In the last several decades, the business world has come a long way when it comes to gender equality. While there are more women in the work force, there’s still a lot of work to be done to achieve true gender equality. The hospitality industry has made strides, but is your hotel where it needs to be? What can you do to encourage gender equality among your hotel staff?
State of Affairs: Gender Equality in the Hotel Industry
Historically, the hospitality industry was similar to most other prominent business industries in that men dominated the leadership positions that were available. Most people who imagine a hotel manager or operator automatically think of a man, and the fact of the matter is, it’s not all in their heads. Only 25% of hospitality leadership positions are occupied by women, according to the Women in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure 2020 Report.
Recognising these statistics, there are some hotel chains and brands around the globe that are launching initiatives to increase the number of female executives and leaders within their organisations. And they have good reason for doing so. The current political and social climate is calling for change, but so are consumers. The time has come to close the gender gap within the hospitality industry for good.
Evaluating Gender Equality at Your Hotel
One of the more startling trends within the hospitality industry is that there are significant number of women employed in the workforce. According to HotelManagement.net, nearly half of the hospitality workforce is made up of female workers. However, very few of those women ever rise to management positions. Upward mobility is particularly difficult in this industry for women. At your hotel, you should consider the number of employees you have, the number of management positions available, and your hiring criteria for those positions.
How to Improve and Encourage Staff Gender Equality
Improving and encouraging gender equality at your hotel is not going to happen overnight. Rather, it’s important that both you and your team take a series of measures in order to continue heading in the right direction. Some steps to take include:
- Provide mentorship opportunities at your hotel. Encourage leaders to mentor all of your employees and to groom them for future management positions.
- Promote from within when you can. If a leadership position opens up, consider your staff members and promote them based on skill level, years of service and dependability.
- Provide equal pay for equal work, and implement flexible family leave policies that encourage women to stay in the workforce.
From closing the pay gap to shattering the glass ceiling, there’s lots of work to be done in the realm of gender equality. At your own hotel, you can make small efforts and large changes to change the culture and atmosphere at your own property. By making your property a comfortable, welcoming and equal place to work, you’ll find that you retain top level staff members and ultimately improve the experience that your guests enjoy.
