Hospitality Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives

A high salary may attract talent — but a positive culture retains it. “Culture is not what you wrote on your walls. It’s how people feel as they walk through your doors.” - Bachar 💜 Naamani Creating the right corporate culture is not easy. Here are some principles to consider👇🏼 🔵 Clear Values: Define and communicate your company's values, so people understand what the organization stands for. 🔵 Inclusive Environment: Promote diversity and inclusion and ensure everyone feels heard, valued, and respected. 🔵 Supportive Leadership: Encourage leadership to be approachable, supportive, and empathetic in order to promote a positive work environment. 🔵 Employee Growth: Invest in professional development, mentorship, and growth opportunities. 🔵 Work-Life Balance: Promote a healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout and boost well-being. 🔵 Open Communication: Encourage open and transparent communication across all levels of the organization. 🔵 Recognition and Rewards: Recognize and reward people for their contributions and achievements. 🔵 Employee Involvement: Involve employees in decision-making processes and encourage their feedback. 🔵 Flexibility: Offer flexibility in work, such as work from home or flexible hours, where possible. 🔵 Fun: Plan social events and activities to create a sense of community and connection among them. 🔵 Wellness Programs: Implement wellness programs that promote physical and mental health. 🔵 Competitive Compensation: Ensure fair and competitive compensation and benefits at all times. In the end, a strong culture based on these principles can retain and inspire people, and this is key to your organization’s sustained success. No amount of money can make up for a bad culture; people won’t stay where their well-being is compromised. Agree? 💜

„Companies spend millions on antibias training each year in hopes of creating more-inclusive—and thereby innovative and effective—workforces. Studies show that well-managed diverse groups perform better and are more committed, have higher collective intelligence, and excel at making decisions and solving problems. But research also shows that bias-prevention programs rarely deliver“, schreiben Joan C. Williams und Sky Mihaylo in der Harvard Business Review. Statt auf ineffiziente Programme fokussieren die Autorinnen auf Möglichkeiten, die einzelne Führungskräfte in der Praxis haben, um Vorurteilen entgegenzuwirken und Diversität zu verwirklichen. Es beginnt für sie damit, zu verstehen, wie sich Voreingenommenheit im Arbeitsalltag auswirkt, wann und wo ihre verschiedenen Formen tagtäglich auftreten. Das Motto: „You can’t be a great manager without becoming a ‚bias interrupter‘.“  Ihre Empfehlungen gliedern Williams und Mihaylo in drei Hauptpunkte. ▶️ Fairness in hiring: 1. Insist on a diverse pool.  2. Establish objective criteria, define “culture fit” (to clarify objective criteria for any open role and to rate all applicants using the same rubric), and demand accountability.  3. Limit referral hiring.  4. Structure interviews with skills-based questions.    ▶️ Managing Day-to-Day:  Day to day, they should ensure that high- and low-value work is assigned evenly and run meetings in a way that guarantees all voices are heard. 1. Set up a rotation for office housework, and don’t ask for volunteers.  2. Mindfully design and assign people to high-value projects.  3. Acknowledge the importance of lower-profile contributions.  4. Respond to double standards, stereotyping, “manterruption,” “bropriating,” and “whipeating (e.g., majority-group members taking or being given credit for ideas that women and people of color originally offered). 5. Ask people to weigh in. 6. Schedule meetings inclusively (they should take place in the office and within working hours). 7. Equalize access proactively (e.g., if bosses meet with employees, this should be driven by business demands or team needs).   ▶️ Developing your team: Your job as a manager is not only to get the best performance out of your team but also to encourage the development of each member. That means giving fair performance reviews, equal access to high-potential assignments, and promotions and pay increases to those who have earned them. 1. Clarify evaluation criteria and focus on performance, not potential.  2. Separate performance from potential and personality from skill sets.  3. Level the playing field with respect to self-promotion (by giving everyone you manage the tools to evaluate their own performance).  4. Explain how training, promotion, and pay decisions will be made, and follow those rules. „Conclusion: Organizational change is crucial, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Fortunately, you can begin with all these recommendations today.“ #genderequality #herCAREER

A Practical Guide for Event Organizers Based on the Zero Project Team's experience organising the Zero Project Conference, we have put together this practical guide for event organizers to create inclusive events where everyone can fully participate. No event will ever be 100% accessible but with this guide there is practical advice for practical decisions—not final or one-size-fits-all solutions, nor a scientific approach to conference accessibility. It does not offer perfection, but rather realistic and actionable insights. One key takeaway from the guide: involve local DPOs early and engage directly with participants. Practical advice and direct feedback from participants lead to more realistic, effective, and cost-efficient solutions while avoiding last-minute challenges. Download the accessible PDF now and explore ways to make your event more inclusive! #ZeroProject #InclusiveEvents #AccessibilityGuide #CRPD #WeAreBillionStrong #AXSChat #HumanInclusion #LifeUSA #accessibility #A11Y

