Juhi Pattrick, Director of Talent and Learning Department-Novotel Ahmedabad (Accor Group)

The hotel industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world, with an estimated global value of 550 billion. However, despite its vast size and scope, the industry still has a long way to go when it comes to embracing equality for women.

I personally believe that now time has come to have well designed pathway to mentor and grow females in hospitality, particularly in leadership roles. Although women make up a significant portion of the workforce, they are still underrepresented in management positions. In fact, only 5% of hotel CEOs are women, according to a 2018 study by McKinsey & Company.

To address this issue and being a Director – Talent and Culture, I always ensure and increase gender ratio in my hotel to actively embrace equality for women and create a culture that supports and encourages women to advance in their careers. In fact we should take pride for every action and steps to establish this culture.

Here are some ways in which the hotel industry can achieve this:

Implement gender-neutral recruitment and promotion practices

To ensure that women are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and promotion process, hotels should adopt gender-neutral recruitment and promotion practices. This includes eliminating gender-specific language from job descriptions, ensuring that all candidates are evaluated based on their skills and experience, and providing equal opportunities for professional development.

Provide mentorship and leadership programs for women

Hotels should establish mentorship and leadership programs specifically designed for women. These programs can provide female employees with the support and guidance they need to advance in their careers and develop the skills necessary to take on leadership roles.

Offer flexible working arrangements

Flexible working arrangements, such as telecommuting and flexible hours, can be particularly beneficial for women who may have caregiving responsibilities. By offering flexible working arrangements, hotels can ensure that women are not forced to choose between their careers and their families.

Address unconscious bias

Hotels should also take steps to address unconscious bias, which can negatively impact women’s career opportunities. This includes providing training to managers and employees on how to recognize and mitigate unconscious bias, and actively promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Provide equal pay and benefits

Finally, hotels should ensure that women are paid equally to their male counterparts for the same work. This includes offering the same benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans.

In conclusion, embracing equality for women in the hotel industry is not only the right thing to do, it is also good for business. By creating a culture that supports and encourages women to advance in their careers, hotels can attract and retain top talent, improve employee engagement and productivity, and ultimately, drive business success. Feel free to reach out if I can be of any help to establish and embrace equality for women culture in your respective field.

#ProudToBeWoman #CorporateWoman #DriveDiversityDriveSuccess #EmbraceEquality

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