


last ounce of heart and soul into their business for the good of the client and the service they provide, but leave nothing for themselves. I tend to [say] ‘you can’t serve from an empty vessel’.”


15 OCTOBER 2020 travelweekly.co.uk MENTAL


HEALTH MATTERS


Travel Weekly webcast speakers, clockwise from top left: advisor John Binns; Lee Hayhurst, Travel Weekly; Belinda Vazquez, Tui; Chris O’Sullivan, Mental Health Founda- tion; and Karen Morris, Travel Counsellors


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