Diversity and Inclusion at Darden Greet and say goodbye to everyone on the shift every day. Share guest compliments and use them to reinforce positive behavior ( Great job of valuing every guest and meeting their unique needs! ). Identify a decision you are making that affects employees or guests. Seek diverse opinions, including from individuals with whom you do not usually agree. Share instances of guest dissatisfaction and use them to retrain positive behavior ( This is not really respecting individual differences. What can we do better next time? ). Identify and implement two ways to reinforce Darden s commitment to diversity and inclusion during the interview process. During hiring, ensure the restaurant represents the community in both service and culinary areas. Participate in three job fairs and communicate Darden s diversity vision to the local community. Create and implement a diversity communications plan for your restaurant. Communicate Darden s core value of diversity in the new employee orientation process. Share Darden s Diversity and Inclusion philosophy and vision with 100% of the restaurant s employees. Post Darden s Diversity and Inclusion philosophy and vision in a visible location in the restaurant. Think of three specific examples of how valuing diversity allows our people and business to grow. Communicate these in management or team meetings. Share the results of the engagement survey and your resulting action plan with your team. Lead or participate in a discussion on how Darden supports its diversity vision, both company-wide and locally (e.g., meeting agenda item, informal discussions with GM/MP or DO). Reinforce valuing diversity and give specific feedback during the performance review process. Each week, recognize at least one positive example of inclusion by employees and tie it back to Darden s diversity vision ( That supports our commitment to value and respect everyone. ). Support and participate in two Darden-sponsored diversity events. Participate in and encourage participation in two local or national organizations, events or initiatives aligned with Darden s diversity vision (e.g., Out and Equal, Hispanic Heritage Month, local chapter of the Urban League). Identify three resources to further understand Darden s diversity vision. Share resources with peers.
Similar Yet Unique: Race & Ethnicity Get to know five employees from cultures other than your own and spend time learning about their cultures and languages. Be sensitive to important cultural and religious holidays and accommodate scheduling needs when possible. Review Lowering Language Barriers (found in your Toolbox) and take steps to lower language barriers for guests or employees. Partner with Employee Relations for religious accommodations. Create a hostile-free work environment by upholding zero tolerance for any behavior that could devalue employees. Confront unacceptable behaviors consistently and in a timely manner. Broaden recruitment sources to be more racially and ethnically diverse (e.g., schools, places of worship, community organizations, newspapers, web, word-of-mouth). Track referrals. Ensure they come from a racially and ethnically diverse group and from all parts of the restaurant. (Note: homogenous groups often refer others within the same group). Ensure restaurant employees reflect the community. Identify any clustering by gender, ethnic, racial or age group in a particular function in the restaurant. Identify an action plan for addressing. Create a plan to ensure cross training between service and culinary. Ensure the restaurant is stocked with current bilingual menus, where available. Communicate with the service team about using special menus (e.g., Spanish language, Braille, large print). Educate yourself and coach employees about dietary guidelines and preferences for various cultures, religions and others (e.g., vegetarians, vegans, individuals with health requirements). Identify menu items that meet these needs. Learn from employees which guest menu requests they are unable to accommodate. Discuss possible adaptations for frequently-requested items with GM/MP. Locate and post a multicultural calendar / multi-religious calendar. Use it regularly to anticipate hours and food counts for a broad range of religious and ethnic holidays (e.g., Ramadan, Lent, Rosh Hashanah), and to anticipate employee scheduling requests. Discuss your area demographics with your GM/MP. Identify any demographic groups you are not attracting in numbers representative of the community. Create a plan to increase market share. Become active in a local minority business or organization. Build relationships over time and encourage members to use your restaurant for meetings (e.g., Hispanic Chamber of Commerce). When a minority or woman-owned business provides you a great product and service, share this information with other Darden restaurant leaders within your division / local area. Support and encourage a voluntary diversity activity in the restaurant connected to a national celebration or Darden-sponsored event (e.g., employees organizing a cultural meal before the shift and sharing cultural information). Review five new online diversity resources on DiSH.