How can we fight #bias in #performance reviews? I really wish there was a single solution for that – but a decent way to address that requires a number of concerted efforts that, sustained over time, will yield the expected outcomes. One of the many things an organisation can do is ensure there are #calibration committees overseeing the activity. That, though, doesn't come without potential unintended consequences: new research suggests these meetings can *introduce* bias into the process in several ways – like exacerbating the tendency to rank employees more toward the middle of the scale, failing to differentiate between high, average, and low performers. Such outcome means average and low performers don’t get crucial feedback about how to improve and risks sending outstanding employees a demoralising message that they are just average. And that's not cool. Here are some tips that the authors – Raafiya Ali Khan, Rachel Korn & Joan C. Williams – share with us in the valuable Harvard Business Review article posted in the comments: 1️⃣ Teach participants what bias looks like: basic unconscious bias training can go a long way, especially if it comes with practical examples of how they can show up in this specific touchpoint of the employee lifecycle. 2️⃣ Use a consistent, concise, evidence-based performance rubric, and have participants submit ratings in writing, in advance: establishing such will help you evaluate each employee on the same job-relevant criteria. 3️⃣ Assign people to look for bias during the meeting: at a previous job we would nickname that role the "bias buster" – participants tasked specifically with looking for evidence of bias during the calibration meeting. By explicitly designating that role, participants felt more confident to speak up when they heard something that merited more discussion. Performance reviews should help employees grow, not sideline them – therefore fair evaluations are vital for a company's success. Bias can be found everywhere, but structured and data-informed processes can mitigate it.

One of the first things I insisted Culture Amp do when I started 5 years ago was to conduct #equity audits every pay, promotion, and performance cycle. We've grown and evolved the approach, but it's always been considered a requirement of any evolution of these processes. Now, in a collaboration between our EDI, Total Rewards, and Camper #PeopleScience teams, we've published a guide for others to replicate. Link in comments. This work is a core part of keeping our commitments and building trust. It's largely the reason we have the smallest gender pay gap among our peer Australian tech companies. It's the foundation on which all other bits of our equity & #inclusion program is built.

“That doesn’t happen here!” But it does. 😅 When I audit reports or coach tourism businesses, I often hear the same response when talking about preventing the sexual exploitation of children: ❌ “That doesn’t happen here.” ❌ “That’s not relevant in our country.” ❌ “We don’t have those issues.” The reality? It happens everywhere. 🚨 Child exploitation is not just a problem in certain countries. It happens in hotels, on tours, and at attractions. It affects both budget and luxury travel. No destination is immune. 🙅🏼♀️ Protecting children is a non-negotiable part of sustainable tourism. A truly responsible business does focus on safeguarding people and communities. That is why organisations like The Code - Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct exist, to help tourism businesses take action. You can do the following: ✅ Recognise the issue instead of ignoring it. ✅ Have clear policies to protect children. ✅ Train staff to spot and report warning signs. ✅ Work only with suppliers who take this seriously. What do you think? Are tourism businesses doing enough to protect children? Or what are you doing as a business? Let me know in the comments 👇 📸: see this post where I discussed children in tourism before and this specific picture. https://lnkd.in/gE6QZSTT

It is expected that leaders take an active and visible role in championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within an organization. This begins with setting a strong example through personal commitment to DEI values—demonstrating behaviors that promote inclusivity, respect, and fairness in all interactions. Leaders are responsible for fostering a culture where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but also actively sought out and valued. This involves creating a safe and supportive environment where all employees feel empowered to contribute their unique viewpoints and where decisions are made with a conscious effort to consider the impacts on different groups within the organization. Moreover, leaders must ensure that DEI principles are embedded into the organization's core practices, from recruitment and retention to compensation and career development. This means implementing and enforcing equitable policies that eliminate systemic barriers and biases, providing equal opportunities for all employees to grow and succeed. Leaders are also expected to hold themselves and others accountable for meeting DEI goals, regularly reviewing progress, and making necessary adjustments to ensure continuous improvement. #diversity #equity #inclusion

