Why were people staying? (Truffleduck)

Battling perceptions

The hospitality industry has long battled perceptions of long hours, relentless pressure and unhealthy workplace cultures. For Truffleduck, a Fyansford-based catering and event management company, participating in the free, WorkSafe-funded Mentally Healthy Workplaces Program offered an opportunity to put its culture to the test. Through the program, delivered by AP Psychology & Consulting, small and medium-sized businesses around Victoria receive support to strengthen psychological health and safety at work. The leadership team at Truffleduck wanted to understand whether the supportive environment they believed they had created was being felt by staff across the business.

"When the opportunity came to be involved in the Mentally Healthy Workplace Program, it really triggered us to say okay, what is it that we need to focus on specifically? What are we doing well, but what can we do better?" says Business Manager Deb Nash.

The question was particularly important in an industry where poor behaviour has historically been normalised. Truffleduck Director Hugh Palmer has witnessed that shift first-hand.

"The industry doesn't have a good reputation. It has changed significantly. You look at the celebrity chefs and what behaviour was considered normal and it's totally unacceptable now."

Testing assumptions

Rather than assuming they had the answers, Truffleduck used the program to take an honest look at staff experiences. The results confirmed many strengths, while also uncovering issues leaders had not anticipated, including concerns about job security.

For Nash, that insight alone demonstrated the value of asking the question.

"If another small business thinks their people seem happy, my advice is that there's always more to understand."

One indicator that the business was already getting many things right was its unusually low staff turnover. While high attrition is common across the hospitality sector, Truffleduck had built a workforce that stayed.

"We had to analyse our business really solidly," says Nash. "And the thing that came up for me was we’ve had paid eight long service leaves, and I reflected on that and asked myself: why were people staying?"

The answer, she believes, was the culture the business had worked hard to create - one where people felt valued, supported and psychologically safe.

The program helped validate what the business was already seeing: people weren't simply joining Truffleduck, they were choosing to build long-term careers there.

When standards slip

The importance of a mentally healthy culture became even more apparent when the business faced a challenging situation involving a senior employee whose behaviour did not align with Truffleduck's values.

Nash says leaders sometimes overlook an important truth in conversations about workplace bullying and harassment: managers and business owners can be affected too.

After repeatedly addressing concerns about an employee's behaviour, a confrontation during a major event left Nash shaken.

"When I asked him to deliver on an event and have the food out in a certain period of time, he swore at staff and abused me," she says.

The impact lingered long after the incident.

"It affected me enormously. I questioned who I was and whether I'd let the team down."

The experience reinforced the importance of setting clear expectations and acting quickly when behaviour threatens psychological safety.

"It was interesting to see the team's reaction," Nash says. "When he was released, they breathed a sigh of relief. It confirmed that you can't put your team in that scenario."

The impact of a mentally healthy culture can be seen through people like sous chef Katrina Woods, who joined Truffleduck after leaving what she describes as a damaging workplace.

"My previous job was quite a very toxic environment. It wasn't healthy mentally. It really did break me." 

Just weeks into her new role, the difference was already clear. 

"My mental health has improved so much. I'm a lot happier. It's not just another day where you dread waking up." 

Chef Andrea Piersanti says genuine care is what sets the business apart.

"People care about each other. We are very genuine people."

Head Chef Chelsea Green says Truffleduck's culture is reinforced through simple daily check-ins.

"Just being on top of checking in with everyone. How are you going? How are things going outside of work?"

The conversations are simple, but they help create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up, supporting one another and asking for help when they need it. 

A different model for hospitality

For Palmer, the value of the program comes from an external perspective.

"We're good at catering, but we're not psychologists. To have access to psychologists through a funded workshop program is perfect."

In an industry often associated with shouting kitchens and burnout, Truffleduck's experience offers a different model - one where psychological safety and high performance reinforce rather than compete with one another.

Their story shows that a positive workplace culture isn't just good for people's wellbeing; it's also reflected in the things every business hopes to achieve - trust, loyalty and people who choose to stay.