How DE&I can help hospitality brands retain staff ahead of their busiest season ever

That’s why diversity, equity and inclusion are all so important.

When you add in the well-documented staffing issues that the wider hospitality industry has struggled with post-covid, the cost-of-living crisis putting pressure on guests’ purse strings and the imminent party season, predicted to be the busiest ever – our responsibility towards our Teams could not be more important.

By ensuring that colleagues are engaged and feel supported through extensive DE&I initiatives, hospitality brands can not only recruit, but also retain those of us, who feel we belong in our hotels and corporate offices.

1. Stick to policies that are attractive to workers

Over the past year, many brands have rushed back to normality. However, there is no going back and we need to adjust to the ‘new normal’ instead. The ability to work flexibly and around their lifestyle is still a priority for many Colleagues and so needs to be reflected in workplace policies. Such flexible working enables employees to better manage their wellbeing and other commitments, whilst creating more opportunities for everyone.

One group that this is especially applicable to is parents, who often need further consideration to help them balance the different roles they play and find the perfect work/life balance. At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we’re leading the way with our market-specific family leave policies which, most recently, provided significant enhancements for UK and US corporate employees.

2. Prioritise inclusive hiring

Hiring inclusively has to be done in a thoughtful and purposeful way. Processes such as diverse representation on longlists and shortlists and applying diversity of thought during the interview process, allows for the best talent to be recruited across roles.

Over the past few years at IHG, we have begun embedding such inclusive hiring practices among our hotel and corporate teams to help us attract and hire people from a wide range of backgrounds and create a diverse pool of talent. Over the summer months, our UK Headquarters in Denham opened its doors to talented interns across the country, in partnership with charity Leonard Cheshire’s Disability programme, Change 100. We welcomed 11 in 2022. The Programme provides three-month paid work experience placements to students with long-term conditions and disabilities.

Another such programme – called ‘IHG RISE’ is focused on increasing the number of women in General Manager and Operations roles. More than 100 colleagues have graduated from the programme.

3. Ensure all colleagues are trained in DE&I initiatives

Instilling DE&I initiatives requires company-wide training to ensure all colleagues understand how to act in an inclusive way – for example, explaining how some cultural or societal differences can cause someone to feel unwelcome. Only then can colleagues become allies.

Leaders within the business have a key role to play – by modelling inclusive behaviour.

Key diversity milestones in the calendar year such as International Women’s Day, Pride Month and Black History Month can and should be celebrated by bringing us all together. However, it’s important that such conversations are continued in a meaningful way throughout the year.

4. Ensure colleagues are given a voice to raise concerns

With some people feeling uncomfortable talking to senior team members, creating peer-to-peer groups is a great strategy to ensure all feel comfortable raising concerns and issues within the business. This ensures staff feel visible, heard and secure in their place of work – and it helps to drive real change.

At IHG, we call these our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Hosting celebrations and events throughout the year, they shine a light on the value of inclusion and create a culture in which our leaders are constructively challenged, and DE&I is kept at the forefront of our minds. Open to everyone across IHG, our ERGs give our diverse colleagues and allies a voice, and we use these insights to support them and drive change throughout our business.