In this special edition episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Helena Yasmine, director of sales for the c-store division at coffee equipment company SEB Professional, and Joy Landis, senior customer business manager at snacks and candy manufacturer Mars Wrigley.
Yasmine and Landis are on a Convenience-Store Women (CSW) power team, an ongoing initiative of the CSP-sponsored CSW event where groups of convenience-store industry women meet throughout the year to address root causes of issues and help create paths forward.
The pair's power team is focused on mental health this year, and they share results of a survey they conducted. One notable stat: 68% of respondents said they did not receive any mental health training or education over the last year.
“At Your Convenience” brings industry experts and analysts together with CSP editors to discuss the latest in c-store news and trends. From mergers and acquisitions to foodservice and technology, the podcast delivers the story straight to listeners in short-format episodes, perfect for the morning commute or a quick break at the office.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Rachel Gignac: Do you want to tell us a little bit about what your Power team is working on this year?
Joy Landis: Yes. Thank you for having us. Our whole team was mental health, and we renamed ourselves the wellness tribe. So what better time to join you than May, as May is Mental Health Awareness Month. However, our group wants everyone to know that mental health awareness is more than just a month. It's really key to everyone's overall well being, and that's why it's so important to prioritize it for yourself, family and employees, year round. So we also want everyone to know that it is okay not to be okay. And so I want to repeat that again, because hopefully maybe there's someone who's listening who really needs to hear that it is okay not to be okay. And so our team's mission is really to commit to reframing the perception of mental health. We're really hoping to end the stigma associated with mental health by encouraging all stakeholders in c-store organizations to really be aware, to continue to learn and to implement practices that lead to positive mental health experiences.
Gignac: Helena, do you have anything to add to that, as far as what your team has been focusing on and why it's important to you?
Helena Yasmine: Absolutely, I think everybody in any organization would agree that mental health can help improve not only performance of team members, but improve culture, improve what you take away from your workplace and bring into your personal space and your family. So it's really important as we grow our careers, as we grow our companies, that we are able to be our best selves, and that starts from within, mentally and emotionally, to be able to be shining through.
Gignac: To kick off your initiative of your mental health awareness research, you conducted a survey. Can you tell us the framework of the survey and a little bit more about that?
Yasmine: Yes, absolutely. So we conducted a survey that was sent to the CSW members to gage where mental health stands in our industry, and some of the results were actually very surprising. We really wanted to understand what challenges were seen and/or what obstacles we can help overcome together. So 29% said that they felt comfortable discussing mental health based on the company's fostering of a stigma-free environment. So that's a really low percentage that we were surprised by. While 68% did not receive any mental health training or education over the last year, those are important facts, because we were also noticing that it didn't matter what role you had in the organization, over 50% of the responders were director levels or above and had been within the company for over six years, while 95% of those responders said that their manager impacted their overall mental health. So if you look at all of those statistics together, it really highlights that it didn't matter where you are in your career and what level you're at, the importance of a manager really impacts your overall mental health. And with the very low training being given, which was 68%, we noticed that that could be a big barrier that we're able to help overcome.
Gignac: What do you both think the next steps are for you and your Power team?
Landis: So our next steps, after hearing all the results from the survey, seeing that there is a huge impact that managers can play in the roles for mental health, that we want to work together as a team to provide some resources for c-store organizations, to kind of begin the discussion. What we're really hoping is that if we can provide some resources, it'll get the conversation started. Maybe it will even encourage more organizations to hold trainings or have some educations, where it kind of trickles down around the organization from manager levels and above and below, and then truly just present it at CSW event in 2025 which we're both extremely excited about. Having everything ready in a package and some recommendations of where to begin the discussion.
Gignac: Is there anything you wanted to touch on about what you've learned individually, as a part of CSW, as a part of your power team, as it relates to your topic or not?
Yasmine: Yeah, I learned to be vulnerable. It's okay to be vulnerable. And maybe I have to be that first person in my team or my company or my industry to start that dialog. But if I'm leaving it to somebody else to help initiate that conversation, it might never happen because of the stigma and how uncomfortable it can be. So I've noticed that by starting that conversation and that dialog, it helps foster trust, a safe space for people to rely on each other and lean on each other in time of need. We've had team members that had personal challenges that they were facing that affected their workplace, and by us standing up and telling them, Hey, take a step back, we're here to support you. Our work has improved drastically. Our camaraderie has improved drastically, and just the culture has become more enjoyable and more of a safe space to be vulnerable.
Landis: I would add that the relationships we've built in the power teams has truly made an impact, overall. I've learned a lot from others. This is my second year going into CSW, so dealing with two different power teams and seeing how everyone works, but then also just leaning in on each other and relying on each other with mental health. It's made me appreciate what my company has for resources, but also realizing that there are some people out there that don't have these resources, or they're afraid to talk about it. And so if we can be that voice to help start that conversation, even if it's a small baby step, I think it's huge, because if you can connect with one person to get that discussion rolling and make it seem more comfortable and the stigma behind it, hopefully someday will go away. But if we can just get one organization or one company started that may not have had any of those resources before, I think that it's going to be a huge accomplishment, and it'll feel really good for our team.
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