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they’re an intrusion because there’s this unconscious bias that they’re going to be popping off to look after a child at home.” Rose-Bristow agrees: “There’s a massive


pause button on a career that holds them back and then to get back in is a lot harder because our male colleagues are so much further ahead.” She recommends coaching as another way


to build self-esteem and resilience, but admits that it wasn’t until reaching her fifties that she felt truly confident leading a male-dominated boardroom – a time of life many women will also be experiencing menopause.


Olivia Byrne


to do something unless we’re perfect at it and can do it really, really well. We’re only going to commit to something if we have control of it and can make a success of it.” Trinder suggests that women “often doubt


and second-guess” themselves and can be held back by a lack of confidence in their abilities. “We’re doing some things in our hotel


found that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women experienced a 5% pay penalty relative to white British men. “There are female investors but they’re few


and far between, so that could be a barrier to why there are less female hotel owners,” suggests Trinder. Stuart agrees: “Making a successful hotel


is not easy and if funds like that can be more attuned to what women can bring to the market, then perhaps the market develops in a different and more accessible way.”


Don’t aim for perfection However, until gender parity is achieved at management level, some women may also need support to feel confident that they belong in male-dominated boardrooms. “When you move up the ladder, you’re not


given permission to fail. You’re not allowed to make mistakes,” says Rose-Bristow. She emphasises the importance of supporting female employees to take up training and development opportunities and to apply for scholarships and awards, which can also help build their confidence. “The biggest blockage for growth is that women are not allowed to fail, because we have to keep up and be better. We don’t want


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which I wanted to do three, four years ago, but I didn’t trust myself because other peo- ple weren’t on board with it. I wish I’d just done it, because now we’re doing it a bit late in the day,” she says. “Just because a man has been in the industry 30-40 years and thinks things should be done a certain way does not mean it’s the best or right way.” Zoe Monk, lecturer and director of employability at the Edge Hotel School in Essex, says that her female students per- ceive the London hotel scene in particular to still be an old boys’ club, and that most female graduates in recent years have gone on to work at to properties with visible female leaders – allowing them to see them- selves in those roles. And it’s not just women at the beginning of their careers who might need additional support. “We need more female


role models to encourage and inspire others to reach the top, and that needs to be part of the company strategy, providing those role models and mentors, especially during that return-to-work phase,” says Brewster. “I do speak to mums who had really suc-


Time to talk about the menopause Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, and three in every five women struggle with symptoms. Nearly 900,000 women in the UK have left their jobs because of issues relating to the men- opause, and three-quarters of businesses still have no menopause policy, putting them at risk of losing experienced employees. The Torridon has a menopause policy that


opens the door to conversations around rea- sonable adjustments, such as dress code, flexible working, desk location. It also con- siders the specific needs of menopausal women as part of its risk assessment. The hotel encourages employees to be respectful, understanding and supportive of colleagues, provides training and resources, and encour- ages staff to talk openly about difficulties they may be having. Normalising these conversations and mak-


ing what can be very simple adjustments can help businesses retain women and sub- sequently help close their pay gap through transparent policies to promote inclusion and discourage biases. For example, the assump- tion that all women will want to take a career break to have a family, and if they do, the perception of this as a problem. Brewster hopes to see more collab- oration across the industry in sharing best practice and pool- ing ideas. “If we can share our knowledge on how to improve those policies then, hopefully, we can start to make wider change,” she says, adding that busi- nesses should be continu- ously reviewing their equal


Sarah Brewster


cessful careers pre-children and they struggle to find that confidence to restart after having a family. If companies are going to encourage these women to return to work to reach those senior positions, then they need to be setting out a pathway and a mentoring system to sup- port them, encouraging them to value their core skills and desire to succeed and provid- ing that flexible environment... “They really don’t feel welcome; they feel


opportunities policies. Ultimately, all businesses need


to be thinking about how they can


operate differently in a fast-changing world. Existing structures may have worked histori- cally, but the hospitality industry needs to con- sider new ways of working that ensure everyone can progress equally and feel welcome in the workplace to attract and retain the best talent. And critically, men need to be part of the solution, says Brewster: “They can make a huge impact in identifying and promoting female talent and fostering a culture where women are encouraged to progress.”


8 March 2024 | The Caterer | 21


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