HOSPO HEROES: Jason's Story

This week, we spoke to our very own Jason-Candid Knüsel (he/him), managing director of Healthy Hospo. Jason takes on day-to-day operations and leadership here at Healthy Hospo, working to expand awareness, launch new projects, curate events, lead training sessions and much more. We are very grateful for his continued commitment to hospitality and his vision for a healthier, more sustainable and fairer industry. 

I started working in hospitality in a hotel when I was about 15 - 15 years ago! I started in Switzerland, where I’m from (I’m half Swiss half Tanzanian) and initially wanted to become a chef. I loved the food aspect but didn't really like the work environment, it was very harsh and male-dominated.

Because of this, I tried Service. I had a couple of days on the floor and realised how much I loved connecting with people - being a server is all about making people happy! After just over three years, I felt like something was missing in my career and wanted to be more creative. This was when I discovered the bar scene.

For the next 10 years, I tried all different types of positions: bar back, bar server, waiter, junior bartender, senior bartender, head bartender and bar manager. And after a couple of years, I decided to leave Switzerland to chase the interesting bar culture in London. 

Throughout these awesome 15 years, there were also times that were more challenging, whether it was with myself or seeing how others struggled. After Covid hit, I knew I wanted to do something where I could support people and give something back to hospitality. This was when I joined
Healthy Hospo. 

It's the festive season so it’s a big time of year for hospitality, so I think the biggest connection we have is with our teams. Usually, in other careers, you are off for two or three weeks’ holiday, at home with family or friends. But if you work in hospitality, this can be difficult. 

In my own experience, when I moved to London, the festive period was a little more complicated. You knew that you wouldn't be able to gather all the family together. If you’re lucky in hospitality, you’re likely to get two days off and you work throughout New Year's Eve. So for me, going back home for five days would not be possible.

In this instance, you have to make a choice. Unfortunately, if you choose to see your family over Christmas, you no longer have a job. So you have to ask yourself, is this job worth it? If it isn’t, then consider changing your job. But if it is, you need to adapt your mindset. For me, it was worth it: I wanted to be in London, I was passionate about my job, and I was following a dream. So I accepted that I couldn’t have every Christmas with the family, so I just build my own family.

I created my own Christmas with my own people, with friends that I have gathered in London and my partner. So I've just applied the approach of building my own family of friends with people whom I enjoy spending time with. We are people from hospitality, so there's at least a chef somewhere, someone to bring cheese and wine, someone to make drinks, cook dinner and play games! I think this is a beautiful Christmas too, so I just learned to adapt.

It doesn’t always work so you’ll probably not be able to share every single year on the same day with the same people. But what’s enjoyable about that is actually being with different people. 

The last thing that I would recommend to anyone is locking themselves up during this time. If no one around you is organising a dinner or a lunch, then talk to your people and bring that suggestion up. If they are busy on the 24th and 25th, why not suggest a few days after? Maybe you can request from your manager a specific day off. If you plan a bit ahead, you can easily make it work. 

Another positive about this approach is that it can relieve some of the pressure people feel when being with their family. You can’t pick your family but you can build your own through your friends. Now that you're in a different line of hospitality work, how have your experiences changed?

It’s very different. It’s the first time I can actually work remotely so I took advantage of that this year by going to Switzerland. I can spend a couple of weeks working there before actually starting my Christmas holidays - which is an easier plan. 

Many people in hospitality who don't work as front-liners have their Christmas holidays. I think this is why so many people choose to leave operations and try out remote working. It’s for the freedom and the opportunity to spend time with family on significant dates.

What I've realised is that it's awesome to work remotely but there is also a downside, especially if you are used to being a hospitality animal. You don’t see many people on a daily basis anymore so the way that you work can be very isolating and it does take time to adapt. This is completely normal. Some people are able to adapt and some people are not and that’s OK! Remote working can be a little more sociable at Christmas and New Year, but what about the rest of the year, right?

Access where you’re working. Is it from home? In an office? A blend of both? The flexibility that remote working provides means that you can vary your working environment which can create flexibility for more social working and boost motivation. 

Additionally, I’m a strong believer in activities. This doesn’t always have to be sports but anything that brings you together with other people. Ask yourself what you need: Is it time with friends? A bit of exercise? Follow what you need. This will recharge you, boost your creativity and broaden your social life. The wider the variety of activities you do, the wider the variety of people that you engage with.

People go to hospitality venues because of the people there, right? How often do you go to a bar because your friend works there? Or a restaurant because you remember the waiter and the waiter remembers you? You don't need more than this. So I think people in hospitality just love being surrounded by people.

I understand that not every business can actually close down during Christmas and New Year. If you can, that’s great because it means your staff can have a holiday and go see family - by the way, that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone wants to do this! 

If you can’t close, it is important to organise a staff party or activity. You could rent a space, do a dinner or have an open bar, and if you don’t have much budget, you could close your venue for a couple of hours and just spend time with your staff - there doesn’t always have to be alcohol involved.  

From a business perspective, you also need to slow everything down and take time for your people. Try to understand what they need and what you can give back because that's how you push motivation up. 

I think the most important thing during these times is obviously taking care of ourselves but also taking care of the people just next to us, that we spend so much time with. Christmas is the perfect moment to celebrate that, whether you are working or not. It's time for more hugs, it’s time for a hot cup of tea with people, playing games and just getting together. The greatest present this Christmas is your presence!