Goodwin & Associates Blog
The most trusted name in hospitality.Archive for Diversity In Hospitality
Great new quote from the Women’s Foodservice Forum!
Alice Murray, the President of the Women’s Foodservice Forum (www.womensfoodserviceforum.com) had the following to say about our website, www.WomenInHospitality.com;
“Recent studies of the U.S. workplace prove undeniably that gender balanced leadership positively impacts businesses’ bottom lines. The Women’s Foodservice Forum’s (WFF) goal is to develop leadership skills for women in all segments of the foodservice industry. We support WomenInHospitality.com in their commitment to bring more women into the foodservice industry and to help them advance in their careers.”
Some great insight from a great organization!
Bonuses for Diversity Hiring
David Farkas
Bonuses for Diversity Hiring
August 14, 2008
One of the great things about covering restaurants is the chance to talk to industry people of all stripes. Last night, for example, a veteran human resources executive called to tell me about compensation trends (too late, alas, I’d filed the story) at her company, which I won’t name because the conversation wasn’t on the record. But she seemed in a talkative mood and given her reputation and experience I was only too happy to oblige despite the fact the story was finally off my desk.
One of the things we talked about was “diversity.” It’s still a topic of concern among operators, if only because no restaurant company wants to run afoul of the EEOC or worse, the public, which could very boycott a chain that give the appearance of failing to hiring people of color.
She said her company, a leader in its segment, by the way, has for several years been giving bonuses multi-unit supervisors who hire female and minority managers. She couldn’t tell me the percentage “diversity” hiring accounted for but she did say the incentive piece was enough to make a difference.
That surprised me a little, and it made me wonder if other restaurant companies bonused multi-unit managers for hiring female, black, Latinos, or Asian managers. I’ve know of only one other company — a fine-dining operator — that just this year made something similar part of its GM compensation.
In that case, however, the bonus depended partly on increasing market share by way of minorities.
Does your company bonuses managers for hiring people of color as managers? If so, can you furnish details of the incentive plan? I’m eager to find out more.
Posted by David Farkas on August 14, 2008 | Comments (0)
Networking online and off-line: I appreciate the opportunity to be interviewed byNation’s Restaurant News
Networking online and off-line
By Nora Caley
Networking used to mean handing out business cards at Chamber of Commerce events. While those face-to-face meetings are still valuable in a job search, there are also some high-tech ways to meet people who might help you find a job.
Eric Goodwin, president of the recruiting firm Goodwin and Associates in Concord, N.H., says there is a place for networking in person, as long as it’s done in a way that is genuine and authentic.
“The best relationships happen naturally and organically,” he says. “There is always one person in the room who is busting out their business cards. I don’t think that’s appreciated by business people.”
Goodwin says websites like LinkedIn.com are a great way to network. At LinkedIn, people sign up for free, then find a person they want to meet by connecting with friends and friends of friends who can eventually lead them to that contact.
There are also social sites such as Facebook and MySpace, in which people can meet online. He says Goodwin and Associates has partnered with Facebook to create a site where restaurant professionals can communicate with each other.
“Hospitality folks can share war stories, recommend books and wine, and exchange ideas,” he says. “They can develop mentor relationships.”
There are also newer online communities that are specifically for foodservice workers. Bite-Club.com offers posts that people can respond to and has a job board and events calendar. FohBoh.com is a site that offers chats, blogs and comments, so foodservice workers can offer their opinions about topics that range from food prices to charitable causes. There is also a job board.
“For people who have been downsized, I would get involved as quickly as I can with some of these online sites,” Goodwin says. “Some jobs aren’t posted, and some are becoming available shortly but are not currently public, so someone may know a friend who knows a friend.”
As for old fashioned, in-person networking, there are opportunities in traditional and untraditional places. Suzi LeBlanc, director of human resources with Fifth Group Restaurants in Atlanta, says some people network everywhere, from a bank line to the gym.
“For industry networking, I prefer wine tastings and wine-oriented events, which tend to bring out many of my peers,” she says. “I like the quarterly Midtown Alliance meetings to meet nonindustry folk.”
Check with your state restaurant association to see if it has local chapters for various cities or regions. Those smaller chapters often host mixers and luncheons. Some are open to nonmembers.
Finally, there is always temp work. Some hotels and restaurants hire contract workers or temporary employees to staff a banquet or other event. You might be able to meet industry people and make some money while pouring wine or helping to plate a thousand entrées.
