Report finds ongoing 'barriers for progression for Black, Asian and Ethnic minorities to move upwards' in the hospitality sector

Racism in the workplace is of high concern for hospitality workers in the UK, as a lack of training and support is offered to tackle its impact on Black, Asian and Mixed Ethnicity workers, a survey has found

Be Inclusive Hospitality's second Inside Hospitality Report collected anonymous responses from 1,000 professionals across the industry, polling them about their careers in hospitality and their experiences of racism, diversity and inclusion and education. Amid the findings, it noted "worryingly high levels of concern" about the impact of racism in the workplace.

A lack of support and a hindrance to career progression

Almost four out of 10 respondents of mixed ethnicity reported experiencing or witnessing racism in their current place of work, and similar percentages were reported by Black (37 percent) and Asian (28 percent) individuals.

Among them, only 23 percent of Asian, 16 percent of Black and 12 percent of mixed-race respondents were offered wellbeing support after experiencing or witnessing racism at work. 

Just 1 in 5 of all surveyed stated they had access to workshops about anti-racism, race or language. This is despite the fact that half of them vocalised an interest in attending these kinds of workshops.

In a similar vein, Asian and Black senior leaders reported feeling unsupported by their employers regarding career progression as compared to their peers - with under 40 percent reporting they felt they were ‘very well’ or ‘well’ supported, compared to 65 percent of white senior leaders.

Furthermore, many reported that ethnicity is likely to hinder one's career progression: 43 percent of Black respondents said so, as did 37 percent of Asian professionals polled, and 28 percent of the mixed-race individuals asked.

By comparison, only 7 percent of white respondents believed that ethnicity was likely to hinder a person's career progress.

There is a way forward

Beyond reporting on the industry's issues, the report was devised to act as an industry resource, building an account of the current status quo with regards to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in hospitality in order to outline the steps business leaders can take to implement necessary changes.

Underlining the constructive nature of the work, founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality and industry leader Lorraine Copes said: "The time is now for the hospitality industry to stop and consider if it wants to be a sector where all employees and businesses can develop and build successful futures."

"Sadly, the findings confirm what I have observed over the past 20 years, which is there are barriers for progression for Black, Asian and Ethnic minorities to move upwards, and sector leaders should act now to remove them."

Read the full report here.