WHEN Bianca Welsh bit the bullet and bought into one of Launceston’s best restaurants, aged just 21, she didn’t imagine the role she would have in years to come. LANA BEST finds out how and why the innovative hospitality worker is advocating for better mental health in the workplace. IT WASN’T enough for Bianca Welsh to simply work hard and build on her success at Black Cow Bistro and later Stillwater, learning the ropes of hospitality and running a business simultaneously.
She took on added responsibilities, a care factor that she would see as vital for anyone in management, but severely lacking in most workplaces – she decided to look out for the mental welfare of her staff.
This was far more important to her than sorting out the rostering, polishing silverware and sourcing ingredients, and every bit as important as the physical wellbeing that is drummed in by human resources managers.
Bianca wanted to put herself in charge of the psychological wellbeing of her staff and lead the way in an industry renowned for treating its largely casual workforce as disposable.
“It became known to me that one of my casual employees had an eating disorder that involved binging and purging – but I didn’t want to do what hospitality bosses normally do and rub them out of the roster.
“They were a valuable employee and when I identified something was going on I thought maybe I could help.”
Bianca made sure her worker received professional help and kept up her shifts.
That employee’s health improved dramatically and they went on to get a degree in medicine and become a doctor.
“I knew that if I was going to be a good manager I needed to understand more about this stuff,” Bianca said.
“And that meant going back to school.”
After running her business and studying part-time for seven years, Bianca graduated with a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (now known as Psychological Sciences) in 2018 with the hope of providing more academic and evidence-based support for her staff.
That is exactly what she is now doing for her own business and for other employers around the state as a mental health first aid instructor, through her new business, From Experience, which is going from strength to strength.
After being adopted as a baby from South Korea, Bianca grew up in Launceston’s northern suburbs, securing her first job wobbling an advertising board roadside for Dominos before getting a second job at Maccas and working up to a management role by age 16.
She attended TAFE to achieve a hospitality management diploma and completed her work experience at the Cornwall Hotel (now the Sebel), before starting work at the cellar door for Joseph Chromy Wines.
Jobs in a delicatessen, in retail, and then a casual position at Stillwater followed.
“I took on a casual job at Stillwater, worked my way into a manager’s role and my husband and I were invited to invest in the Black Cow Bistro in 2008.
“The following year we also invested in Stillwater and it was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating.”
Black Cow changed hands earlier this year but the Welches still own and operate Stillwater which originally included the mill providore and art gallery which they have recently developed into boutique accommodation.
In the past 16 years the now 36-year-old has seen more than 300 employees through her restaurants, mostly under the age of 25.
She has witnessed first-hand the impact a workplace can have on the mental health of employees and, with the right knowledge, the important role employers can take in the well-being of staff beyond the restaurant floor.
Hardest of all she has had to learn to take her own advice, recognise when she’s struggling and ask for help.
Bianca suffered a miscarriage early last year and realised she was not infallible.
“It’s been a hard pill to swallow and take my own advice, but I have to say the experience has added to the depth of how I deliver a mental health message because I have the lived experience and I’ve further researched the loss and grief realm – this is something everyone goes through at some time while they’re in the workforce.
“So often it’s not even acknowledged, and people don’t know how to acknowledge it, but there needs to be more conversations in the workplace and improved practices around dealing with trauma and grief.”
On August 4 Bianca gave birth, a little earlier than expected, to a beautiful, healthy baby.
She’ll be taking a short break from helping equip business owners with the tools to help identify mental illness in the workplace, understand it from a psychological perspective and provide guidance on how to offer the right support.
The goal is to create a more cohesive team, happier, healthier staff and less stress for management.
While her training sessions are tailored and targeted to the hospitality and tourism industry, the education, awareness and case studies are applicable to any workplace across any industry.
“Our environments have a huge effect on our psychological state and our workplaces are no exception,” she said.
“We have no issues getting or retaining staff and that is because we look after our people holistically.
“When we first took over the Black Cow there was an 80 per cent turnover, and by the time we left it was less than 20 per cent.”