Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How a Hotel Chain Turned Refugee Hiring Into a Career Ladder
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, we talk a lot on this show about companies building career ladders for specific underrepresented groups. Today I want to look at a group that often gets overlooked in the DEI conversation: refugees. Luna: That's interesting — most DEI frameworks I see focus on race, gender, neurodiversity, but I don't recall seeing 'refugee status' as a category in many HR strategies. Lucas: Exactly. And it's a missed opportunity, because refugees often arrive with professional experience, advanced degrees, and a fierce motivation to rebuild their lives. The problem is structural: their credentials don't transfer, their networks are gone, and employers see risk instead of potential. Luna: So who's actually doing this well? Lucas: One of the most interesting examples I've found is Accor — the French hotel group that owns brands like Sofitel, Novotel, Ibis, and Fairmont. They've been running a structured refugee hiring program since 2017, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. And what makes it different is they don't just hire refugees into dead-end jobs. They build career ladders. Luna: Okay, that's a strong claim. Give me the specifics. Lucas: Let me walk you through how it works. Accor operates in over 110 countries, and in many of those countries, refugees are present — Syrians in Germany and France, Venezuelans in Colombia, Rohingya in Malaysia, Afghans in Australia. The company uses its local HR teams to identify open positions, usually starting in housekeeping, kitchen support, or front desk, depending on language skills. Luna: Right, but a lot of companies do that. What's the career ladder part? Lucas: Here's the key: from day one, every refugee employee is assigned a mentor from the management team. The mentor isn't just a buddy. They're responsible for building a personalized development plan. That plan includes paid language training — Accor covers the cost and gives the employee time during the workday to take classes. It also includes skill assessments to see what the person already knows. Luna: So they're not ignoring prior experience. That's smart. Lucas: Exactly. A refugee who was a hotel manager back home doesn't start over from scratch. They start in an entry role, but the mentor fast-tracks them through internal training programs. Accor has something called the 'Accor Academy' — an online and in-person learning platform — and refugee employees get full access. They can take courses on revenue management, leadership, even sommelier certification. Luna: And does this actually result in promotions? Or is it good PR that doesn't change outcomes? Lucas: The numbers are compelling. Accor published a report in 2024 looking at their program across 15 countries. They found that within two years, over 60 percent of refugee hires had been promoted at least once. And about 15 percent moved into management roles. That's not just a job — that's a career. Luna: Sixty percent promoted in two years. That's higher than their general workforce turnover rate, I'd wager. Lucas: You're right. And the retention is also strong — about 80 percent of refugee hires stay with the company after the first year, compared to around 60 percent for regular entry-level hires in hospitality. That makes business sense. Luna: I want to pause on that. Because a lot of listeners might hear 'refugee hiring program' and think charity. But you're saying it's actually a talent pipeline that performs better than the standard one. Lucas: That's exactly the point the company makes. They say refugees tend to be more loyal because the company gave them a real chance, not just a paycheck. And they're highly motivated. Many of them are supporting families, they're grateful for the opportunity, and they work hard. Turnover in hospitality is brutal — industry average in the US was about 75 percent pre-pandemic. If you can find a pool of talent that stays longer and moves up faster, that's a competitive advantage. Luna: So the business case is clear. But I imagine implementation is tough. What are the biggest barriers? Lucas: The first barrier is legal. In many countries, refugees don't have the right to work immediately, or their work permits are restricted. Accor works with UNHCR to navigate those legal frameworks. In some cases, they hire refugees as contractors first, then convert to permanent when the paperwork clears. Luna: That requires patience and a willingness to deal with bureaucracy. Not every company has that. Lucas: True. The second barrier is stigma and bias among existing staff. If a hotel's general manager thinks refugees are a risk, the program won't work. So Accor does training for hiring managers — it's mandatory — that covers unconscious bias and the legal protections for refugees. They also share success stories internally. Luna: And language, I assume, is a big one too. Lucas: Huge. But Accor handles it by embedding language training into the work schedule. They use a platform called Lingoda in some markets, and they also pair non-native speakers with native-speaker colleagues on the job. Over time, the employee gains fluency on the clock. Luna: That seems expensive. Is there data on the cost? Lucas: Accor hasn't published a detailed cost-benefit analysis, but they've said the per-employee investment is roughly equivalent to what they spend on any other new hire's training. The difference is the additional support — language classes, legal help, mentorship — but they argue that the lower turnover offsets those costs within the first year. Luna: Yeah, if you're spending money on recruitment and training anyway, and your refugee hires stay twice as long as your average entry-level worker, the math works. Lucas: Exactly. And if today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support. If you've ever gotten a practical idea from this show — something that helped you think through a career move or a hiring strategy — that's the value we're trying to create. And the way to keep that going is a small contribution at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a simple way to keep this resource free for everyone. No ads, no sponsors, just listeners who find it valuable. Lucas: So back to Accor — what I find most instructive is how they measure success. They don't just track 'number of refugees hired.' They track promotions, retention, and employee satisfaction scores. And they compare those metrics against the general workforce. That's what makes it a career ladder, not a charity program. Luna: Are there other companies doing something similar? Or is Accor an outlier? Lucas: There are a few others. IKEA, for example, has a refugee hiring program in Europe focused on warehouse and retail roles. But I'd say Accor is the most systematic about the career development part. They've published case studies, and they present at DEI conferences. They treat it as part of their talent strategy, not their corporate social responsibility report. Luna: What about industries beyond hospitality? Could this model work in, say, manufacturing or healthcare? Lucas: Absolutely. In fact, some hospitals in Germany have started similar programs for refugee nurses. The key is having a clear pathway from entry-level to licensed professional. In hospitality, Accor created internal certifications that act as a bridge. In healthcare, you need to work with regulatory bodies to recognize foreign credentials. It's harder, but it's being done. Luna: So the lesson isn't 'copy Accor's program exactly.' It's 'build a system that acknowledges prior experience, provides support, and measures progression.' Lucas: That's the takeaway. And one more thing: the program changes the culture of the whole company. Accor says that having refugee colleagues in management roles changes the way everyone thinks about diversity. It becomes less abstract. Luna: Can you give me a concrete example of someone who moved up? Lucas: Sure. There's a woman named Fatima who fled Syria in 2015. She had a degree in business administration from Damascus University. She joined Accor in Germany as a housekeeping assistant. Through the mentorship program, she completed a management training course in nine months. Within 18 months, she became a front office manager. Now she's an assistant hotel manager. Luna: That's a real career. Not just a job. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the distinction. A lot of companies talk about 'hiring refugees' as if the job itself is the endpoint. Accor treats it as the starting point. The job is the first rung, not the ceiling. Luna: I think that's a powerful model for any company that's serious about inclusion. It's not about lowering standards. It's about removing barriers. Lucas: Right. And the proof is in the promotion numbers. If your refugee hires are performing as well as or better than your other hires, the barriers were artificial. The talent was always there. Luna: So what's the one thing a company should do tomorrow if they want to start down this path? Lucas: Partner with UNHCR or a local refugee resettlement agency. Accor didn't invent this from scratch. They worked with experts who understood the legal landscape and had access to candidates. Then start small — one hotel, one department, a cohort of ten employees. Track the outcomes. Use the data to make the case for scaling. Luna: That's pragmatic. And it avoids the risk of a big splashy program that fails because the infrastructure isn't there. Lucas: Exactly. Pilot, measure, iterate, scale. That's how you build a career ladder that actually works.