This International Women’s Day, we need to prioritise safety

A panel discussion to celebrate International Women's Day had one key take away: improving safety measures for on-trade workers is the first step towards a healthier culture. If there's one thing to take away from International Women's Day, it's that we need to prioritise safety. "A woman going home at 3am after shift is very different from a man going home at 3am after shift," said Siobhan Payne, fo-founder of London Cocktail Week and The Pinnacle Guide. Payne was speaking at a panel discussion hosted by The Spirits Business to celebrate International Women's Day, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday 8 March). Discussions tackled everything from advice to women launching their own business to how to balance work and parenthood, but talk of how to improve safety measures in hospitality kept resurfacing. Fellow panelist and hospitality consultant Anna Sebastian agreed that it's a subject that should be foregrounded. "Safety is such a big thing in the industry," she said. Sebastian argued that in the same way that venues factor the cost of opening into their budget they should be factoring in the cost of booking cabs home for their staff to ensure they get back safely. She compared it to measures taken to protect TfL drivers, who, after completing late-night shifts, are offered use of a company-provided taxi service. "Why can't we have that?" Sebastian asked. Sebastian founded Celebrate Her in 2019, a not-for-profit to support women in the hospitality industry. The organisation recently announced it has launched a global survey aimed at producing data on why people join the drinks industry, why they leave and what barriers they face. Questions in the survey touch on subjects like parenthood, diversity, inclusion, mental health and safety. Sebastian said her aim is to "use data to get what we want and make the industry better". Whether it be gaining investment or improving safety measures, concrete data is a vital part of pushing things forward. Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business and the panel's host, agreed. "Knowledge is power," she said, arguing that to make real change "you need to have the stats and data to back it up". Payne is seeing the dial on worker safety shift first hand. She and business partner Hannah Sharman-Cox, also a member of the panel, have launched The Pinnacle Guide, which rewards bars based on their excellence in drinks, ambience and hospitality, as well as their efforts to make positive social impact. Payne said that among the bar operators applying for The Pinnacle Guide recognition, "safety has become more of a conversation". She has seen more examples of bar managers saying that they pay for staff to get home safely. Small improvements make all the difference, and there is still work to be done. Sharman-Cox agreed that whatever the method - whether it be a buddy system or simply walking staff to their cars after a shift - prioritising safety is a non-negotiable.

Links to resources:

Women's Night Safety Charter UKHospitality Vulnerability Support Toolkit Celebrate Her Global Survey