2008 Nation’s Restaurant News. All Rights Reserved.
The MFHA Multicultural Talent Summit–Support It and Get Involved, Pass the Word!!
August 10 – 12, 2008
The Fairmont Hotel
Chicago, Illinois
The MFHA Multicultural Talent Summit
is a highly interactive two-day event.
The program is designed to engage
industry leaders and talent acquisition
professionals in learning and planning
breakthrough strategies to recruit, retain
and advance multicultural talent.
OBJECTIVES
• Launch the MFHA strategic
vision: Mission 20/20
• Equip participants with an
action plan to accelerate
their talent development
and outreach efforts
• Present talent development
success models
• Deliver professional
development training for
minority and non-minority
talent
• Provide insights about next
generation talent
TARGET AUDIENCE
•Human Resource
Executives & Managers
• Talent Acquisition &
Talent Management
Officers
• Diversity & Inclusion
Managers
• Senior Staff Managing
Multicultural Teams
• Non-Minority
Managers Leading
Multicultural Teams
AGENDA
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2008
9:00 am – 8:00 pm
REGISTRATION / CHECK-IN
MFHA INFORMATION/PLANNING
• Regional Council Meetings
• MFHA Products / Services
• www.whatsnext4me.com
• 2009 Showcase of the Stars sign-up
PROJECT IMPLICIT MASTER MIND SESSION
• Project Implicit is an educational research in a virtual
laboratory where participants examine their own
hidden biases to help improve recruiting results.
• Participants who participate in this session must
pre-register and complete an assessment at the
MFHA-Project Implicit virtual laboratory:
www.projectimplicit.net.
• This session aims to improve recruiting results by
providing real insights about understanding attitudes,
biases, and stereotypes.
OPENING RECEPTION
AGENDA
MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2008
7:00 am – 9:00 pm
BREAKFAST
OPENING REMARKS FROM CO-CHAIRS
INTRODUCTION TO MFHA MISSION 20/20
Gerry Fernandez, President & Founder, MFHA
KEYNOTE: Professor Nat Irvin II.
Multicultural Futurist – A Look Into the
Future Workforce
VIDEO PRESENTATION: The Workforce of
the Future
RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS:
• The Workforce Report – The State of the Diverse
Workforce in Foodservice [The People Report]
• MFHA Employee of Color Engagement Survey Results
MFHA INSIGHT EXERCISE: Using “World Café”,
a facilitated group experience that includes
all attendees.
• Examine perceptions of the value proposition for
multicultural talent in the industry
• Document common themes
• Link and connect insights
LUNCH
TALENT PLANNING EXERCISE: Using “Open
Space Technology”, a facilitated group
experience targeting specific groups.
• Dicussions will focus on attraction, development,
and retention of multicultural talent.
• Tables organized in two categories:
– Corporate/Home Office
– Local or Property/ Unit/ Field
• Participants will examine case studies / best
practices and develop individualized talent
development templates (action plans)
TOWN HALL MEETING: Open Forum – Sharing of
learnings and insights
CLOSING SPEAKER: Examples of Talent Solutions
GALA COCKTAIL RECEPTION
MFHA LEADERSHIP & SCHOLARSHIP GALA
• Showcase of the Stars video
• Scholarship presentations
• MFHA Awards
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2008
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
OPENING SESSION: Highlights and Summary
of Previous Day
SUMMIT WORKSHOPS
• A Taste of Efficacy: Professional Development for
People of Color
Target Audience: Emerging Leaders / Mid-Level
Managers/ High Potentials
• Straight Talk for Diversity Leaders
Target Audience: Experienced Diversity Officers/
Directors/Managers
• What About Me? The Role of White Males in
Diversity Leadership
Target Audience: White Male Leaders
• So…What’s Different About Managing
People of Color
Target Audience: Unit-level, District, Region and
Corporate Operations Managers
CLOSING SPEAKER: “How to Have the Hard
Conversations”
CLOSING REMARKS
POST SUMMIT OPTIONS
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
WOMEN OF COLOR LUNCHEON
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
(repeat of morning Summit Workshops with
additional content)
To register visit w w w.mfha.net
CORPORATE MEMBERS 2008
To register log on to www.mfha.net
FOOD AND BEVERAGE MAGAZINE ENDORSES SITE AND INITIATIVES OF WWW.DIVERSITYINHOSPITALITY.COM AND WWW.WOMENINHOSPITALITY.COM
“Here at Food & Beverage Magazine, we pride ourselves on the fact we deliver the most hard-hitting and accurate journalism possible from both the entertainment and food service industries. But it’s not an easy task. To accomplish our difficult mission, we need resources as well as allies we can trust and respect implicitly. The staff of WomenInHosptality.com and DiversityInHospitality.com sites absolutely command that level of respect. Theirs is the most admirable of goals — to promote multiculturalism and diversity and create an even playing field for women trying to succeed in the food service industry. What could be nobler? What could be more ambitious?”
