The LaLiT aspires to establish a workplace that is secure and encouraging for people from all walks of life by appreciating the value of diversity and staying committed to promoting inclusivity every day. In its efforts to promote diversity and equal chances not only at work but also outside the hotel’s walls, The LaLiT engages in a number of efforts, including inclusive recruitment, appropriate accommodations, sensitization training, and collaboration with other NGOs and Not-for-Profit Organisations.’
#PureLove welcomes everyone
Since 2016, The Lalit has shown its support for LGBTQ+ rights by ensuring that the group is acknowledged and represented in our policies. The #PureLove Campaign, an initiative by The LaLiT to foster an inclusive environment for both the team members and the guests, was introduced at this time. The campaign aims to stop all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and establish an attitude of acceptance. It is to create a welcoming environment and celebrate love in all its forms. Having a specialised #PureLove Employee Resource Group (ERG) for the community members to voice their issues and utilise the shared resource pool is one of its initiatives and policies for LGBTQIA+ members, along with realising the life-saving significance of Gender Affirmation Procedures.
Strengthening communities by skilling and hiring
When it comes to hiring new team members, The LaLiT is firmly committed to being an Equal & Equitable Opportunities Provider. Whether it’s LGBTQIA+ people or those with disabilities, the group put more emphasis on their skills and abilities than their “limitations”. The group created a dedicated Skill Enhancement Training Programme, an inclusive programme aimed at teaching the skills to a candidate without any prior experience of working at a hotel. It reiterates its firm belief that there is almost no skill that cannot be learned. This offers the members the possibility to gain the practical experience required to be hotelier. Through this program, the group has skilled over 1,000 persons and have employed over 200 across the group in various departments.
Project Prahari to upskill and hire acid attack survivors
The LaLiT also works with acid attack survivors to assist them in finding employment and developing employable skills as part of our specific project, Project Prahari. The group also provide reasonable accommodations for survivors, additional leaves of absence and placement in physically safer and cooler work locations, because of the many medical and surgical treatments that they must undergo. At present, the group has five acid attack survivors working in different departments at the hotel including Flower room, Laundry and Spa.
Redefining inclusion of neurodivergent communities with ‘Apna Heera’
The LaLiT has a dedicated project ‘Apna Heera’ to work with people from neuro-divergent communities to mainstream them and involve them at workplace. Through this project, the team is attempting to create an ecosystem for people who have learning difficulties, autism, cerebral palsy, and ADHD so that they can thrive within the workplace as well as creating safe spaces for anyone to visit any of our outlets and clubs to celebrate. The group is engaging with communities via various NGOs and CBOs in order to make them feel welcome at The LaLiT. The group presently has 20 people with autism including a pianist at The LaLiT New Delhi on the spectrum and over 100 people with speech and hearing disability and learning disability including two pianists with visual impairment at The LaLiT Mumbai & The LaLiT Great Eastern Kolkata respectively.
“For us at The LaLiT, DE&I is part of our DNA. DE&I needs to be top-down in every aspect of the company. It needs to be seen, it needs to be in your face, and it needs to be talked about in every single meeting,” says Keshav Suri, Executive Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group.
The Group believes that with all these initiatives, they’re not saving anybody, they’re only doing the right thing – building an empathetic organization, for an empathetic country and an inclusive world.
