The world has traditionally been unequal. But if the stepping into a different millennium has taught us something, it is to break free of traditions that have become obsolete and replace them with new ones. The inclusion of marginalised communities into the mainstream is one of these new-age traditions which most people are happy to adopt.

Diversity and inclusion are more than emerging buzzwords since they impact numerous lives directly and indirectly. And the implementation of inclusion of people coming from ethnically, culturally, linguistically and racially diverse backgrounds is important at workplaces just as much as it is important for educational institutions.

Every small and big organization is whole-heartedly formulating different policies to implement workplace diversity. The hospitality sector is no different than others in this regard. The UAE and Dubai in particular boasts of one of the most diverse populations in the world. People often ask the reason why workplace diversity is important in hospitality sector, particularly when in comes to restaurant businesses. The answer is quite simple though.

Diversity and inclusion is not an alien concept to the restaurant business. Diversity in terms of cuisines and menus has always been an integral component of the industry. This is something completely impossible without a kitchen workforce that understands and appreciate the uniqueness of every ingredient and the place that it comes from.

Inclusiveness through a diverse workforce helps bridge gaps between people coming from different cultures, which in turn translates into better productivity. In case of restaurant employees who come from different cultures, a strong talent pool is formed by bringing in a variety of perspective and a great range of skill sets.

It is really great to see that inclusion and diversity have emerged as a benchmark for running a successful hospitality business. While their impact of inclusion-centric policies implemented by restaurants is a bit difficult to be assessed using quantitative results, capturing improvements in customer and employee experiences can help in getting a clearer picture.

And in face of every challenge, the diverse workforces of the hospitality sector have stood strong, come what may. The recent example can be seen during the pandemic. In every sector, people managed to join forces irrespective of their backgrounds. The unprecedented display of unity is what gave not one or two industries but the entire world the hope to survive and thrive.

The hospitality sector, especially restaurants, rely heavily upon human resources. This has made the impact of embracing inclusiveness and diversity more evident than in the case of other sectors. But in a post-pandemic world, every business will take forward the mantra of ‘sharing is caring’ through roping in people from all walks of life.