We recently surveyed our audience on how they think the hospitality industry supports diversity and inclusion efforts and how a diverse and inclusive workplace can help better the hospitality experience for guests and employees. 

Through our data, we found that although the majority of our respondents, 65.5%, believe that the hospitality industry is more diverse than other industries and 43.7% of respondents think their workplaces are on par with the overall industry. 

Although the majority view the industry as a diverse employer, diversity in upper management roles is very low. 

How much diversity is there currently in upper management?

When asked about career advancement, 54% of our respondents say the industry presents equal opportunities regardless of an employee’s race, religion, national origin, gender, ability, or age. Those who identified as White (63.5 percent) and Hispanic (64 percent) make up the majority, while only 33% of those who identified as Black or African American and 47.1% of those who identified as Asian agree. Additional responses state that the ability to advance is tied to representation in management at the company.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 Current Population Survey, about 80.9% of hospitality management positions are held by White workers, versus the 7% held by Black or African American workers. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also reported that diversity in upper management has been declining year after year. In 2007, 29% of upper management positions were held by people of color and in 2015, it decreased to 19%.

Why should hospitality companies diversify upper management?

Hospitality gives both employees and guests an opportunity to understand new cultural experiences, and interact with people of different cultures, religions, races, ages, gender and more. 

Having a diverse workforce allows guests to form more personal connections throughout their experience and feel that they are represented. A diverse upper management team can be a reason that guests decide to encourage a particular company over another, or can ensure that all marketing, messaging and the overall guest experience is inclusive of all guests and employees. 

A diverse upper management team can also yield more potential solutions. Everyone has overcome challenges with a different approach usually influenced by their own individual backgrounds, which can bring new perspectives to the table.  

When potential employees, future hospitality students and guests see a diverse upper management team, it also shows progression and improvement from that company. It also paves the way for future generation of diverse hospitality leaders and gives equal opportunities to employees and future employees, helping to motivate employees to make it to the top. 

How do we make diversity happen?

Having more diversity in upper management begins with creating more opportunities for diverse employees to move up in the organizations. 

Companies can create mentorship programs for diverse employees, or partner with organizations that already provide these programs, like the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD), the Latino Hotel Association and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA). Mentorship programs can make employees aware of leadership opportunities and give them the training to work their way up to upper management positions. 

Since education is increasingly required for advancement opportunities, hospitality companies should recruit more diverse candidates from schools such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities with hospitality programs, or work with organizations such as the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH), which host conferences and career fairs to establish relationships between hospitality companies and students of color. 

Companies can also look into creating tuition assistance or reimbursement programs for employees who would like to pursue higher education opportunities but are not financially capable on their own. Creating education opportunities for current or potential employees will also recruit more diverse candidates. 

Lastly, companies can implement anti-bias training for employees, specifically upper management. Anti-bias training can eradicate any bias present in the workplace, creating an equal opportunity for advancement for all employees. 

Diversifying upper management in hospitality is the first and most important step to not only diversifying the rest of the industry, but to create more advancement opportunities for future candidates at all levels in the industry.