A foundation to promote diversity in the UK leisure and hospitality industries was launched yesterday in London.
The One and All Foundation, which aims to ensure equality and equal opportunities in the hospitality, travel and tourism sectors, was officially opened by employment and welfare reform minister Stephen Timms.
He welcomed the creation of the foundation, and said employers need to capitalise on the full potential of the diverse workforce.
“These industries are already ahead of the curve, and have a great history of offering opportunities, so I’m confident they have a bright future ahead,” said Timms at the opening.
Peter Lederer, head of the One and All Foundation and chairman of luxury resort Gleneagles, said the foundation would encourage the monitoring of workforces, but said they would not support quotas.
“We are missing out on critical pools of talent currently working within our business, and if we can’t understand or engage them, they will move on,” said Lederer. “This is not about positive discrimination, or more red tape, but recognising talent and nurturing it to give our industry the best workforce in the future.”
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Karen Shotbolt, HR director for food service provider SSP, said she thought the foundation’s goals would help the industry.
“Their concept of setting not just an HR direction but an operational business direction will be essential to success across all sectors,” she told Personnel Today.
