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e at PwC are delighted to be contributing to this report. The analysis and perspectives provide invaluable insight into how far the hospitality, travel and leisure (HTL) sector have come on diversity and inclusion and, crucially, how to accelerate progress. The closures, travel restrictions and financial losses resulting from Covid-19 mean that inclusion and diversity might not always be front of management’s mind. But we believe that they’ve never been more critical. Key priorities include managing the impact of reduced hours and job losses on the most economically vulnerable workers, many of whom are women or people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Clearly, there are tough calls to be made within businesses facing severe stress. But it’s important to ensure that these decisions are informed and fair from an inclusion and diversity perspective. If not, it is not just workers, but workforce cohesion and consumer brands that will suffer. Similarly, many parents and carers working from home or on furlough have faced significant challenges in looking after loved ones, while carrying out their professional responsibilities and safeguarding their wellbeing. Understanding, communication, and support from employers are vital. How, then, have HTL organisations risen to these challenges and what does this tell us about how to strengthen inclusion and diversity? To find out, we surveyed 1,500 HTL employees, including women, carers and people from BAME communities. The questions explored their experiences over these difficult past few months, the extent to which they felt supported by their employers, and whether they felt their safety was being sufficiently protected as businesses began to open up. With Black Lives Matter heightening the focus on racial discrimination, we also asked employees about their organisation’s response to the movement and its aims.
To employers’ credit, many employees were positive about their experience. But a significant proportion were not. Many felt forgotten through long months of furlough and unsafe as they started going back to work. Underlying issues included a lack of data to inform the impact of decisions in areas such as furlough or redundancy on potentially vulnerable sections of the workforce. It’s difficult to say whether decisions are fair without this information. We conclude the chapter by outlining what we see as the lessons learned and the way forward from here. Yes, the pandemic has been a test for inclusion and diversity. But it could also prove to be a turning point. I am convinced that not only will workers benefit from being part of genuinely inclusive and diverse organisations, but that these companies can rebound more quickly and more strongly as a result. If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this research, please feel free to get in touch.
Katy Bennett
People and Organisation Director PwC UK
