Singapore-based budget hotel operator RedDoorz has launched Hope Hotline, a mental health support programme to help its employees, hotel partners and their staff cope with pandemic-induced stress.
As part of RedDoorz’s regional CSR initiative, the new programme provides online counselling sessions through the company’s partner counsellors and psychologists, and will be made available in Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
In light of the mobility restrictions, RedDoorz has partnered certified counsellors and psychologists across the region to conduct free counselling sessions remotely through online platforms for all its employees and its hotel partners’ staff.
RedDoorz is partnering KALM, a Jakarta-based online mental health platform, to offer the programme in Indonesia. In the Philippines, the company works with individual psychologists to provide video counselling sessions.
As people adjust to the new normal brought on by the pandemic and learn how to cope with mobility restrictions and other changes to their everyday lives, it can trigger feelings of fear, anxiety and stress, and negatively impact their mental well-being, said RedDoorz in a press release.
According to a study conducted in China during the initial outbreak of Covid-19, 53.8 per cent of respondents rated the psychological impact of the outbreak as moderate or severe. Furthermore, a Qualtrics research of over 2,000 employees, including those in Singapore, has shown that employees have been reporting lower mental health since the outbreak.
Amit Saberwal, founder and CEO, RedDoorz, said: “The ongoing pandemic has resulted in immense stress on our economies, healthcare systems and people. As Covid-19 continues to restrict mobility and the immediate outlook remains uncertain, many of us could be experiencing negative emotions detrimental to emotional and mental well-being.
“This is especially relevant for professionals working in the travel and hospitality industries who have also been subjected to many job-related stresses as the pandemic has caused major disruptions to businesses and people’s livelihoods.
“Through Hope Hotline, we stand in solidarity with our employees and hotel partners and want to play an active role by helping them embrace the new normal more easily. We hope the counselling sessions will provide much needed relief, and spread positivity and optimism.”
Lukas Limanjaya, one of KALM’s co-founders, said: “It is our hope that other companies will follow the pioneering steps that have been taken by RedDoorz because mental health is as important as physical health.”
As part of its Hope Hotline programme, RedDoorz will also host a complimentary webinar for all professionals working in the travel and hospitality industry during the last week of May.
The webinar will feature a panel of certified counsellors and psychologists who will impart essential skills and tips on managing daily stress while maintaining emotional well-being during this difficult period. Interested individuals can sign up here.
