Mark Okerstrom, Expedia Group’s CEO, has announced the launch of a new industry group to advance diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives across the travel sector.
The group aims to bring travel leaders together to “cultivate diverse and inclusive environments and impact positive change”, he said at the company’s recent annual conference. According to Okerstrom, the introduction of this group will not only allow Expedia to champion change by ‘sharing’ its D&I best practices, but also ‘learn’ from others in the industry.
Comprising US and multinational companies, the new group will focus on:
- Promoting allyship, intersectionality, inclusive language and inclusive workplaces.
- Hosting deep dives and trainings on topics that are key priorities for travel companies, including accessibility, LGBTQ+ travel, diversity marketing, gender balance and cultural competency.
- Arranging roundtable and video conference discussions to convene participants regularly.
- Coordinating research to highlight the current state of diversity and inclusion within the travel industry.
- Promoting diversity and inclusion conversations at industry events.
ACTION FOR D&I
“A diverse workforce creates a more creative, more productive environment with increased trust and less fear – an environment where employees, and in turn, the companies, thrive,” stated Melissa Maher, Chief Inclusion Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing and Industry Engagement of Expedia Group. “As travel leaders, we have an amazing opportunity to bring the world within reach and champion change in our industry and in our companies, committing to making our industry a better, more inclusive environment.”
The new travel group announcement follows the signing of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, a global CEO-driven business commitment to advance D&I within the workplace.
Okerstrom now joins 800-plus CEOs worldwide across 85 industries, who have agreed to the ‘CEO Action’ pledge that includes four commitments. They include: creating and sharing strategic inclusion and diversity plans with board of directors; sharing best – and unsuccessful – practices; implementing and expanding unconscious bias education; continuing to make its work environment a trusting place where employees are able to have complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about D&I.
WIDE-RANGING D&I INITIATIVES
Cultivating an inclusive and diverse workplace environment focused on opportunity and equality is a key focus for the company, said Expedia. Globally, it has achieved gender pay parity across men and women in equivalent roles, and 52% of the company’s total employees are female. The company has also been focused on a diversity and gender-equality journey aimed at ensuring all employees feel like they belong and are empowered to reach their full potential.
Expedia Group said it now has a wide range of initiatives to support a more inclusive workplace. Recognising the need to go beyond unconscious bias training, the company implemented Textio, a technology platform that reveals hidden language patterns in job ads that impact both the diversity and quality of applicants. It also uses HireVue – a video interview tool that reduces bias in video screenings. In addition, the company mandates gender balanced interview slates, and tracks the hiring pipeline by gender representation, confirmed Expedia.
Its employee-led Business Resource Groups also play an invaluable role in the company’s D&I strategy. With more than 100 global chapters, thousands of member volunteers are focused on driving meaningful and actionable decision making around diversity topics, added Expedia. These groups not only help employees connect and share knowledge/experiences across the company, but also provide the business with ‘ideas and insights to improve D&I efforts’ for all its stakeholders.
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