Travel firms must take a data-driven approach to creating more effective diversity, equity and inclusion policies such as adopting “simple metrics” and KPIs to track their progress – or risk failing to accurately measure “tangible change”.

“How can you know what action you need to take without knowing where to properly focus your activity?” asked Sarah Churchman, chief inclusion, community and wellbeing officer at PwC, of delegates at TTG’s Fairer Travel Diversity Forum.

“When you set KPIs, there’s accountability, targets and goals to achieve. Don’t be afraid to be public with what you’re trying to achieve and look at how you measure up to other companies and sectors.”

Churchman said that in her more than 20 years working in the field of diversity and inclusion, firms tend to think they are more inclusive than they are in reality. “You can say what you’re doing is good, but what you’re actually doing is so much more valuable – don’t have a gap between saying and doing,” she warned.

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Useful and easily applicable KPIs, said Churchman, include looking at the proportion of female staff and those from ethnic backgrounds who are being promoted, and reviewing recruitment processes in light of this.

Travel, she said, was doing “OK” with its work on diversity and inclusion. “My sense is that other sectors have been working on this for longer,” she said, highlighting how travel’s ongoing recruitment crisis and need to rehabilitate its consumer reputation post-Covid presented “a great opportunity” to attract more diverse talent.

She said that while employee resource groups were useful to spark ideas and call for action, “strong leadership support” was vital to implementing more fundamental change. “It can’t just be left to a certain group of people with that lived experience,” said Churchman. “This needs to be driven by your most senior management. Otherwise it’s going to take so much longer.”

Churchman encouraged businesses starting their journey to “always put inclusion first” and ensure all staff felt part of that journey. “There can be tensions, and this isn’t necessarily easy, but speaking to people is such a valuable resource," she added.

"Don’t just do what you think is right, or try to copy what another business is doing. This is something that has to be unique to you and your environment.”

During a panel exploring the importance of measuring progress, Dr Tamsyn Dent, lecturer in cultural work at King’s College, London, told delegates all travel companies, regardless of size, can make a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Dr Dent size was no barrier to creating an inclusive workplace. “It’s possible to have robust, transparent openness with employees as an SME,” she said.

Sajeeda Merali, chief executive of the Professional Publishers Association, said smaller businesses had the benefit of agility versus larger corporates.

“Yes, they have bigger budgets, but it’s more structured and sometimes can be more difficult to move [processes] along,” she said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. [And] sometimes it can feel overwhelming because there is a lot to do.”

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Merali told delegates the PPA had set up a D&I steering group allowing members to share best practice. “They have the same challenges,” she said. “Being able to talk to people that share those challenges has been a really positive experience.”

Joanna Aunon, director of Women in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure, said diversity was a result of inclusion. “If you’re putting things into place, it will come,” she said, advising businesses to identify leaders on these issues and ensure they’re at the table.

Travelport chief people officer Phil Donnelly explained how its global diversity council was crafting the D&I strategy holding the business to account. “Start by cultivating trust about why you’re capturing the data and what you’re going to use it for,” he said.

The panel advised delegates to start small, be brave, and try not to let the scale of the challenge cause paralysis. “Develop a plan, create priorities and execute,” said Donnelly. Merali added it was important to remember being clear about values would inevitably lead to commercial benefit.

Delegates were addressed by shadow minister for women and equalities Taiwo Owatemi, who said businesses should offer staff more flexible working conditions – and more diverse service to customers.

When asked her view on the travel sector’s lack of racial diversity at TTG’s Fairer Travel Diversity Forum, the Labour MP said: “As a black woman, I would personally love to see more [diversity] in the travel sector and see how customers are able to benefit from it and feel the value.

“Travel is an industry so focused on providing the best customer service, so it would only be a benefit to businesses – and their customers. For minority groups, it is a challenge to find companies able to understand their travel needs. The more companies look to offer more diverse experiences that cater for the needs of more diverse customers, then the more they’ll be able to benefit financially.”

Owatemi, who was appointed to her brief in September 2021, also emphasised the need for travel leaders to provide employees with “greater flexibility” in the workplace. From helping disabled staff to giving employees from single-parent households more opportunities and putting mental health on par with physical health, Owatemi urged bosses to “provide the environment for everyone to be able to grow and succeed”.

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“A more flexible workplace is something we as the Labour Party would make available from day one [after being re-elected],” she said, suggesting owners of smaller firms take the time to speak with their teams about how best to accommodate everyone’s needs.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have many resources, just ask what kind of flexibility people need – negotiate with staff,” she said. “It’s really important that each company is listening to the needs of employees so they can provide their best selves.”

Owatemi also called for businesses to implement ethnicity pay gap reporting, an issue she said affects almost two million black, Asian and minority ethnic workers in the UK creating a more than £3 billion wage gap compared with their white counterparts.

“This inequality is not only disgraceful, but has a wider impact on our economy and workplace,” she said. “We urgently need ethnicity pay gap [reporting] enshrined in law.”