Many teams believe they’re being inclusive when they say, “We kept accessibility in mind from the start." But good intentions aren’t the same as meaningful inclusion. I’ve been doing accessibility and inclusive design work for 25 years. Over the last decade, I’ve focused more deeply on what true disability inclusion really means—especially when it comes to power in the design relationship. Again and again, I’ve seen the same pattern: there are levels to inclusion. And only one of them truly shifts power. Here’s how that journey tends to unfold... ranked from least to most inclusive: Level 1: “We kept accessibility in mind.” You didn’t include disabled people. You included the idea of them. This is empathy without participation, and honestly... it’s not enough. Level 2: “We tested with disabled people just before launch.” There’s progress here—real people were involved. But testing at the end only lets you ask: “Do you accept what we built?” It’s too late for meaningful change. This is just late-stage validation. Level 3: “We tested early AND at the end.” Now there’s room for impact. People with disabilities had a chance to shape the work before it was finished. Their feedback could actually change the outcome—and that matters. Level 4: “We included disabled people throughout the process.” Even better. You've moved from on from a "testing" mindset. You brought people in during idea generation, design, development, and launch. You did research. You listened. You adjusted. That’s inclusion in action. Level 5: “We co-created the solution.” ✅ This is the gold standard. You didn’t just include people—you gave them power. They helped shape the goals, question the methods, and guide the direction. It wasn’t just "your" product. It was "ours" -- co-created together. Your greatest power is to give that power away. Inclusive design means shared decisions—not just shared feedback. If you’re not sure where to start, ask yourself: 👉 Where in our process do disabled people have the power to shape what we build? And if the answer is “nowhere”—it’s time to change that. #InclusiveDesign #Accessibility #DesignLeadership #CoCreation #DisabilityInclusion #UXDesign #ProductDesign

Given heightened marketplace uncertainty and transparency, organizations are struggling to quantify the impact of their inclusion work. My ally Victoria Mattingly recommends these ideas to start: 1. Hiring Data: Review hiring data at each stage of the selection process to see if historically marginalized candidates are not advancing. This can help an organization discover if inclusive hiring practices need to be revisited and ensure the candidate pool is diverse from the start. 2. Retention and Promotion Rates: Analyze retention and promotion rates to see if employees from historically marginalized groups are leaving at higher rates or are consistently passed over for advancement. This data could signal a need for more inclusive performance management processes and help a company understand if its culture is one where all employees can thrive. 3. Pay Equity Audits: Conduct comprehensive pay equity audits to identify disparities in compensation across gender, race, and other identity markers. While this might feel risky or even costly, the financial and reputational cost of a discrimination lawsuit is far greater. As Mattingly points out, pay inequality is a primary driver of turnover and can be a significant drag on a company’s bottom line. 4. Performance Evaluation Data: Combing through performance evaluation data can uncover patterns of bias if certain groups of employees are consistently rated lower or receive fewer growth opportunities. If the data shows a consistent pattern of lower scores for a particular demographic, it's a clear signal that bias may be influencing evaluations. 5. Leadership and Development Tracking: Track participation in leadership development programs, sponsorship initiatives, and high-visibility projects. This serves as a proactive indicator of whether all employees have access to advancement pathways. If the same groups of people are consistently getting these opportunities, it's a sign that the playing field isn't level. Full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gtTQ7yQf #inclusion #culture #leadership

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not just about social responsibility—it is a business strategy that drives growth, innovation, and competitive advantage. Companies that prioritize DEI are not only fostering inclusive workplaces but also outperforming their competitors. The data is clear: • Companies with diverse leadership generate 19% more revenue from innovation (Boston Consulting Group) • Organizations in the top quartile for gender diversity are 25% more profitable than their peers (McKinsey) • Businesses with inclusive cultures see higher employee engagement, retention, and brand loyalty Yet, despite these proven benefits, DEI is often misunderstood or dismissed as a trend. The reality is that businesses that invest in DEI are better positioned for long-term success, while those that ignore it risk falling behind. What does DEI actually mean for business? Diversity is about representation. Equity is about ensuring fair access to opportunities. Inclusion is about creating a culture where every voice is valued. Together, they drive business success by improving decision-making, increasing employee satisfaction, and expanding market reach. How can companies take action? • Evaluate hiring and promotion practices to reduce bias and expand opportunities • Foster an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives are actively sought and valued • Provide mentorship and leadership development for underrepresented groups • Ensure pay equity and transparent career advancement pathways Even small and medium-sized businesses can leverage DEI to attract top talent, improve customer connections, and enhance overall performance. The most successful organizations recognize that DEI is not an HR initiative—it is a business imperative. Is your company making DEI a priority? Let’s start the conversation. #DEI #DiversityInBusiness #InclusionMatters #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #HR #EquityAndInclusion #WorkplaceCulture #Innovation #FutureOfWork