Michael Politz
Publisher & Owner
Food and Beverage Magazine
Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association Endorses DiversityInHospitality.com and WomenInHospitality.com!
“The Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association recognizes the ever changing face of our industry. In order for businesses to be successful, it is imperative that we embrace all cultures, races, ethnicities and genders. From hiring employees to marketing to customers, those businesses that are culturally competent will reap the benefits of their inclusionary practices.”
Mike Cashion
Executive Director
Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association
www.msra.org
Hong Kong Chef’s Association Endorses DiversityInHospitality.com and WomenInHospitality.com!
“The Hong Kong Chefs Association readily adopts the mission of
celebrating diversity as a whole allowing chefs to be individuals
first without arbitrary prejudicial measurement or segregation.
A chef is a chef is a chef, as professionals and as human beings.”
Rudy Muller
President
Hong Kong Chefs Association
http://www.hongkong-chefs.com
the best practices of a diverse organization
Best Practices: Traits of a Diverse Organization
What does it mean to be a diverse organization? Consider the following:
Diverse organizations recognize that:
• A diverse organization’s culture is based on inclusion and not just on representation.
• Diversity is a mindset, a continuous process and a way of doing business—not a one day program or two hour training.
• Diversity is proactive and always imperative. It does not only become important when there is a discrimination complaint.
They reflect their commitment to diversity in many ways:
• Top management endorses and actively champions the company’s diversity initiatives. It is not solely an HR function.
• Culture change is driven by the CEO and others in the executive suite.
• Diversity—in the form of inclusion—is reflected in the mission and vision of the organization.
• Diversity is integrated into the overall business strategy.
• There is visible diversity at all levels of the organization.
• While visible diversity is a benchmark, the organization uses a broad definition of diversity to include the unique skills and talents of each individual.
• Everyone is seen as part of the organization’s diversity and the goal is to make everyone’s needs and concerns a part of the mainstream diversity effort.
• Compensation is tied to diversity efforts.
• Employees are recruited from a diverse pool of candidates.
• Company recruiters are trained in bias reduction so that they don’t choose candidates based on assumptions and stereotypes.
• Diversity is reflected in company literature, website, and any photos or artwork on the walls. Language in printed material is inclusive and speaks to everyone regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, or any other diversity dimension.
Diverse Organizations create systems and processes to manage diversity:
• There are processes in place to resolve conflicts and prevent miscommunication that can be costly to the organization.
• There is a system in place to communicate openings and opportunities throughout the organization.
• Affinity groups are sponsored and attended by people from different backgrounds.
• Opportunities for cross-cultural mentoring exist and are encouraged.
They also know how to leverage the diversity they have:
• The organization draws from the wide range of experiences and perspectives to find more creative solutions to problems and be more innovative in developing new products and services.
• The unique skills and experiences of each individual are leveraged to help make the organization and employee more successful.
• People from different races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions and physical abilities are seen as resources for different markets, but not necessarily sent to those markets to represent the organization.
As a result, Diverse Organizations create effective and comfortable environments where:
• Each person has an equal chance to show what they can do.
• All people feel included and are able to do their best work for the organization.
• People are comfortable and able to relate to employees and customers from backgrounds different than their own.
• People are comfortable discussing differences and similarities with each other.
• Employees from different backgrounds feel included in the mission, vision and the organization itself.
• People from different cultures and backgrounds interact and share ideas and resources as opposed to clustering with only people who look and think like them.
• The organization is known as a place where all kinds of people succeed. It acts as a magnet that draws in diverse talent.
learn more at www.diversityinhospitality.com
Important Endorsement for DiversityInHospitality.com from Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance President Gerry Fernandez
“MFHA promotes the career and entrepreneurial opportunities in the food and hospitality industry to diverse and multicultural audiences. We have been working with DiversityInHospitality.com since the launch of the site. We have been very impressed with the professionalism and commitment of Eric Goodwin and Brian Calderone. They are truly committed to diversity and their websites will add value to the industry’s diversity discussion.”
