New research has highlighted concerns around fairness and inclusion in the UK hospitality sector, with half of employees surveyed saying their employer takes little or no meaningful action in this area.The findings come from Be Inclusive Hospitality’s new Better Hospitality report, which draws on an anonymous survey of 405 hospitality employees alongside insights from senior industry leaders representing more than 80,000 employees across 2,800 UK sites.
The research found that 57.3% of respondents believe unfairness and exclusion contribute directly to high employee turnover, while 38% believe they contribute to people leaving the hospitality industry altogether.
Career progression also emerged as a concern, particularly among employees from ethnic minority backgrounds. More than one in five (21.1%) said they believed they had been overlooked for progression because of their identity, compared with 6.4% of white respondents.
Turning insight into action
The report identifies six priorities for employers: data, resource, training, representation, policy and collaboration.
Data is positioned as the starting point, with the report encouraging employers to better understand the make-up and experiences of their workforce throughout the employee lifecycle. This can help organisations identify disparities and assess whether actions designed to improve fairness and inclusion are having an impact.
The recommendations are supported by case studies showing how organisations across the hospitality sector are putting the priorities into practice.
Employers are also being invited to become Better Hospitality signatories, publicly committing to the six priorities and outlining the action they are taking. A Better Hospitality Leadership Committee will provide opportunities for peer learning, guidance and networking.
Lorraine Copes, Founder and CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality, said:
“I have spent my entire career in hospitality for a reason. This industry has the power to create opportunities, build careers and change lives. It is also one of the UK’s most diverse and dynamic industries.
“Yet a diverse workforce does not automatically mean that everyone feels included or has fair access to opportunity. I created Better Hospitality to help address that gap and move the industry’s work on people and workplace culture forward.”
She added that the six priorities are intended to give employers a shared direction while helping organisations of different sizes and at different stages of their inclusion work take practical action.
The Better Hospitality report is available to download free from Be Inclusive Hospitality.
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