A recent survey reveals that organizations within the travel and hospitality industry need to expand upon and improve their efforts to create more gender-diverse workplaces where all staff have access to the same career advancement opportunities and compensation.

The findings were part of a recent workplace gender diversity study conducted by Women Leading Travel & Hospitality, NAPCO Research, and the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration’s Center for Hospitality Research. The report was based upon the survey results of a wide sample of industry participants, including across job levels and verticals. The survey data offers a benchmark of the current state of the industry, while the report also includes action items leaders can take based upon that data.

Here’s a summary of recommendations uncovered by the survey data for industry organizations to consider pursuing to create a more gender-diverse workplace:

  • Include women in decisions regarding diversity and inclusion policies and programs. The survey revealed that female and male respondents have different workplace and advancement experiences and perceptions. By including a diverse mix of voices in the conversation it ensures that DEI programs meet and address real needs of female employees, not perceived issues.
  • Identify and adjust compensation disparities between male and female employees. There are compelling reasons for organizations to assess their compensation practices and take an intentional approach to pay equity. Organizations that pay women less than men may lose valuable talent and face challenges in recruiting top talent. Equitable compensation is a requirement for creating a gender-diverse workforce.
  • Invest in programs that support working parents. Respondents scored their organizations the lowest on availability of programs designed to support working parents, such as flex time, dependent care flexible spending, childcare referral services, and on-site childcare. These types of programs are attractive to job seekers and employees who don’t want to sacrifice career advancement for family.
  • Eliminate recruiting and hiring biases to attract diverse and qualified talent. Survey results show practices to hire diverse staff are lacking. Creating a gender-diverse workforce starts with hiring, so mitigating bias early on in the hiring process is important. For example, an immediate step your organization can take is to implement gender-neutral or race-neutral resume review processes.

Download the full report for additional data that supports these findings as well as more actions that leaders can take to achieve positive DEI change within their organizations and across the industry.