28.09.2021, 14:10
National Inclusion Week 2021
UK Caterer Bartlett Mitchell has committed to initiatives focused on equality, diversity and inclusion at the start of National Inclusion Week.
Celebrated in several countries, the ninth anniversary of the week-long programme of events is being organised under the theme of ‘unity’. By participating in Inclusion Week, organisations are joining the Inclusive Employers team and thousands of inclusioneers worldwide as we take action to be #UnitedForInclusion.
In 2020, 16 million participants connected with the event, which embraced the theme, ‘Each One, Reach One’. #UnitedForInclusion is an evolution of the 2020 theme and of the connections that were made.
By subscribing to The Prince’s Responsible Business Network’s Business in the Community (BICT) ‘Race at Work’ Charter, the ‘Diversity Charter’ published by WiHTL (a global initiative to facilitate the recruitment of women and people from ehnic minorities across the hospitality, travel and leasure sectors), and the government of the United Kingdom’s ‘Disability Confident’ scheme, the Bartlett Mitchell is embracing recommendations made by a ED&I Steering Committee it launched in July 2020 to tackle diversity issues and foster a more inclusive workplace for its teams, customers and clients.
Led by Sandra Kerr CBE, the Race at Work Charter requires signatories to make five commitments, ranging from appointing an executive sponsor for race, capturing ethnicity data and publicising progress, committing at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying, making clear that supporting equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all leaders and taking action that supports ethnic minority career progression.
WiHTL’s Diversity Charter is devoted to increasing women’s and ethnic minorities’ representation at all levels and in leadership positions across hospitality, travel and leisure. As part of its 10-point charter, Bartlett Mitchell has committed to a wide range of actions, including supporting the progression of women into senior roles by focusing on the executive and the mid-tier level pipeline, publishing its Gender Pay Gap annually, and ensuring that it works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to tackle barriers to diversity.
By signing up to the government’s ‘Disability Confident’ employer scheme, Bartlett Mitchell is committing to challenging attitudes towards disability, increasing understanding of disability in the workplace, removing barriers to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, and ensuring that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.
Bartlett Mitchell aims to use the week-long initiative to act as a platform to profile its new commitments, and highlight its ongoing work in the area.
Murray Soper, Talent & Team Manager, explains: “We are delighted to sign three huge important agreements directly aiming to address diversity challenges facing our sector.
“Moving forward, the focus is to expand our activity and to include the additional measuring and monitoring of our own team, enabling us to understand our own diversity profile even further. We aim to continue in a more informed way to remove barriers to recruitment, retention and advancement of underrepresented groups across our business.”
Author
