Article

Online cultural inclusiveness: Something for restaurant brands to think about

Focusing on how diversity is presented on a company website provides an opportunity to reaffirm our industry’s commitment to reaching a multicultural workforce and customer base.

December 9, 2014

By Gerry Fernandez, president of the MFHA

Today, job-seekers, consumers and suppliers look first to a company’s website for information. More than any other single source, websites are the face of the company and are expected to tell a complete and accurate story about it. If a topic is an important part of a company’s culture or strategy, people expect to see it on the site.

A number of studies have looked at how companies handle specific topics online, such as financial reporting or sustainability. A new study has examined how websites present diversity. To conduct this analysis, the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance commissioned an independent Website Cultural Inclusiveness Assessment of the Top 100 foodservice brands, led by Dr. Maria Dixon Hall, PhD, associate professor of organizational communication, director of communication studies at Southern Methodist University and principal of Mustang Consulting.

The assessment reviewed the brands’ parent sites, and five key landing pages were analyzed for each: the Home Page; "About Us;" Leadership; Diversity and Inclusion (where applicable); Careers and Employment. The results show a wide range of results. Some companies earned a solid "A" or "B" grade, while others didn’t mention diversity at all.

There were three brands that received an A- and they include McDonald's, Yum! Brands and Target (which was considered because of its food section within the company's broader retail stores). 

McDonald's website, for example, includes links to its microsites Me Encanta, 365 Black and My InspirAsian. 

Other research findings include:

• 8 percent of websites have a dedicated hyperlink for diversity;
• 11 percent have a multi-language option;
• 20 percent have a statement affirming the role of diversity in the company; and
• 10 percent have a statement affirming a commitment to diversity in supplier relationships.

We were pleased to be able to work with a nationally-recognized expert, Dr. Maria Dixon, to conduct research that is very professional and highly credible. While most companies don’t yet feature diversity effectively, some do, and it is those best practices that will serve as a roadmap for others. These corporate leaders show how reaching an increasingly multicultural workforce, supplier community, and customer base delivers real benefits to their bottom lines.

It is important to note that this study was not designed to evaluate a company’s commitment to diversity. Rather, it was designed to assess how well the company presents that commitment on its website.

There is good news coming out of this study for restaurant brands. 

• First, companies can immediately take steps to improve the appeal of their websites from the perspective of diversity.
• Second, focusing on how diversity and inclusion is presented on a company website provides an opportunity to reaffirm our industry’s commitment to reaching a multicultural workforce and customer base.
• And, third, there are terrific best practices for companies to embrace and a lot of resources available to assist them.

10 ways to effectively communicate cultural inclusiveness 

To help restaurant brands achieve their diversity goals through their web presence, the MFHA has released its "10 components to effectively communicate cultural inclusiveness." They include: 

1. Visuals and branding. The use of multicultural images through the site, not just in a "Diversity" section. 
2. CEO message. Include the CEO's personal Diversity & Inclusion message and reasons why he or she believes having a diverse management team is critical to achieving business goals.
3. Careers and employment page.This page should include: A statement about your company's commitment to seeking a diverse workforce; written or video testimonies who have seen the commitment firsthand; Less use of stock images and more use of real employees of color; and career progression anecdotes.
4. Diversity content strategy.Diversity messaging should be directly tied into the overall business metrics.
5. The overall experience of website visitors. The experience should be consistent on each page, and the "Diversity" section message should be carried across other sections.
6. Community and philanthropy. Your foundation dollars must tie into your overall diversity strategy. 
7. Branding your alliances and achievements. Show related organizations you support and include a statement about who they are; list affiliations with relevant organizations such as the MFHA, WFF, Urban League and NAACP; feature related awards or recognitions. 
8. Use of key words. Dedicate information and materials to support finding key words and related phrases, such as diversity, cultural inclusiveness, multicultural, etc.
9. Broad accessibility.People with disabilities should be able to access and easily navigate your website.
10. "Tell us about your overall experience." Encourage feedback from those visiting your site.