Gerald A. Fernandez, President
MFHA (Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance)
1144 Narragansett Boulevard
Providence, RI 02905-4012
401.461.6343- direct
“Live strong and make every second count for something
for tomorrow is not promised to anyone.”
A quick Summary of our endorsements for WomenInHospitality.com and DiversityInHospitality.com
Endorsements
What others are saying about DiversityInHospitality.com and WomenInDiversity.com…
“The Women’s Foodservice Forum’s goal is to develop gender diverse leadership talent for all segments of the foodservice industry. Research suggests that gender balanced leadership positively impacts the bottom line. Hiring, retaining and promoting a gender-balanced workforce takes time and commitment – especially at the entry-level, the pool of new talent which ultimately feed middle management. We support WomenInHospitality.com in their commitment to bring more women into the food service industry and helping them move forward in their careers.”
—Mary Bentley
President
Women’s Foodservice Forum
www.womensfoodserviceforum.com/
“With over 1,500 members throughout the state of Virginia, it is essential that the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association embrace the mixture of ideas, morals and goals of each of our members. It is through this diversity that our members are able to learn from one another in an effort to promote opportunity and growth within the industry. The VHTA supports the aligned goals of www.DiversityinHospitality.com and www.WomenInHospitality.com and is grateful for their contribution to the hospitality industry and their influence on women in the workforce.”
—Diana L. Boxey
Marketing and Communications Manager
Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association
www.vhta.org
“The National Association of Professional Asian American Women (NAPAW), we strive to promote the social status by providing better educational and training opportunities and enhance leadership skills, personal/professional development, and occupational/business opportunities as well as well as encouraging them to actively pursue public issues. We greatly appreciate DiversityInHospitality.com and WomenInHospitality.com as they are a stepping stone to advancing our organization’s goals. Having these two websites available is a great advantage to the audience we are trying to reach and we here at the NAPAW are proud to support them.”
—Vivian Kim
National Association of Professional Asian American Women
www.napaw.org
“The motorcoach, tour and travel industry is as diverse in the make-up of its workforce as it is in the variety of destinations to which it travels. The American Bus Association applauds the visionary thinking behind DiversityInHospitality.com and WomenInHospitality.com as these two online communities establish a presence on the World Wide Web to recognize and celebrate the multicultural fabric of the hospitality industry. We look forward to working with these communities to promote workplace diversity in the hospitality industry, and to embrace the richness our melting pot of an industry provides to its customers.”
—Peter J. Pantuso
President & Chief Executive Officer
American Bus Association
www.buses.org
“The Hospitality Community is experiencing a paradigm shift with its Human Capital. Talent must be sourced, candidates informed, and credentials and aspirations shared. These sites provide that potential for all parties.”
—John Hendrie
Principal
Hospitality Performance
www.hospitalityperformance.com
“Being in the hospitality industry, I was so excited to hear about these dedicated resources to DiversityInHospitality and WomenInHospitality. As the hospitality industry continues to grow, this vehicle will be key to sourcing, retaining and developing a diverse workforce. These websites are truly on the leading edge and demonstrate a commitment to building a diverse industry.”
—Tina Ruiz
Senior Human Resources Manager
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated
www.cheesecakefactory.com
“Diversity and women in the work environment are not only exciting and stimulating, but beyond a doubt necessary. They bring together the differences that make the work atmosphere stronger and richer. It is the spark that ignites today’s market. Congratulations in advance to DiversityInHospitality.com and WomenInHospitality.com.”
—Barbara Rutman
Recruiting Coordinator
Uno Chicago Grill
www.unos.com
“As part of the world’s largest food company, Nestlé USA provides food and beverages to a broad consumer base. Because of this, diversity is our recipe for success. We are pleased to see websites like WomenInHospitality.com and DiversityInHospitality.com highlighting opportunities for diverse talent.”
—April Frerichs
Manager of Diversity & Recruiting
Nestle
www.nestlejobs.com
Contact your Account Executive to learn more about becoming a Corporate Partner and being a part of the “Strength Thru Diversity” movement. You can be included in this growing network of organizations that are improving the quality of service by transforming the quality of the hospitality industry job.
Contact Info
DiversityInHospitality.com · WomenInHospitality.com
Goodwin & Associates Hospitality Services, LLC
91A North State Street, Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603-223-0303, ext. 3
Fax: 603-462-2877
info@diversityinhospitality.com