Everyone Has One: Gender Ensure each employee is treated with respect regardless of gender, appearance, age or body size. Acknowledge all ideas and contributions regardless of the person s role, gender or other diversity dimension. In meetings, give everyone time to speak to an issue before the dominant talkers take over. Accept, encourage, and promote individuals with different leadership styles. Give quality feedback to employees of all ages, gender, racial, ethnic and language groups. Review all job placements to ensure employees are not clustered by gender, age, race or language. Examine your own behavior to ensure you do not make off-color remarks, stereotypes, jokes or gestures that demean or belittle any individual or group of people, even in jest. Coach employees promptly who stereotype other employees or guests ( We want to welcome and delight everyone that s part of our commitment to excellent service and valuing diversity. Stereotyping the guests does not respect individual differences. ). Identify two examples of stereotyping or biased behavior in your restaurant. Determine with your management team how you will address these. Seek out and refer a diverse range of talent for hiring, development, and promotion. Become more knowledgeable about workplace issues and concerns related to gender. Share your knowledge with your peers and GM/MP. Learn about gender-influenced communication styles. Identify three ways you will flex your communication to be more effective. Understand how both command & control and involvement styles of leadership are appropriate in different situations. Mentor three individuals with different leadership styles, experiences and backgrounds. (Note: Don t try to mold them into mirror images of yourself.) Research employee concerns and turnover trends on a quarterly basis to identify potential barriers within the organization. Voice your commitment to equal opportunities for men and women. Solicit input from others about workplace situations that value / devalue them or advantage / disadvantage them. Educate yourself about work / life balance and flexibility. Identify three approaches that could have a positive recruitment and retention impact and share your learning with your peers and GM/MP. Make diversity a consideration in key business decisions.
Stronger Together: Age & Generations Create and implement an opportunity for employees of different generations to network with and learn from each other. Provide employees with two-way mentoring experiences (e.g., older and younger employee). Participate in two-way mentoring relationships with an employee from a younger generation and an employee from an older generation. Review training opportunities quarterly and ensure they are offered equitably to all age groups. Identify five employees that you don t know well. Meet with them individually and ask them to share their goals. Identify ways to support those goals through coaching, training, job assignments, or scheduling. Ask employees of different generations for their perspectives, ideas and solutions to workplace issues. Put yourself in another generation s shoes when problem-solving or addressing conflict. Vary your employee incentives to appeal to men and women of all ages (e.g., sports tickets, movie tickets, gift cards). Identify three age or generation myths or stereotypes that hinder work relationships. Address these in team talks and individual coaching (e.g., older people aren t adaptable). Manage employees based on performance rather than on your own values (e.g., you value working long hours and someone else values life balance ). Identify and let go of an ineffective management and mentoring mindset that hinders cross-generation relationships, such as: I paid my dues, now you pay yours (in the same way I paid mine). The way I did it (do it) is how you should do it or What worked for me will work for you. You are too young / too old to If you don t work long hours on site, you re not committed. Research and recommend two actions that would enhance hiring and retention across all age groups and life stages (e.g., scheduling flexibility, part-time manager role, snow-bird programs, variable career paths). Review your restaurant s succession plan to ensure inclusion of people of diverse racial / ethnic groups, gender, and generations. Identify one positive and one negative bias you hold. Review your interviewing habits to ensure you are following prescribed interviewing and selection guidelines for all candidates and that hiring decisions are based on job-related criteria rather than your own personal comfort (or discomfort) with a certain type of person. Review turnover patterns to see if you have higher turnover within particular groups of employees. If so, investigate why. Discuss with GM/MP how to retain these employees. Include age and generations in your diversity and inclusion message and support. Discuss the value of a diverse team in manager meetings, pre-shifts, and one-on-ones.
New Insights LGBT Community Consistently model valuing and respecting diversity through your words, actions and decisions. Educate and hold all employees accountable for treating all guests with respect. Use language that includes LGBT individuals (e.g., spouses and partners). Share guest compliments regarding LGBT topics and use them to reinforce positive behavior (e.g., This guest experience really demonstrates respecting individual differences. Great job of valuing every guest and meeting their unique needs! ). Look for and acknowledge employees inclusive actions or comments (e.g., Thanks for taking such great care of that party. You really went out of your way to make them feel welcome. ). Communicate to your team that there is zero tolerance for any behavior that devalues or belittles other employees or guests. Take action quickly and consistently every time you become aware of behaviors that devalue others (e.g., inappropriate comments, jokes, gestures). Follow up with appropriate resources (e.g., GM/MP, Human Resources, Employee Relations). Do not go along with guests who demean, stereotype or refuse to be served by employees based on gender, sexual orientation, race or other dimensions of diversity. (Note: Silence is often interpreted as agreement.) Apply the same coaching and disciplinary action to all employees for similar infractions (e.g., derogatory, racial or sexual orientation labels). Locate three LGBT recruiting sources in your community. Include at least two of these in your recruitment efforts. Visit local LGBT organizations and invite them to use your restaurant for meetings. Review Darden s commitment to diversity and inclusion with your host team and ensure they welcome all applicants equally. Provide examples of how Darden supports LGBT activities and events (e.g., supplier diversity, network group, community involvement). Share good news about Darden s diversity efforts with your team (e.g., awards, news). Identify three resources to further understand LGBT insights. Review and share resources with peers. Seek out opportunities to work on a diverse team or cross-functional task force.