What is M&B doing to be more inclusive?
“Creating partnerships with established charities like Ask for Clive.
It's important because people see the support that you're giving. But also,
our guests and potential employees know that our businesses are inclusive
places.
The vast majority of people at M&B are not LGBTQ+, so they have a huge
part to play in this as well. As a company, we want to be at the front of
the march. So All Bar One has partnered with Absolut, a company that
believes in 'Taking Pride in Diversity', and that has released a new Pride
bottle every year since 2008. For Pride Month,
we’ve made a special cocktail, Absolut Queen, where a portion of the proceeds will be going
to Ask for Clive.
To add to what Tom has to say, we’re in the process of finalising a
resource centre that everyone can turn to, from board members to part-time
team members. It will have links to mental health and wellbeing resources,
a chat forum for people to share their stories and ask questions, and more.
How have things changed since you joined M&B?
“In the last few years, there’s a lot more conversation about the LGBTQ+
community at a company level and executive meetings.
I’ve never felt treated differently at M&B for being a gay person. But
there have been recent developments, like partnering with Ask for Clive,
the M&Be Yourself Facebook group and the sharing of lots of internal
resources, that show we’re becoming naturally more aware.”
M&Be Yourself is a Facebook group that Tom and his colleagues, all from
different backgrounds and levels in the organisation, set up to build
awareness. The group now has over 500 members who are joining the
conversation. They’re using this space to ask us questions such as changing
gender pronouns on our payroll system. These are amazing questions that we
can then take to the executive team, and we want to keep the discussion
free-flowing.
Why is a job at M&B a great option for the LGBTQ+ community?
“The
hospitality workforce is diverse. I’ve had more exposure to LGBTQ+ members and allies in my work life than
in my personal life. I’ve always felt very comfortable working at M&B,
and I’ve
never experienced anything but support. So, we need to shout louder, as a company and as an industry, about how
inclusive we are and how we’re a safe environment.”
If anyone wanted to play a bigger part in supporting the LGBTQ+ community,
how could they get involved?
“Within the company, get involved in all our Pride initiatives and events.
And make the time to look at the resources we’re sharing internally.
Outside of the company, people should educate themselves. There’s a wealth
of resources on the internet, and I think people who want to do something
should start by learning. It's about support and equality.”
Come and find your place within M&B
Every month is Pride Month at M&B, after all, it’s in
our company values. We’re always pushing to make our spaces more inclusive for our teams and
our guests. As Tom highlighted, it’s all about education. This is why we’re
creating more places for people to share their experiences and help others
learn.
If you think M&B might be the place for you, we’ll help you find
exactly where that place is. It might be deep in
the countryside, by the coast, or
slap bang in
the middle of the city. Wherever it is, you can be sure you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
