The British Columbia Hotel Association is wholeheartedly committed to creating a fair, equitable, and safe tourism and hospitality industry for all individuals regardless of their race, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, disability status, or any other dimension of diversity. Decisive action and an unwavering commitment to equality for all is necessary to drive positive change and we each have a personal accountability to achieve this. Our diversity initiatives and strategies are designed to create more opportunities and build an inclusive and diverse future, where all voices are heard and valued.
In February 2021, the BCHA joined the 50 – 30 Challenge—an initiative between the Government of Canada, business, and diversity organizations–to improve access, for historically under-represented individuals, to positions of influence and leadership on corporate boards and in senior management.
With a sincere commitment to adopt practices that will accelerate equity and create opportunity for future generations, the BCHA Board of Directors committed to meet criteria, with board representation that involves 50 percent gender parity and significant representation, at least 30 percent, of racialized persons, persons living with disabilities, individuals who identify as LGBTQ+2, as well as First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
We are pleased to share that on November 15, 2022 at our Annual General Meeting, the BCHA fulfilled this goal. Please CLICK HERE for our press release celebrating our 2022 Board of Directors and this achievement.
MORE INFORMATION:
Click here to learn more and sign up for the 50-30 Challenge.
Explore resources and tools from our valued partners aimed at building a fair and equitable industry, free of bias
[Content Warning: Sexual Harassment] Safer Spaces: Creating Sexual Harassment Free Workplaces in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry is a three-year initiative developed by go2HR with support from Justice Canada to raise awareness about and help prevent sexual harassment in tourism and hospitality workplaces. The Safer Spaces initiative has two foundational components:
WHY TAKE SAFER SPACES?
STATISTICS
Safer Spaces hopes to challenge and change our industry by providing easy access to training and resources on the topic and raising awareness about preventing sexual harassment in BC’s workplaces.
The Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality (WORTH) Association has released a Gender Equity Audit for the workplace.
The audit was developed by WORTH, based on a workshop in November 2021 with 50 industry professionals, where CapU students, The Sociable Scientist, and WORTH Board of Directors led participants through a series of discussions on inclusion, rewards, advancement, retention, flexibility and fair treatment.
In the first study of its kind in BC, the organizations determined recommendations and best practices on how to collectively support the empowerment of women in the tourism industry.
WORTH Association and the BCHA strongly encourage organizations to perform this self-audit to understand how to retain and develop women of recreation, tourism, and hospitality.
The Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality (WORTH) Association is the first society in B.C. dedicated to advancing women in the recreation, tourism, and hospitality industries. WORTH provides complimentary (or minimally priced) networking and educational events, skills training, mentorship programs, and leadership resources to keep women focused on their career ambitions.
This year, it’s free to become a member and stay connected and supported with the newsletter, events, and resources.
Organizations measure what they want to improve, so if hiring people with disabilities is a priority for you as an employer, measuring disability is a key place to start.
The Make it Count: Measuring for Disability Inclusion in Your Workplace is a practical guide for employers looking to measure the rate of disability in their workplaces. Based on interviews with Presidents Group members, AccissibleEmployers.ca drew upon the real world experience of BC based employers in the creation of this guide, measuring disability—including the most common barriers faced, lessons learned, and innovative solutions implemented during their own measurement initiatives.
Download a free copy of the Make it Count Guide to create a disability measurement initiative that fits the unique context of your organization
ACE-WIL has put together a fantastic toolkit for employers and hiring managers looking to incorporate diversity and inclusion into their workplace. The Six Tools for Diversity in Work Integrated Learning (WIL) supports employers in attracting, hiring, and onboarding Students from International Pathways (SFIP).
The toolkit aims to:
The online toolkit brings together resources about current practices, the value that diversity brings to the workplace supports for onboarding and hiring, and techniques on coaching students on Canadian workplace norms.
Not only is having LGBT+-friendly policies in your company the right thing to do – it’s also good for business. That’s why Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, with Tourism HR Canada, have collaborated to launch the Rainbow Registered LGBT+ Friendly Accreditation Program.
What Does it Mean to be Rainbow Registered?
Rainbow Registered is a national accreditation for LGBT+ friendly businesses and organizations. When you see a Rainbow Registered symbol, you know the business or organization meets a stringent set of standards to ensure LGBT+ customers feel safe, welcomed, and accepted.
The accreditation program grants a time-limited recognition to businesses and organizations for demonstrating compliance with the quality standard. Accredited businesses are deemed market ready for the LGBT+ customer and given the right to be associated with the program’s prestigious Rainbow Registered designation mark.
SuperHost® Service For All™ is an e-learning course created by go2HR. Whether visitors or locals, your customers are a mosaic of different backgrounds and identities; a “one-size-fits-all” service approach won’t work. Our world and needs are changing, and your service delivery should be too! A personalized approach focused on meeting each customer’s unique needs is the marker of successful, inclusive customer service.
Key topics of SuperHost® Service For All™ include:
SuperHost® by go2HR is a suite of quality, affordable customer service training courses for frontline employees. Recognized as the standard for customer service excellence in BC since 1985, SuperHost offers relevant, up-to-date content and best practices that meet employers’ and customers’ current needs and expectations.
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