To mark the occasion, IoH DEIB Lead Francesca Mosca MIH spoke to Georgia Ireson, Cluster HR Manager at Voco Oxford Spires and Thames Hotel, about the hotel’s approach to mental health, wellbeing and creating a positive workplace culture.
Georgia’s role spans employee relations, recruitment, engagement, wellbeing and learning and development, with a particular focus on creating an environment where people feel supported and able to bring their authentic selves to work.
It depends on the individual but work-life balance is a big one. Many of our colleagues have young families, so managing shifts, childcare and life outside work can be difficult. Since Covid and lockdowns, people have become much more willing to talk about their mental health. I also think younger generations are more comfortable speaking about it, which means as employers, we need to listen, understand individual needs and involve occupational health early, so that we can support employees properly.
I think the culture of hospitality can sometimes have an impact. It’s a busy industry and people can feel that they should always be working or that taking time off somehow means they’re not committed. We are moving away from that but I think that mindset is still there in some areas. People need to feel that it’s okay to take their holiday, finish on time and have a life outside work.
I think it’s one of the most important things. Mental health isn’t just an HR responsibility; HR can put the support and resources in place, but the culture comes from senior leaders and managers. Employees need to feel that they can say, “I’m not having a great day” or “I need some help” without feeling that it will be held against them.
It starts with making sure colleagues know what help is there and how to access it; it’s no good having lots of benefits and resources if nobody knows about them. We have mental health first aiders in different departments, which works well. It is also good to have a mix of people, personalities and genders, so colleagues can approach someone they feel comfortable with. I’d also say, choose your mental health first aiders carefully. They need to understand confidentiality, professionalism and their own boundaries.
And keep talking about it. We did Wear It Green Day in May to raise awareness of mental health, for example, and it was successful because it got people talking about it.
For Georgia, making mental health visible and accessible is an ongoing process. At Voco Oxford Spires and Thames Hotel, mental health first aiders meet regularly to share ideas, discuss current topics and identify ways to keep wellbeing on the agenda.
Her message for hospitality professionals is simple: keep talking, make it okay to discuss how you are feeling, and ensure people know they are not alone.
World Mental Health Day is an important annual reminder to consider how we can support others while also recognising when we need support ourselves. At the Institute of Hospitality, we are marking World Mental Health Day 2026 by renewing our commitment to keeping the conversation around mental health open, making resources available and helping to build a culture of listening across hospitality.
The full interview with Georgia Ireson, including practical advice on mental health first aiders, manager training, workplace resources and wellbeing strategies, will be featured in the new issue of IoH magazine, which comes out this month.
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