By Vanessa Cavasinni
Hospitality and business peak industry bodies have united for the first time to release RespectInHospitality, a microsite with resources, training and templates for hospitality businesses.
The peak bodies and organisations include, the Australian Hotels Association NSW, Night Time Industries Association, Independent Bars Association, ClubsNSW, Restaurant & Catering Association, Business NSW and Hospitality Industry Insurance.
The new RespectInHospitality microsite is freely available to all businesses in the hospitality sector to aid those in need of support to improve systems and processes.
“This new microsite gives businesses the tools they need to clearly understand their obligations and implement the necessary processes and systems. This project builds off the expertise of leaders in the industry to make sure standards and industry culture are advancing equally across all facets of the night time industries,” said Night Industries Association CEO Mick Gibb.
AHA NSW director of liquor and policing John Green lauded the collaboration between all facets of the hospitality industry.
“AHA NSW already has available to its members a comprehensive suite of resources and training when it comes to protecting venue staff.
“But the launch of this new consolidated resource will, for the first time, bring the state’s peak hospitality groups together to enhance what we are doing.”
Independent Bars Association president Karl Schlothauer says, “By pooling resources and making them freely accessible to all operators, the hospitality industry can further professionalise and cultivate a stronger culture. Together, we can ensure that businesses are better equipped for growth and continue advancing toward a more unified and thriving industry.”
ClubsNSW chief government and regulatory officer Alison Tehan says the association has a long history of educating members about their obligations and supporting their compliance.
“In the past year alone, ClubsNSW has delivered bespoke sexual harassment training to more than 1,100 club employees and has provided clubs with policy templates, risk assessment templates, a reporting dashboard and ‘Zero Tolerance’ posters,” she says.
“We want all hospitality staff members to have the knowledge and tools to understand their duties and their rights, and coming together as an industry to release this resource is a fantastic initiative.”
The RespectInHospitality site offers up tools like posters, free eLearning modules, checklists, reports and actionable tips on everything from creating a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace to legal responsibilities. There is a large focus throughout the site on curtailing sexual harassment within the industry, how to address is proactively and help foster a safer and more proactive work environment.
You can see all the resources available via RespectInHospitality here.
This article first appeared on Club Management sister’s publication, The Shout.