TTG’s new Diversity Charter has been created to ensure that the travel sector is committed to embracing all forms of diversity. Sophie Griffiths explains why all travel firms should be signing.
TTG Media is proud to announce the launch of the TTG Diversity Charter – a pledge for the travel industry to create inclusive, accepting and welcoming environments for employees working across the sector.
The move follows the launch of TTG LGBT in 2015, a network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and allies working in travel. The charter will take this work a step further to include other aspects of inclusivity.
Since its inception, TTG LGBT has hosted several networking events featuring speakers from outside the industry, as well as two sell-out conferences, and has grown in popularity, attracting support from both LGBT people and allies from across the sector.
However an exclusive survey by TTG, conducted in partnership with Out Now Consulting earlier this year, revealed there is still work to be done to ensure that everyone working in travel feels comfortable being “out” and who they are.
Of the 35% of respondents to the survey who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, 8% said they were only out to a few colleagues, and 5% said they were not out to anyone. And of the 73% who said they were out to all their colleagues, 17% confessed they felt that they couldn’t come out at work for more than five years.
The TTG Diversity Charter is designed to address this: to ensure the travel sector is committed to embracing all forms of diversity and inclusion and that staff members working in the UK travel sector feel respected and valued.
The charter has been designed using European Union guidance and acknowledges the six protected grounds on which differential treatment should not be based, as defined by the EU. These include:
Download a copy of the charter and send us a photo of your company boss signing it.
Commenting on its launch, TTG editor Sophie Griffiths said: “We are incredibly lucky to work in a sector that is largely inclusive and welcoming of diversity, but the survey we conducted highlighted that there is still work to be done.
“It is well acknowledged that people perform better when they can be themselves. If you are not happy in your workplace – and having to hide who you are can surely not be an enjoyable thing – it stands to reason you will be less productive.
“It’s not enough just to talk about embracing diversity in travel; it’s about committing to it as an industry, and the TTG Diversity Charter is a key step in achieving this.”
TTG Media is asking the chief executives of all travel businesses to click the image above and download and print the charter, sign it and display it in their offices.
Companies should then email sgriffiths@ttgmedia.com to confirm it has been signed – with organisations which do so listed on ttgmedia.com – and send in photos of company chief executives signing the charter, which will be featured in TTG.
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