Having a diverse and inclusive workplace is about more than achieving a target number. DEI in hospitality benefits everyone associated with your company and provides an advantage for the business. It can make guests feel comfortable, foster innovation, creativity, and engagement among staff, and even increase company performance.

However, recruiting for an inclusive workplace can present a challenge. Not only are there laws to navigate, but many employers aren’t sure what goals to go after or how to know when they have achieved inclusion.

If this sounds like you, find out what you need to know about recruiting diverse hospitality candidates to help you build a thriving business.

Eliminate Unconscious Bias

Before you can recruit inclusively, you must be able to identify the unconscious barriers that may be stopping you from doing so.

Everyone has unconscious biases, but it’s important that your hiring team engage in training to help them recognize and eliminate them. This training shouldn’t just be another box to check. It should be an ongoing process that garners real-world results.

Once you and your team know about your unconscious biases, you can learn to spot them in your hiring practices. Perhaps there is language in your job description that isn’t inclusive or issues with your ability to accommodate people with disabilities. Whatever the issues, diversity training will help you figure out how to overcome them.

Expand Your Candidate Pool

When it comes to building your team, you may already have an ideal candidate in mind. While it is definitely important to know what skills and traits you need in your workforce to create an excellent experience for your guests, building diversity in hospitality workplaces will require you to be a little more flexible with your ideal candidate profile.

You may need to be more open to candidates who are from nontraditional backgrounds or emphasize hiring those with transferable skills. You may also need to expand your candidate pool by searching for potential employees in alternative places. For example, if you always post positions on the same job board, try looking for candidates at networking events or starting a referral program.

Survey Your Current Employees

If you want to recruit for diversity in hospitality, ask your employees how you can do a better job of making inclusivity part of your employer brand. What do they need to feel more valued and included at work? Was there anything that happened during the hiring or onboarding process that gave them pause or made them feel less than?

Do they feel they receive fair treatment in the workplace? Listen to what they have to say, and then implement the necessary changes to ensure your policies and practices reflect the kind of workplace you want to build. Aside from making concrete changes that further inclusivity, your employees will feel heard and supported.

Partner With a Recruiting Agency

A recruiting agency will do a lot of the heavy lifting for you when it comes to building an inclusive staff. A good agency will have a diverse group of hospitality professionals at their fingertips.

They can also provide you with valuable advice and guidance on navigating employment law when it comes to diversity. An agency will also be able to create a customized solution for you based on your organization’s needs and desires that will yield the results you want, possibly eliminating years of trial and error.

Building an Inclusive Workplace Is a Worthy Initiative

Although creating inclusivity in hospitality industry businesses is no doubt a challenge, it’s important for business owners to know that the work is worth it. It will ensure that employees feel respected and heard and help you look at critical issues through a range of perspectives.

If you need help building an inclusive workplace, our team at One Haus can help. Not only do we have access to a large and diverse network of experienced hospitality professionals looking for open positions, but we can assist you in navigating the complexities of crafting an inclusive workforce and culture in your organization.

Call us today to learn how we can support your recruiting efforts and help you build the organization you envision.