“It’s been a challenge” – Jucy’s Tim Alpe on mental health

25th September 2020 By Shannon Williams | shannon@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

Constantly looking back to how things used to be pre-Covid is one of the hardest struggles, says Jucy chief executive Tim Alpe.

Speaking on the Tourism Industry Aotearoa Wellbeing and Resilience webinar, Alpe said it was an unhealthy habit he found hard to break.

“I kept finding myself constantly looking back,” he said.

Tim Alpe

“I’d remember when this time last year we were launching this and launching that… it’s really unhealthy but I kept going back to it. I really struggled with it.

“For me personally, as the leader of our business, I’ve had some real challenges over this time.”

The Covid-19 crisis and resulting border closures meant Jucy had to go into hibernation and make significant cuts to its workfoce.

“We were just coming out of high season, things were going well with forward bookings going quite strong for this summer coming in, and then all of a sudden it all closed and very quickly,” Alpe said.

“And like all tourism business we had to get into pretty aggressive modes to reduce costs, and unfortunately that came in the way of staffing.

“Staff was the hardest thing for us, as I’m sure it is for most tourism businesses out there. We had a staff of over 430 people in our business, and we had to cut costs very very quickly.

“Our people are our family, we’ve had people with us for 15 years, and to have to see them go had been the most difficult thing that we have had to deal with.”

After parking up its rental fleet, the operator suffered another blow when 98 cars were stolen during level four lockdown in Auckland.

“Unfortunately, we now have the title of being involved in New Zealand largest ever car heist over lockdown, which was unbelievable,” Alpe said.

“We did get 94 of those vehicles back, but that was a huge impact for us at a time when we were already hurting as a result of what was going on.”

Alpe said he also struggled with sleep.

“I always thought it was because I was someone who wanted to get on with the day and didn’t need a lot of sleep – I could just get out there and do things,” he said.

“What I realised is that I was waking up because I was bloody worried.

“I was worried about the future of our business, our people, my own future and what that was going to look like.

“So I ended up going out there and getting some help and speaking to someone who had no vested interest, all they cared about was understanding and listening to me, and I ultimately got some medication that helped me get better sleep and deal with things a little better, and it’s made a huge difference to my life and the way that I lead our business and our people going forward.

“It’s been a challenge, it seems to be two steps forward, three steps back at times, but I’m getting out of bed in the morning. I’m getting on with it, and we will get through this. How that looks is unknown, but we will get through it.”

Lynda Keene

Also on the webinar, Lynda Keene, chief executive of Tourism Export Council of New Zealand, said operators were feeling overwhelmed with their new workloads.

“If you feel that your workload had tripled or quadrupled since Covid, it’s absolutely true,” she said.

“You’ve got your business as usual things that you need to do, there’s a whole raft of extra meetings and planning events that you haven’t normally had in your BAU phase, then you have to follow up all the outcomes of those meetings and decisions, and plus as an employer you are leading your team, you are probably really engaged with your community, and with your families as well.

“It’s absolutely okay to feel overwhelmed and at a loss. This is a really big thing that we are dealing with.”

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 21-27 September. If you or someone you care about needs help, free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor. For more information go to https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/.