mum meets: rachel kerr-lapsley, managing director of kelly’s cause.

mum is involved and invested in our industry. In this series, we hear from the people behind our charity and not-for-profit partners, who share our mission to make hospitality and recruitment better places to be.

Next up: we talk to Rachel Kerr-Lapsley, managing director of Kelly’s Cause – a charity on a mission to create a mentally healthy hospitality industry for all. Read on to find out what made Rachel want to join Kelly’s Cause, what she thinks are the greatest opportunities and challenges for our industry, and her motivational message for fellow hospitalitarians.

why does kelly’s cause exist? 

Kelly’s Cause exists to provide hospitality-specific mental health training and support to the hospitality industry. 

what made you want to work for kelly’s cause? 

I spent the last few years of the 15 years I’ve spent in service working as a Front-of-House manager. I saw so many immensely talented and passionate people leave the industry because of the detrimental impact on their mental health. 

I knew that there was so much about a hospitality job that was brilliant, but equally would be delighted when a team member got a job in an industry that would provide better support for their health and a genuine attempt at work-life balance. There were so many people lost to mental health crises. It made me think about what kind of change might be possible inside a business to create better working conditions for the people taking on the everyday labour.

“There were so many people lost to mental health crises. It made me think about what kind of change might be possible inside a business to create better working conditions for the people taking on the everyday labour.”

I began to understand that so many folks in leadership positions – myself included – were not at all equipped to effectively care for the mental health of their teams. When I learned that Kelly’s Cause exists and that they provide mental health training that’s actually relevant to the industry by people who are actually from the industry, I knew I wanted to be involved. 

what does your role involve and how did you get where you are today?

As managing director a big part of my job is the day-to-day operations of keeping a small and very busy charity up and running. I also take care of our member restaurants, providing mental health consultancy, policy work and one-on-one support to team members. I really love the variety from day to day – some days I’m running around town to drop materials for training and the next I might be interviewing an incredible hospitality pro for our podcast, Beyond the Pass. I think the same part of my brain that loves working on the floor responds well to that kind of organised chaos! My experience as a GM/AGM in hospitality continues to inform how I work everyday – a lot like when I was managing a restaurant, I tend to do a little bit of everything and focus on what I can do to make the lives of the folks on my team as easy and effective as possible. 

“I think it can be hard to convince someone who’s never worked in hospitality just how employable and skilled someone from the industry can be”

My path to Kelly’s Cause was largely a matter of chance – I had been in restaurants full-time for a long time and was feeling really burnt-out after navigating a team through COVID. I was really unsure of how to move forward in the industry, but knew I needed to change course for my own sanity. An AGM on my team had worked at Kricket when Tobie Anna, the founder of Kelly’s Cause, was head chef there. He knew she was expanding the KC team and thought I would be a good fit. I applied for the operations manager role and got it! I think it can be hard to convince someone who’s never worked in hospitality just how employable and skilled someone from the industry can be – I cannot stress how lucky I feel to be able to do this work and be surrounded by people who really get the deal. 

what are kelly’s cause’s proudest achievements? 

There have been so many incredible milestones – from stacked panels to working with restaurants we’ve long admired – but the thing I’m most proud of is that we’ve trained over 2,100 individuals in Mental Health First Aid skills that they’ve taken back into their workplaces. 

“we’ve trained over 2,100 individuals in Mental Health First Aid skills that they’ve taken back into their workplaces”

Our trainers all have extensive hospitality experience and now they get to use that experience to come back into the industry and help train folks in life-changing mental health skills. I can’t tell you how often folks have reached out and said things like, “this training inspired me to reach out for help for the first time,” or “I used the things I learned in training in a conversation with someone on my team today and we were able to get them the support they needed.” 

Kelly’s Cause is on a mission to make the industry a more mentally healthy place and each time someone new is trained in mental health skills, I know that we’re that much closer to becoming a better industry for the people that comprise it. 

what is kelly’s cause’s vision for the future?

We want to ensure that mental health training is as accessible and far-reaching as possible. It’s vitally important that any hospitality business, no matter how big or small, is able to effectively support the mental health of their teams. We want to keep shouting loudly about the unique mental health challenges in hospitality; we want to keep building community; we want to keep connecting people doing incredible work in this space; and we want to fundraise like crazy to ensure that our mission can continue. 

“It’s vitally important that any hospitality business, no matter how big or small, is able to effectively support the mental health of their teams.”

how can our community support kelly’s cause? 

Fundraise for us! We rely on fundraising to be able to heavily subsidise training for folks in the industry who would otherwise be unable to afford it. With the support of individuals and businesses throughout the year, we’re able to provide mental health training and support that’s as accessible as possible. 

what does hospitality mean to you?

Extending care and compassion, even in the face of absolute chaos. 

what do you think are the greatest opportunities and challenges for our industry?

I think hospitality is one of the most meritocratic industries out there – if you're talented at what you do, you can be unstoppable. I also think the vitally collaborative nature of the industry makes it a phenomenal place to spend time. I think we all have that team or moment in our careers that we look back on and think, “WHAT A BLOODY TREAT THAT WAS.”

There are many many challenges facing the industry (Brexit! Systemic misogyny! Terrible safeguarding!) – all of them deserve our time and attention. We have a much higher rate of poor mental health in hospitality than other industries, and – with impossible profit margins and extreme time-poverty – we’re generally pretty poorly equipped to combat that. It can be quite literally lethal to businesses and individuals.  

“We have a much higher rate of poor mental health in hospitality than other industries, and we’re generally pretty poorly equipped to combat that. It can be quite literally lethal to businesses and individuals.” 

If we truly want to see change and attract a new generation into the industry for good, we have to do a better job of protecting our teams. We have to ensure that decision-makers understand the lived reality of folks on the floor, so that the benefits brought in are actually useful. We need to make sure that people coming into the industry know enough employment law to protect themselves and choose their employers with great care. 

“There are operators proving that you can take care of your teams AND be successful – the more we celebrate and elevate them, the more the status quo will begin to shift to a more sustainable and survivable model.”

The real upside to the challenges over the past five years is that many archaic ways of operating have been challenged. There are operators proving that you can take care of your teams AND be successful – the more we celebrate and elevate them, the more the status quo will begin to shift to a more sustainable and survivable model. 

what motivational message would you like to share with fellow hospitalitarians?

“Your hard work is your power – make sure you’re putting it behind operators you respect and who respect you.”

If you’re good at your job, you’re the most valuable thing about a business. Your hard work is your power – make sure you’re putting it behind operators you respect and who respect you. Know your rights, know yourself, and know that there are amazing places you can build a career in this industry where you will be truly valued.

Find out more about Kelly’s Cause, learn about their Mental Health First Aid Training, and discover how they can create a bespoke strategy to improve the mental health and wellbeing of your teams. You can also read about the other ways we give back at mum.