As a company operating in both Australia and India, we’re proud to invest in a diverse culture and aim to support this as part of our business wherever possible. 

In today’s rapidly evolving and expanding world, it’s more important than ever for hospitality businesses to embrace the power of diversity and inclusivity (D&I). In this post, we’re talking about the impact of D&I on the business and acknowledging that inclusion is a journey and continuous learning process. We all need to enjoy the trip to become the best organisation and people we can be.

What is diversity and inclusion and why is it important?

Diversity and inclusion are two different concepts that are often used interchangeably. A company that has diversity appreciates the range of human differences like age, ethnicity, gender, and more of the ways to make each person unique. Meanwhile, inclusion is about creating an environment where all individuals feel valued, respected and supported.

Quantaco’s Head of People and Culture, Hannah Freeman, recently ran a session as part of our bi-weekly lunch and learn sessions and shared an apt quote from Verna Myers, “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance”.

‘Being invited and having the opportunity to dance’ has a huge impact on your hospitality business including: 

An Expanded Talent Pool

By attracting individuals from various backgrounds, you can tap into a broader range of skills, knowledge and expertise. 

This can give you a dynamic workforce that can better understand and cater to the needs of your diverse customer bases and lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. In fact, a diverse and inclusive talent pool has shown to be 6 times more effective in providing excellent customer service.

Enhanced Innovation and Problem-Solving

Because diversity brings together individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, this can lead to more innovative ideas, creative problem-solving, and better decision-making. This is supported by the Diversity Council of Australia which found that inclusive workplaces are 10 times more likely to be innovative. 

When diverse voices are included and valued, it fosters a culture of collaboration and encourages employees to contribute their unique insights, leading to improved outcomes and competitiveness.

Increased Employee Engagement and Retention

When employees feel included and valued for their differences, it’s more likely that they will be more engaged and committed to their work. Based on the same report from the Diversity Council of Australia, employees are 11 times more likely to be effective when working in a diverse and inclusive environment. It’s because this promotes a sense of belonging, psychological safety, and fairness, which is also tied to higher job satisfaction and employee retention.

Diversity and Inclusion in Quantaco

Working in Australia and India, diversity and inclusion are really a part of Quantaco’s DNA. Otherwise, it would be impossible to harness the global talent present in these major hubs for businesses and industries and Quantaco wouldn’t be able to achieve its mission of unlocking business’ potential.

And because of our diverse workforce, it’s essential to maintain a high level of cultural awareness and have flexible communication styles to find what works best for the business to run effectively and efficiently.

Bringing Diversity to Collaborative Sessions

We do this by conducting programs focused on cultural diversity and inclusivity to ensure everyone is aware of its importance and the different ways to embrace it. An example of one of these programs is our Lunch and Learn sessions. Held every two weeks, our Sydney-based team members come together to discuss a wide range of topics, including D&I. Leaders are appointed each fortnight  and are responsible for sharing topics across the different teams, giving everyone a chance to provide their own insights and perspectives on the given topic.

This also serves as an opportunity to learn more about our clients, as lunch is usually ordered from a different hospitality businesses within the area.

The D&I Committee

We have also formed a D&I committee which is composed of members from both offices. The group is in charge of overseeing and processing any D&I-related topics, including the creation and updating of company policies to ensure that we’re always taking steps in the right direction.

Promoting a Diverse Culture

We want diversity and inclusion to be more than a checkbox, and instead, we try to ‘walk the talk’ in the way our teams lead and manage.

Divya Sekar recently joined us in the Sydney office for 6 weeks from Hyderabad, and we were thrilled to see our diversity and inclusion culture in action when she shared the following feedback, “Visiting the office also really reaffirmed how much we live by our values at Quantaco. The culture lends itself to being open and honest. I know I have the liberty to express myself if I have any suggestions or concerns and not feel intimidated to speak up”.

Ultimately, being a diverse and inclusive organisation is a continuous process, and while we’re proud to have programs in place that take work towards this, we know we still have plenty more to learn and do.