Shannon College of Hotel Management at the 2025 EM Cup: Championing Employee Well-Being

Let's be honest, as rewarding as a career in hospitality is, hospitality workplaces are often hectic and demanding. Staff shortages, the rising cost of living, and the ever-growing need for mental health support—it's a lot to juggle. We've all heard the buzzwords: "employee wellbeing" and "work-life balance." But what does that look like in a fast-paced hotel or restaurant? And how can we create a healthier, happier work environment where staff can thrive?

Last month, "Shannon’s Shine", a team of ambitious students from Shannon College of Hotel Management travelled to Maastricht to compete in the prestigious EM Cup 2025. This annual competition brings together Europe’s top hotel management schools, challenging students to showcase their innovative thinking and teamwork. This year’s theme was Well-being: A business imperative, and in preparation, the team researched well-being strategies across various industries and the potential application of these strategies in hospitality for their white paper.

Shannon’s Shine: A Team with a Vision

Representing Shannon College were Tess Blunden, Rhys Bowen, Araya Clune, Tereza Egerova, and Fenella Riordan, guided by their dedicated coaches, Celine Ryan and Sarah Ryan. Leading up to the event, the team immersed themselves in extensive research, focusing on innovative approaches to workplace well-being.

Their white paper highlighted three key strategies:

·       Education & Training: Inspired by Walmart Academy, this approach emphasises career development opportunities to reduce workplace stress and improve job satisfaction. Imagine offering your staff the chance to earn a college degree, debt-free, and potentially receive stock options. That's what Walmart is doing. They're not just training employees; they're investing in their futures. In hospitality, this could mean comprehensive training programs, clear career paths, and even support for further education. Equipping staff with the skills they need is empowering and not only improves efficiency but boosts confidence and reduces stress.

·       The Buddy System: A structured peer support network, successfully used in the high-stress world of healthcare, that creates a sense of belonging, reduces isolation, and fosters open communication which all help to alleviate workplace stress. Pairing colleagues for support, communication, and shared experiences has significantly improved mental wellbeing in University of Florida Hospital. This idea could be a game-changer for hospitality, fostering a stronger sense of community and reducing workplace stress. Fáilte Ireland is already recommending this approach!

·       Technology Implementation: Lessons from agriculture showed how mechanisation and digital tools can alleviate stress and enhance efficiency.  Farmers are using technology like "calving cameras" to monitor livestock remotely, freeing up time and reducing stress. In hospitality, this could mean automating repetitive tasks like glass polishing, allowing staff to focus on customer interactions.

Our industry shares many similarities with the retail, health & agriculture sectors: high-pressure environments, demanding physical work, and the need for constant customer interaction. By analysing these strategies, the team demonstrated how small, but strategic interventions, could make a substantial impact on hospitality professionals’ mental and physical well-being.

The whitepaper dives deeper into these strategies, exploring their implementation and potential impact. It's a call to action for hospitality leaders to prioritise employee wellbeing through practical, sustainable solutions.

Achievements and Recognition

Shannon’s Shine was rewarded with the Best White Paper Award and was recognised as a Top 10 Team Overall and Top 10 in the Instagram Reel competition. Additionally, team member Tess Blunden won first place in networking, highlighting her exceptional ability to connect with industry professionals.

The judging panel praised their research, stating, “I especially like the examples coming with an explanation of what retail, health care and agriculture have in common with hospitality. Especially the example agriculture proves out-of-the-box thinking.” Another judge noted, “This paper does a great job of pulling strategies from retail, healthcare, and agriculture and showing how they could work in hospitality, which is such a refreshing and creative approach. Real-world examples like Walmart Academy and calving cameras make the ideas feel practical and actionable.”

 

A Transformative Experience

The EM Cup 2025 provided an exciting platform for Shannon’s Shine to present their insights and engage with industry leaders. The competition included pitches, a dragon’s den, and networking sessions, all centred on addressing employee well-being in hospitality. The judges praised the team’s forward-thinking approach, particularly their practical solutions that could be seamlessly integrated into hotel operations.

Beyond the competition, the EM Cup was an invaluable experience for the Shannon College team. Meeting and engaging with students from other top hospitality schools, connecting with industry professionals, and receiving constructive feedback from the esteemed judges deepened their understanding of real-world applications for employee well-being.

One thing is clear: the future of hospitality will be shaped by leaders who value people as much as profits.

Ready to learn more? Read the full whitepaper

This post was collaboratively developed with AI assistance for language and flow. The original content came from the EM Cup White paper and all insights about how interventions in other sectors could be employed in the hospitality field are from the team's own research. The final version of this post is a collaboration between human knowledge and AI writing assistance, edited to ensure accuracy and authenticity of voice.