Be Inclusive Hospitality calls for action on racism

03-Jun-2021 - Last updated on 03-Jun-2021 at 07:16 GMT

Be Inclusive Hospitality has called for immediate action following the release of a report that found that more than half of all hospitality professionals from Black, Asian or Ethnic Minority backgrounds have experienced or witnessed racism in the workplace.

The survey captures the views of 387 hospitality professionals at all levels, from different ethnicities, and occupations exploring topics such as racism, bias, career progression, inclusion, wellbeing and training.

Of those hospitality professionals surveyed, 42% of Mixed hospitality professionals felt their race/ethnicity has hindered their career progression, while 56% of Asian hospitality professionals and 41% of Black hospitality professionals felt the same.

Just 7% of White hospitality professionals felt their race/ethnicity has hindered their career progression.

There is a clear appetite for education and training around race and ethnicity within the workplace, with 60% of respondents saying that while they have not received any appropriate staff training or education, they find the idea appealing.

Only 28% of hospitality professionals surveyed in the Inside Hospitality survey have received training or education around race, ethnicity or anti-racism to date.

The report concludes with some practical steps that employers of all sizes can take towards building an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture.

Over the past seven months, Be Inclusive Hospitality has delivered a range of workshops to restaurants and hotels within the sector covering topics such as race literacy, and inclusive leadership, along with supporting leaders to transform their company cultures.

“I wanted to run the Inside Hospitality survey and gather data so that we are all able to take steps forward towards racial equity in hospitality through understanding the experiences of those who work in the industry," says Be Inclusive Hospitality founder Lorraine Copes.

"Hospitality has some work to do marketing itself as an industry that can and will support its teams. Sadly, this report identifies exactly how much work there is to do, especially for those from ethnic minority backgrounds.”

“The sector is currently suffering from severe staff shortages, so now is surely the right time to make sure that a better hospitality sector is rebuilt, where all people can thrive and develop their careers, not those that are in a privileged position”.

Launched last year, Be Inclusive Hospitality is a not-for-profit with a mission to drive education, amplify voices, build a strong community and accelerate racial equality in the hospitality sector.

A summary of the report summary can be downloaded here and the full report is available for £299.