The Importance of Diversity in Hospitality

The hospitality industry is a uniquely diverse field because it relies on a complex system of different businesses and a diverse set of employees and clients from different backgrounds. While this can present some challenges, it also creates tremendous opportunities to build a more productive, creative and innovative workplace that caters to all customers. Making cultural diversity a priority and building it into the company culture can reap significant rewards. Learn more about what cultural diversity is and how you can effectively create and manage a diverse workforce.

Essentially, diversity in the hospitality industry means not just recognizing differences but valuing them and understanding how these differences may impact the individual experience. Both employees and customers come with a unique background, set of experiences and cultural history. Recognizing this will help foster better teamwork so that employees can effectively communicate and collaborate. It will also lead to better job satisfaction, which reduces turnover and creates loyal and productive workers. At the same time, customers will be able to enjoy inclusive services that speak to their individual wants and needs.

The Challenges of Cultural Diversity in an Organization

While cultural diversity comes with a long list of benefits, there are also some challenges to take into consideration. You may find that employees from different cultures are more reluctant to speak up and make their voices heard. In addition. Prejudices, stereotypes and different forms of discrimination can also make it difficult to successfully integrate teams and personal communication can be complicated and lead to misunderstandings. Cultural awareness can help address some of these challenges and avoid making bad decisions that can have significant consequences. 

Creating an Organizational Culture

An organizational culture is defined by the values, beliefs and attitude that reflect a company’s priorities and guide their business. Diversity has to be a part of the organizational culture in order to be effective. Creating a handbook that outlines rules and regulations regarding diversity, ensuring that employees are familiar with the policies and reinforcing these priorities in regular staff meetings can be an essential part of building diversity into the culture.   

It is also important to follow these five tips:

• Make diversity a priority during the hiring process
• Create clear policies that are inclusive
• Provide diversity training to employees
• Find ways to support effective communication
• Encourage positive interactions among employees

Managing a Diverse Workforce

Once you have taken steps to create diversity in your business and establish a clear company culture, there is still work to be done. You will need to be proactive about managing your diverse workforce. Here are some steps you can take to continue to manage diversity:

• Educate your leadership 
• Create a council to oversee inclusion
• Find ways to recognize and celebrate diversity
• Be open to employee feedback
• Host more effective meetings
• Establish clear goals and measure progress

Incorporating these practices into business can help you better manage diversity and enjoy all its benefits.

While diversity plays an important role in all businesses, it is especially vital to the success of companies in the hospitality industry. Fortunately, there are specific steps that can be taken to both create and manage diversity when it comes to both employees and customers. Taking these steps will improve the customer experience while also driving creativity, innovation and productivity.

What is diversity in the hospitality industry? 

The hospitality industry is unique in that it naturally operates in a space of multiculturalism with diverse clientele. Recognizing and fostering diversity in this field means valuing and celebrating the differences among both workers and customers and how these factors might impact their experience.

How can diversity be good for the hospitality industry? 

Diversity is the perfect way to bring in fresh new perspectives and improve communication and innovation while also increasing productivity.

Why is the hospitality industry considered diverse and complex? 

The hospitality industry has employees and clients who come from a wide range of backgrounds, which creates a diverse set of needs. In addition, the industry consists of a complex web of different services that can’t necessarily be separated from one another.

What is culture in the hospitality industry? 

Organizational culture reflects the mission and priorities of the company, which ultimately affect the experience of employees and clients. That is why it is important to be deliberate about cultivating a specific culture that celebrates diversity.

How can the restaurant ensure new and existing employees are informed in regards to culturally and socially inclusive work practices in the future? 

It is the responsibility of the restaurant to create a company handbook that clearly outlines rules and policies along with a system of consequences if these rules aren’t followed. Every employee should be required to read and understand the handbook and all the information should be repeated and reinforced at regular staff meetings.  

How do you manage diversity effectively? 

Hire a diverse workforce, establish policies that support inclusivity, require diversity training, make communication as easy as possible and find ways to encourage interaction.

How do you promote an inclusive environment? 

Educate leadership, create a committee to oversee inclusion, celebrate difference and diversity, welcome feedback from employees,make meetings more effective, establish clear goals and measure progress.

Why do we need to be aware of cultural differences? 

A lack of awareness can lead to poor decision making that could have significant consequences. Cultural awareness provides valuable insights that increase the chances of making well considered decisions. 

What are some of the benefits and challenges of cultural diversity in an organization? 

Collaborators from different cultures may be hesitant to speak up and share their ideas. Cultural differences can also make team integration difficult, especially when these differences lead to varying work styles. Professional communication can be difficult across languages and cultures. However, the benefits of diversity include: more perspectives which can drive innovation, more accurate market targeting, the opportunity to offer a broader range of products and services, the ability to attract top talent, and a more productive and profitable company.