Building a fair and inclusive sector

The hospitality industry is in a unique position to address the inequality that visibly exists throughout the sector. You only need to walk into any head office and compare the race representation to any back of house kitchen throughout the country to see that a disparity exists.

According to a report commissioned on behalf of Be Inclusive Hospitality (BIH) – a not-for-profit organisation on a mission to accelerate racial equality – by think tank the Resolution Foundation, ONS labour force survey data from Q1 2018 to Q1 2020 shows that 17% of the sector identified as being black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background.

So, technically diversity is not the problem – the hospitality sector is ahead of the UK percentage of black, Asian and ethnic minorities at 12%. The problem is inclusion and equity.

I founded BIH due to personal experiences throughout my 20-year career in the sector, and strongly believe that the opportunity lies in supporting the development of talent already within the sector, which will in turn attract more diverse talent into it. Our primary focus is to support the re-building of an industry post-pandemic that is fair and inclusive for all.

Understanding is everything

Since the launch of BIH in June 2020, the question that I am repeatedly asked by CEOs and leaders throughout the industry is: ‘Where do I start’? My response is the same, whether an independent, regional, or national operator – which is to thoroughly understand your current position.

Since that date, for the first time in my life, there has been nationwide acknowledgement of the race inequality that exists. The question I ask of you is, do you yet understand how this societal issue permeates within your business?

Albert Einstein is quoted as having said: “If I had one hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution.”

Whilst I firmly believe that creating an inclusive and fair industry is a marathon and not a five-minute sprint, this quote demonstrates the importance of investing time and effort into understanding the problem, and all its complex layers. To create long lasting change, this is essential prior to leaping forward towards solutions.

The very definition of the problem will be the focal point of all your efforts; ultimately solving the wrong problem will have detrimental effects.

The answers are in the data

So where to start? It starts with you. It starts with accountability, internal insights and external learning.

Accountability must come first because within business we all recognise that irrespective of how large or small your business is, culture is created at the top. As culture needn’t remain static, change can also start there.

Many companies that we have engaged with to-date recognise the value in better understanding how their employees feel by conducting engagement surveys. Being able to analyse and dissect this information through the lens of race, may start to provide understanding about what might specifically need to be addressed.

Internal insights extend beyond engagement surveys and can provide a deep dive into the current status quo using other key metrics, including ethnicity data, positions held, employee retention, pay, promotion, and reasons for leaving. This is not an exhaustive list but will provide insights when comparing the data across the different groups within your business. The answers are in the data, and importantly how you use it.

Lastly recognising that in the very same way as for gender diversity, blind spots and gaps in understanding may not lie within the four walls of your all-male leadership team – the same applies for race. Seek external resources, and input from agents of change from different backgrounds. Acknowledge that bias might have led you here, but learning and personal development can lead you out.

One of the reasons behind the launch of the Inside Hospitality Survey, in November 2020, was to capture the views of employees and entrepreneurs from all backgrounds and career levels, with aim of unveiling the current challenges and barriers faced, in order to help identify appropriate solutions and inform action.

The report due to be published in March 2022 will act as an industry-wide resource that will assist in support of your learning. I encourage you to take the survey and share it within your teams and networks for this reason.

Looking at the talent pool that you access is key to addressing equity, diversity and inclusion. It’s about including talent who have previously been excluded. It’s about creating diverse teams who have collectively been proven to outperform those who are not. This is the right thing to do, and positively impacts the bottom line.

The question you should now be asking yourself is when and not why.

Lorraine Copes is the founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality, procurement consultant and life coach. Having spent almost two decades working within the hospitality sector successfully leading procurement teams for brands including Shake Shack, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and Corbin & King, her experience spans new market entry, national and international leadership roles.