This week, to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023, HM is giving female leaders in the accommodation industry a platform to share their views on ways to support women in hospitality careers.
Here, Accor Pacific CEO Sarah Derry writes about the importance of driving tangible change beyond March 8, and why flexibility – for all employees – is good for business.
International Women’s Day is an important day because it causes us to pause and really think: What more have we got to do? What can we individually contribute to making change?
Being a mother of two teenage daughters, I worry that they’re going to get to my age and a lot won’t have changed…and I just don’t want to accept that. So, days like International Women’s Day are important for that reflection and assessment…but it shouldn’t be one day a year.
We have to do more than what we’re doing right now, if we want to make the change that’s needed. That’s the reality. If we only did a run or a workout one day a year, we’re not going to get any fitter.
We all have a responsibility to help other people achieve their potential, and have a responsibility to create change, every single day.
In business, people often require flexibility, incredible talent who don’t necessarily want to be in the office five days a week. But for however many hours they want to work, these individuals are really great, talented people, who contribute to the success of a business. I think that’s where businesses have a responsibility to make sure that we bring people along on a journey with us. There is so much that women can contribute in the workplace, in leading, in the community – they just need opportunity – and we should all try to support that.
It doesn’t matter what level you are in our organisation, or what your job is – everybody has a really interesting story or has something to share with you. The best moments are when someone tells me that Accor has made a difference to their career, because it’s usually reciprocal; Accor get so many insights from our people, we learn from them and grow from their experience.
In our hotels, watch out for that person who is waiting tables, or working in housekeeping, or on the front door; they could be the CEO of a company one day. And maybe they haven’t even imagined that, but the thing about hospitality is that it’s such a social elevator – you’re only limited by your imagination and what you personally want to achieve.