Wyndham Worldwide scores high on Human Rights

Wyndham Worldwide has been recognised by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the ‘Best Places to Work for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality’, receiving a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the sixth time.

Wyndham Worldwide associates and members of WYNPride participate in the 2016 New York City Pride Celebration. WYNPride is an associate business group dedicated to fostering a culture of acceptance and equality within Wyndham Worldwide, the parent company of RCI and many other leading holiday brands.

The CEI is based on a number of principles for equality and inclusion, including workplace practices and programs aimed to support a fully inclusive workplace for all. Wyndham Worldwide’s score reflects the company’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion, with full leadership support, to its employees, partners and customers.

Patricia Lee

‘Competitive advantage’

Patricia Lee, senior vice president of Human Resources and chief diversity officer, Wyndham Worldwide, said: “As a global hospitality leader, we see our diverse workforce as a competitive advantage, infusing different perspectives and reflecting the customers and the communities we serve.

“This recognition reinforces the ongoing success we have achieved in making our company an employer of choice among the LGBT community, and one that encourages associates to bring their whole selves to work.”

Recognising the business case for diversity, Wyndham Worldwide embraces a culture of inclusion that supports its associates and its business goals. From supporting local LGBT organisations and ensuring associate benefits support their families to taking a stand on marriage equality; Wyndham Worldwide participates in a range of programmes and initiatives to cultivate a fully diverse workplace:

• Community Support: Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO) in 2016 donated $35,000 through the Wyndham Worldwide Foundation to support local organisations providing services to the LGBT community in the Orlando, Florida area in wake of the June 12 tragedy. Associates nationwide participated in the WVO #KeepDancingOrlando video and donated personal funds. Local teams also took part in multiple vigils and marches, as part of the support offered year-round to LGBT initiatives.

• Associate Business Group: WYNPride is an associate business group dedicated to fostering a culture of acceptance and equality within Wyndham Worldwide. With the mission of creating a positive impact on business practices and goals, the group works to raise awareness of LGBT issues through education inside and outside of the company.
• Customer Focus: Recognising that embracing inclusivity is simply good business, Wyndham Worldwide appeals to diverse consumers. For example, Wyndham’s Hoseasons brand of holiday parks in the UK this year formed a strategic marketing partnership with worldwide LGBT news and lifestyle website Gay Star News to reach the growing LGBT consumer market with award winning, revenue generating campaigns.
• Civic Engagement: In 2015, Wyndham Worldwide joined a coalition of employers and employer organisations advocating the business case for marriage equality to the United States Supreme Court, contributing to the landmark ruling that made marriage equality a constitutional right.
• Associate Benefits: In order to ensure the company’s diverse and inclusive culture is reflected in its benefits decisions, Wyndham Worldwide continuously assesses the needs of the LGBT community and provides medical, dental and life insurance benefits to both same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried/domestic partners, as well as their children, regardless of adoption finalisation.
• Diversity and Inclusion Programmes: The company offers a variety of diversity and inclusion programs for all associates, including leadership training programmes, mentoring opportunities and educational support.

Supporting all associates is an important aspect of Wyndham Worldwide’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Mary Falvey, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Wyndham Worldwide, said: “We believe maintaining an inclusive environment where every person feels able to contribute and deliver their best performance provides us with a rich foundation of perspectives and experiences that benefit our company, our customers, and our communities.

Mary Falvey

‘Supportive culture’

“This is made possible every day by the behaviours, decisions, and actions of our leaders and associates who embrace our company’s core values and work to enhance the supportive culture that we have.”

The CEI rates companies on specific LGBT-related policies and practices, including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programmes, and public engagement with the LGBT community. Over the past 15 years, the CEI has become the gold standard for corporate policies and practices related to LGBT employees and their families.

For more information on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.