Below is a set of ethics and standards that Drive Change requires businesses to be committed to working towards in order to be considered a just environment and a quality employer. Our hope is that defining moments of 2020 have awoken an even greater potential for re-imagining, re-visioning, re-building, and collaboration. There is no reason why this cannot happen collectively. It is up to you, as owners and leaders, to define your own mission, core values, and principles and begin to work towards them. Until businesses do the work to incorporate anti-racism, diversifying and hiring will not be the answer; it will only perpetuate harm.

This document is intended to be absorbed by all those invested in systems changing across the food and hospitality sector. While the information may be newer to some than others, we believe that it is useful to all, though perhaps less to individuals with lived experiences of racial oppression or those who’ve been committed to this work.

This list is a starting place; it is not exhaustive. This document, in addition to the subsequent engagement in the HSJ network, is designed to be a jumping-off point. The foundational information should only encourage further work. HSJ programming does not aim to encourage the “checking of any boxes,” or to be the be-all resource. We will connect you and encourage you to look to other people and places, to read, to listen, to discuss, and to act. Our team, your business's teams, and the rest of the network will be an outlet to work through questions and ideas. Drive Change invites and is open to feedback. We acknowledge our own blind spots and are committed to continuing to evolve alongside this work.

Explicitly implementing practices that directly remove systemic targeting of marginalized individuals. This process begins with education; understanding history and incorporating the lived experiences of BIPOC (​Black, Indigenous & People of Color​) into people’s understanding of the world. BIPOC should be compensated for any labor that contributes to gaining this deeper understanding. White leaders need to commit to researching approaches that avoid emotional labor for BIPOC employees and take responsibility for doing the work. Businesses practicing anti-racism ensure that people of color are treated with inclusion and with an acknowledgement of historic oppression and intergenerational trauma.

Diversity & Inclusion are problematic when hiring becomes tokenized. Employees of color need to be treated as a standard, NOT an exception. Race and power must be explicitly named, discussed, and conflicts (both present and past) need to be addressed. The organization is committed to learning about and actively dismantling white supremacy. Mass incarceration within North America is not a haphazard occurrence; it is a systemic targeting. In order to care for these individuals, anti-racism must be the tool to guide our actions in creating a space that gives them the breadth to grow.

​When a business commits to equitable hiring practices, it must first take a good look at its internal culture and structures to ensure that individuals hired are coming into a community that will welcome them. When hiring individuals from marginalized identities, a business needs to have already prioritized inclusion and progress towards equity. This means that there is at least a public and internal acknowledgement of inherent differences based on people’s identities, and that systems are being built to account for these discrepancies and variance in needs. Anti-racism and equity need to consciously be built into recruitment, job postings, applications, interviews, onboarding, training, and beyond.

​Creating a community that is based on reciprocity and divorcing leadership from hierarchical structures that promote secrecy and surveillance means that profit cannot come before people. Transparency lends itself to trust. Workers need to understand and feel that they are being invested in. Systems need to be shared with all members of the team, with opportunities for input and feedback. This allows individuals to make decisions in their best interest, for leaders to make changes that directly meet the needs of their workers, and to share systems with other community members. Organizational demographics, such as gender and race, by leadership and position should be transparent as well.

Physical and emotional safety requires us to be aware of how we communicate with others verbally, and more importantly, how we listen. Businesses must provide a space where employees feel heard and where conflicts/concerns will be addressed before harm is done. Training on communication styles and differences should be incorporated and viewed as an opportunity for growth and connection. Practices include active listening, consent-based approaches, intentional feedback, and awareness of personal and institutional blind spots.

The design of an environment should intentionally reduce hostility and biased power dynamics between management, employees, and consumers. Internal accountability measures and systems are in place that prevent, respond to, and heal from any harmful, violent, or abusive behaviors. This must include reflecting on and taking responsibility for past harm that has been done in the workplace.

Base wages should be at or above the state minimum wage for all paid positions, and traditional tipping procedures reevaluated or removed. Shifting pay structures will require work, and at times, sacrifices from traditional business models. It is on the leaders to do the work of tapping into available resources and models that support the integration of these practices.

Pay structure transparency is not only an employee right under federal law but a necessity of caring for those most marginalized. This includes, but is not limited to conversations concerning eligibility for healthcare, PTO, and pay raises. It is the first step to preventing financial abuse. Worker value takes into account what is required for an individual to meet their financial needs (housing, food access, childcare, transportation, etc.). Business investment and wealth expansion should not be an option until all workers' individual needs have been considered.

​Training, mentorship, and steps to promotion are clear, equitable, and accessible for all workers. The food and hospitality industry needs to be a place where workers are able to develop professionally in areas of interest and across various skills. Opportunities for continued education should be consistently presented.

Benefit structures should be built into a business. There is an immense possibility regarding what food and hospitality sector safety nets and support can look like. Access to health care, mental health care, paid time-off, childcare, and more need to be expected.

Budgets are moral documents. Decisions about finances need to be developed and understood with input from BIPOC. Budgets should be designed with flexibility that acknowledges support for individuals and communities that require varying levels of access to resources. Budgets should be transparent and prioritize worker security above owners' assets.

Individuals who are impacted by decisions should be included in the decision-making process. This process should acknowledge and value the input of all employees.

Power holders should be committed to advocating for policies that center the needs of their workers before the success of their business. We know that this work cannot only be up to businesses but also needs support from legislation. The policy should center a business’s mission towards equity and impact, and not just filling seats. COVID-19 only reinforced the need for wages and health care to be accessible to all industries, and not just a benefit of working for a company that is capable of providing the discretionary funds.

​Buy-in for many of these commitments needs to be across the board. Changes will require educating consumers on a business's values and the role that the consumer plays in making sure that standards are met. Educated customers value transparency too. This includes knowing that their money is being spent at places that value their workers, use high-quality products, and value sustainability and equity. Justice-driven work will support a business’s bottom line.

Businesses exist within communities. Education efforts should include understanding gentrification and incorporating business structures that provide direct support and reinvestment into the community in which it is located. This includes employment opportunities, shared physical space, and food access.

Owners and leadership should not be benefiting from cultural elements that they do not identify with, especially when the culture is tied to BIPOC. In addition, if leadership is to tap into an employee’s culture to be used for profit, the employee is entitled to credit and monetary compensation.