We pride ourselves on serving up quality steaks with none of the traditional steakhouse stuffiness. That means that everyone is welcome through our doors for great food and great service, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
This also goes far beyond the guests we cater for, it’s at the core of our business. We believe that embracing difference is not only the right thing, it’s the smart thing. Diversity in people creates diversity of thought, and diversity of thought leads to new ways of thinking and doing.
So we aren’t just accepting of difference, we value it and we welcome it with open arms.
We’re committed to supporting all our colleagues, including those from under-represented groups such as those who are ethnically diverse, identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, trans, non-binary or use another term, and people with disabilities. Whilst we have made significant progress in the last 12 months, we recognise we have more to do, to be both more diverse and more inclusive – and we won’t rest easy until we achieve these.
In 2020 we made eight commitments to change:
We also signed the Prince’s responsible business network Business In The Community’s ‘Race at Work Charter’ and are working to implement its five calls to action to tackle barriers that ethnic minority people can face.
Gender equality continues to be an area of commitment. View our latest Gender Pay Gap report.
We’re committed to doing more, and we look forward to sharing our progress with you as we continue on this journey.
Proud to support the sunflower
As the UK’s biggest hospitality company welcoming millions of guests into our hotels and restaurants throughout the year, we recognise that without a visual cue, it can be difficult for people – including our team members – to identify or understand the daily barriers faced by people living with an invisible disability. That’s why this year, to mark Purple Tuesday, we’ve decided to adopt the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower as part of our Force for Good programme!
Purple Tuesday is all about improving the customer experience for disabled people and their families all year round. Non-visible disabilities can be physical, mental or neurological and include (but are not limited to) autism, cognitive impairments, mental health conditions, speech or visual impairments or hearing loss.
They also include respiratory and chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic pain and even sleep disorders.
The Sunflower lanyard enables people with invisible disabilities to discreetly indicate that they may need additional support or a little more time with their transaction – such as checking in or ordering a drink or meal.
In addition to delivering the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower training across our 30,000 team members, we’ll also be displaying information in our hotels and restaurants across the UK, showcasing that we are a ‘Sunflower-friendly’ business.
Pride at Bar+block
Pride is a global movement fighting for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people all over the world. Pride events are now common in cities across the globe with Pride month taking place in June but Pride season lasting from June - September. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Pride in the UK and there are 194 Prides and LGBTQ+ events taking place in the UK alone! They are now public celebrations of equal rights for people of all orientations, gender identities and sexualities but they began as intensely political events, challenges to a world where homosexual activities were heavily persecuted.
As part of the Whitbread family we’re proud to have received a Gold Award from Stonewall – as well as coming top in the leisure, travel and tourism sector of the Workplace Equality Index for our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace.
We’re dedicated to ensuring that anyone who walks through our doors can bring their best, most authentic selves to work every day, as well as creating a safe and comfortable space for our guests, too.