February 2025
This article was featured in our January 2025 edition of WorkLife Business News which you can read here.
TUI were accredited as a 2024 Sunday Times Best Places to Work (very big organisation). Entries for the 2025 Sunday Times Best Places to Work are now live and close on 31st March 2025.
Written by: Miranda Simms, Wellbeing & Inclusion Lead, HR, TUI Group.
At TUI, we know that when people can be their true selves at work, everyone benefits. That’s why, earlier this year, we launched our Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) vision —‘Come As You Are’ —with a clear focus on People, Inclusive Leadership, and Community. This bold approach ensures that TUI evolves into a more diverse and inclusive organisation, aligning our culture with the diverse world we serve.
Nearly 1,000 colleagues joined our ‘Come As You Are’ launch event in the UK, where leaders and employees shared personal reflections on why DEI matters to us all. But this vision isn’t just a statement—it’s a commitment woven into every stage of the employee lifecycle. We actively listen to our colleagues and drive meaningful, sustainable change, ensuring everyone feels empowered to ‘Come As You Are’ all of the time.
As part of this journey, we’ve introduced a range of initiatives including:
- Flexible Working Models: We’ve introduced a flexible bank holiday allowance (where operationally possible), allowing employees to use their entitlement on dates that work best for them.
- Celebrating Diversity: Our expanded eCard range recognises key events like Diwali, Passover, Easter, and Holi, ensuring everyone’s celebrations are acknowledged.
- Inclusive Recruitment: We rolled out unbiased job adverts, potential-based interview questions, unconscious bias training, diverse recruitment panels, and interview transparency to ensure fairness in hiring processes.
- DEI Training and Education: Dedicated sessions on disability inclusion and anti-racism have raised awareness and fostered understanding across teams.
- Family-Friendly Enhancements: Partnering with the Family Network, we’ve introduced increased paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave, along with a two-month phased return to work without impacting pay.
- Reverse Mentoring: Directors participate in Diverse Reverse Mentoring, gaining perspectives from employee network leads in junior roles.
- Menopause Support: Line manager training ensures colleagues experiencing menopause receive the support they need.
We’ve also launched a Neurodiversity Podcast series, which led to the creation of our Neurodiversity Community Network. With over 250 members, this network has been pivotal in driving real change. Collaborating with external providers, we introduced Neuro-Inclusive Approach to Travel training for over 2,000 customer-facing colleagues and rolled out Neuro-Friendly Shopping across 300 UK stores, offering accessible appointments for customers. The network will continue to guide how we support neurodivergent colleagues and customers alike.
One of the most impactful employee networks is TUI CAN, our Caribbean and African Network. As co-founder of TUI CAN, I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done to amplify representation and drive progress. Earlier this year, TUI CAN won the ‘Most Impactful Employee Resource Group’ award at the WiHTL Inclusion-In Awards—a testament to the passion, creativity, and dedication of our community.
TUI CAN brings together colleagues of Caribbean and African descent, as well as allies, with a focus on representation, education, and community. One of our proudest initiatives has been transforming the narrative around Black History Month. Rather than focusing solely on the past, we introduced ‘Making Black History at TUI’, celebrating the achievements of our colleagues.
This year, we launched two historic all-Black-crewed flights—from Manchester to Boa Vista and London Gatwick to Jamaica. These flights sent a powerful message of representation, showing that careers in travel and aviation are achievable for everyone. As our mantra goes, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Only seven per cent of pilots in the UK are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds so it’s important to inspire children and teenagers, and even adults to follow their dreams, which is why these flights were arranged. By showcasing the success of our diverse teams, we aim to inspire others to see their own potential.
Beyond these flights, TUI CAN continues to build a thriving community through brunch events, podcasts, learning sessions, and colleague spotlights. Whether we’re celebrating culture or driving education, we create spaces where colleagues feel seen, heard, and celebrated.
At TUI, we understand that diversity and inclusion are about more than ticking boxes. They’re about building an environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. Through initiatives like TUI CAN, the Neurodiversity Community, and our overarching ‘Come As You Are’ vision, we’re making meaningful change—both within TUI and in the communities we serve.
The success of these networks and the broader DEI strategy proves what’s possible when organisations commit to real, lasting change. As the Wellbeing & Inclusion Lead, I see firsthand how fostering inclusivity transforms not just individual experiences, but the organisation as a whole.
At TUI, we’re proud to say ‘Come As You Are.’ We’re breaking barriers, reducing stigma, and celebrating the power of representation. And this is only the beginning.
This article was featured in our January 2025 edition of WorkLife Business News which you can read here.
