CREW WELFARE Images: © Ania Shrimpton Chuffed Digital X Zero Twenty/ Nici Eberl/Parri Thomas/Annie Scott
STANDON CALLING
Time to focus on welfare
Alli Scott, an event professional and freelancer, has been working in volunteer management, wellbeing, and crew welfare for more than 10 years. Here, she discusses changing attitudes to staff welfare and why it’s time for organisers to have real conversations about wellbeing
T
he industry will always have its rotten apples who think staff welfare is a side joke, but over the last 10 years, I’ve seen a lot of change at the top,” says Alli Scott, an accessibility and crew wellbeing consultant. Scott has been working the festival circuit for 20 years and “fell into” welfare. She has been working in volunteer management, accessibility, wellbeing, and crew welfare ever since and now works on
GREEN MAN 50 n www.eha.org.uk
some of the most respected festivals in the country, including Glastonbury, Green Man, Big Love, and Standon Calling. When StandOut chats with Scott, it’s clear that she has a real passion for looking after people and it’s the variety within her role that she enjoys so much. “I never know what’s going to happen, but I know I can always make a cup of tea, and sit down and chat with people,” she says, candidly. “I’m usually found checking people have had
ALLI SCOTT dinner, have dry socks, and have a coat, or I’m by the campfire helping to put the world to rights.”
CHANGE IN ATTITUDE
More recently, Scott says there has been a shift in attitude towards staff and crew welfare. Management teams and owners are starting to see the benefits of a happy workforce. She explains: “In the last five years, I’ve seen the attitude totally change. The empathy and levels of genuine care going into nurturing a healthy workforce are now magnificent! “Post-COVID, there is a much bigger understanding of how a community can bring people together and what isolation can do. I’ve seen cranky site crews throw parties and hug people, and I’ve seen volunteers walk in through the gates and cry at the thought of a tent full of sofas. People want to be comfortable and happy!” However, this summer was an “eyeopener” for Scott. The pressures of the event season were evident, and the stress was clear for everyone to see. This summer was hard work, emotional, and overwhelming for many event professionals. This year, more so than any other year, it was paramount that Scott – and many other welfare professionals –
