industry should ask their teams to do better , while also providing them with all the resources necessary to make that successful . In hospitality , spa and wellness , this means considering and hiring candidates with “ non-traditional ” experience and , looking in other areas to find talent hiding in plain sight –– at all levels of the organization .
Colin McIlheney , global research leader at ISPA research partner PricewaterhouseCoopers ( PwC ), echoed this point when ISPA unveiled the “ Big Five ” statistics from the 2021 ISPA U . S . Spa Industry Study last year .
In response to a question about the consistent vacancy rate in the spa industry workforce and the data ’ s connection to the industry ’ s staffing challenges . “ I would look at diversifying the workforce — you know , not just treating it as a set pool of people who might be available but reaching out to other parts of the workforce who maybe haven ’ t come to the industry .”
Like FX CEO Landsgraf , McIlheney knows from the data that talent is “ hiding in plain sight ” and leaders have to now put forth the effort to welcome diverse talent and give them the resources to succeed . “ There ’ s a
“ Armed with the data on the metrics you care about , you can start the process of making meaningful changes that can have profound impacts on customer satisfaction and loyalty , workplace culture and your bottom line .”
FX CEO John Landgraf recognized his network ’ s shortcomings and overhauled its DEI policies , leading to unprecedented success for FX . real opportunity here to diversify further and look at opportunities for growing the workforce ,” McIlheney said , and that it ’ s our job to make sure that people really see the benefits of coming into the industry . “ That ’ s a critical part to get the people in .”
FX went outside their traditional hiring routes to find candidates who brought unique , transformative perspectives to their TV projects . This also applies nicely to spa and hospitality when searching for talent . Rather than focusing purely on previous spa industry experience , look for candidates who have an aptitude for finding transformative moments in the guest journey and who can translate and execute them so that they too shine through .
3 . Take Authentic Action and Be an Ally
DEI work is hard work . If it were easy , our bias-related issues would have been resolved a long time ago . Often , people are eager to call themselves allies of marginalized groups until it ’ s actually time to step up and be an ally because they can see firsthand just how scary it frequently is for people in marginalized groups to even exist . To truly be an ally , your words and actions must be in sync . Words without action are harmful and work against any real change .
Ashlee Fowlkes , an LGBTQ + sensitivity and inclusion thought leader and CEO of Fowlkes Consulting , reinforces that the practice of information gathering is a critical part of being an ally : “ It is essential that , as an ally , you are intentionally gathering information about the group you wish to support . Once collected , the information can be utilized to identify next steps . Too often , it is the case that individuals want to skip directly to taking steps without having
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