Newsletter 24th February
WiHTL & Diversity in Retail
Supporting companies across the HTL and Retail industry to create diverse and inclusive environments
We are delighted to share a fascinating panel discussion that Tea Colaianni, our Founder and Chair, held in advance of the next FTSE Women Leaders Review Report on gender leadership in British business due out on Tuesday 28th February. A huge thank you to Carl Cowling , CEO WHSmith , Fiona Eastwood , COO Merlin Entertainments , Kate Seljeflot , CPO Kingfisher plc and Patrick Coveney , CEO SSP Group plc , for sharing their perspectives and for their sheer conviction and determination in driving gender balance and diversity as a whole across their organisations.
As our panellists observe, the moral and business case for diversity is overwhelming and is central to attracting talent, creating high performance and building successful businesses for the future.
We are thrilled to share with you the agenda topics for our upcoming Employee Network Groups (ENG) Virtual Conference, taking place on the afternoon of Tuesday 14th March 2023.
Panel 1, Connecting the Community: How to Drive Employee Network Group Engagement
Case study, Structuring for Success: The Role and Upskilling of Employee Network Group Leads
Panel 2, Intersectionality: Maximising inclusivity through Employee Network Groups
Networking
Panel 3, Executive Sponsors: How to measure the Success and Business Impact of Employee Network Groups
International Women's Day and Women's History Month 2023. Taking place in the month of March this year’s theme of Women's History Month is 'Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories'.
We will be capturing the stories of some of the fabulous women who have either taken part in our development programmes or have been role models to other Women as part of our roundtable discussions. Please keep an eye out for these being shared on our social media channels and newsletter over the whole month of March.
February marks LGBT+ History Month 2023 and this year’s theme is #BehindTheLens, to celebrate talented LGBT+ people’s contributions to cinema and film.
As our focus is on the Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail industries, we have decided to 'adapt' this year’s theme and celebrate the LGBT+ people in our community who are driving change in the DE&I space.
In light of this, Kirsty Clarke , Operations Manager at Arc Inspirations got in touch to let us know about Rowan Barr, the Deputy General Manager at Manahatta Deansgate in Manchester, who she believes deserves special recognition for his contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Read Rowan’s story in this article.
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Member News for the Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail sectors
Congratulations to Whitbread and Wickes who have both been awarded gold accreditation and ranked number one for their sector in Stonewalls 'Top 100 Employers 2023' list. The list recognises exceptional employers who are committed to supporting their LGBTQ+ staff and customers. Well done to both on being recognised for all their hard work.
Congratulations to Compass Group UK & Ireland , Rare Restaurants and Sodexo . All three companies have been shortlisted for the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Award at the 2023 Springboard ‘Awards for Excellence’. A well-deserved recognition for each of these companies and their commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. We wish them all the best when the winner is announced!
Congratulations to Holly Pendlebury who has been announced as the new Chair of Sweaty Betty 's DEI Committee. Speaking on why she got involved Holly said ‘I have lots of personal reasons why I try to advocate for better representation, diversity and inclusivity but I’d love to champion the idea that you don’t need to belong to, relate to or be connected to a minority or marginalised group to make a difference and be an ally'.
DE&I Industry News
Starbucks has partnered with TOTM (Time of the Month) to provide period products at work after their Women’s Impact Network presented a solution to business leaders as part of a wider initiative to break down the many taboos relating to periods and help improve period dignity in the workplace.
Speaking on the announcement Holly Clarke, Chair of Starbucks Women’s Impact Network EMEA, said: “The difference that providing free sanitary products can make to our partners' experience at work is staggering, helping to improve accessibility for all and remove anxieties we know many people face around periods, especially when at work”.
Research shows 80% of people who experience periods say they worry about it at work. Providing this support for employees helps to alleviate many things, including period poverty and impact on mental health, so today's announcement from Starbucks UK is a huge step in the right direction for the hospitality sector. We'd love to see others in the industry take a similar stance and work towards eradicating period poverty across the UK.
Inclusion Tip
"My number one tip for culture change:
Call it out.
Call out misbehaviour when or immediately after you witness it.
Even when it’s uncomfortable.
Especially when it’s uncomfortable.
Things don’t change unless we change them.
Bias doesn’t change unless we acknowledge it.
Behaviour doesn’t change unless we challenge it."