on chef wellbeing and working conditions shows chefs in Australia and New Zealand experience significant financial hardship and mental health issues, with many wishing to leave their jobs., with visitors reportedly seeking more scenery, history and culture. The food chefs prepare in cafés and restaurants forms an integral part of the tourist experience. But despite the laws of supply and demand, the situation for chefs is unlikely to improve without radical changes to work practices.
Two-thirds of respondents worked more than 38 hours weekly, but a fifth of the chefs worked 52–61 hours. Of these, 6.33 per cent worked 62 hours or more — well above Australia'sEconomic insecurity was very evident. Financial hardship was reported by almost one in five chefs , and a quarter of respondents went without meals due to financial pressure. That those who feed others struggle to feed themselves seems a dark irony.
Two-thirds also reported working when sick, an average of nine days each a year. Post-COVID, this should concern health professionals, policy makers and the broader community.report, which recorded New Zealanders' perceptions of their workplaces and wellbeing, warns that long working hours and poor workplace cultures have adverse health outcomes, with New Zealand faring worse than Australia.
Nearly one in 10 of the chefs surveyed suffered mental distress. Results showed high levels of physical and mental fatigue . Respondents reported disrupted sleep and unhealthy lifestyles. Almost 15 per cent of the sample consumed alcohol five or more days a week, with 11.4 per cent saying they had consumed hard drugs in the past year.. In a spoken-word performance for the project, poet and writer Joe Bellman describes "defeated faces and lifeless eyes" behind the kitchen door, where "breaking the human spirit is just company policy".