The line said agents would learn how it is committed to supporting diversity and equality in the LGBTQ+ community; advocates equality for women; embraces all cultures; encourages those with physical and mental challenges; and supports its employees at all stages of their careers.
The information on Cruising for Excellence is presented through a series of presentations and short films.
Claire Stirrup, director of sales, Celebrity Cruises UK and Ireland, said: “We are keen to lead the industry in acceptance and equality, and we’re looking forward to working with agents to deepen their understanding of our work in this area.”
More widely, all staff at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s UK headquarters can benefit from group-wide employee resource groups (ERGs), which promote awareness and offer support.
Darren Hutton, international litigation manager for RCCL – who was named a Travel Pride Champion at Travel Pride last week – heads up the LGBT group after experiencing homophobia at his previous workplace. “It was devastating and shattered my self-confidence. But I’m very fortunate to [now] have an employer who has allowed me to try to ensure this never happens to anyone [at RCCL], and that if it does there’s a support network in place.”
After hearing her speak at last year’s TTG LGBT Conference, Hutton contacted transgender champion Amy Stanning, who invited him to spend a few hours in her workplace at Barclays. The ERG has since rolled out lanyards and pens company-wide, which Hutton said provided an opportunity to talk to colleagues about its work.
RCCL’s UK HQ also held a Pride Town Hall meeting, which two thirds of the office attended.
“It [the creation of ERGs] is enabling much greater collaboration, with people from different sectors getting to know each other better,” said Jo Rzymowska, vice-president and managing director, UK and Ireland and Asia, Celebrity Cruises. “You can feel the greater level of openness.”
Other activities of the ERGs include championing female employees with events including International Women’s Day, hiring youth staff trained in autism development, and raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues onboard, with initiatives including the #GetOnBoard social media campaign.
