At Sumi Yashshree Hotels & Resorts, we believe that true progress is measured not by the success of a few but by the opportunities created for all—especially for those who face unique challenges. Our journey towards a more inclusive future began with a simple yet profound step: welcoming an individual from the Speech and Hearing Impaired (SHI) community into our family as a Commis-I in our culinary team.
Sumi Yashshree Hotels believes that the brand should stand for more than 'just profit'. We have focused our efforts on creating a socially inclusive work environment that seeks to bring together people of different backgrounds, abilities, and ethnicities, offering them the opportunity to work as a unified team with a common goal.
In order for people with disabilities to reach their full potential and live with dignity, we believe they should be given the same opportunities as everyone else. These opportunities can be physical, social, or economic. By fostering an environment within the organisation that encourages employees to give their best effort, we can contribute—even in a small way—to social inclusion, the creation of opportunities and livelihoods, and, ultimately, the development of the nation.
According to Sumi Yashshree, the objective is to mainstream "Opportunity-Deprived Indians" (ODIs) into its workforce. ODIs consist of:
Employees with Disability (EwD):
- Physical Disability
- Speech and Hearing Impaired (SHI)
- Orthopaedically Handicapped (OH)
- Acid Survivors (AS)
- Going forward, also Visually Impaired (VI) and Low Vision (LV)
- Intellectual Disability
- Down Syndrome
- Autism
- People who are below the poverty line (BPL)
- Women who are widowed, abandoned, abused, destitute, or divorced
- Abandoned girls and orphans
- People from low-income households
We also consider students who have completed up to Class 6 and no further, from any of the aforementioned segments.
Disability Types and the Development of the EwD Initiative
We initially implemented the EwD initiative exclusively in back-end roles with limited guest interaction, such as housekeeping and kitchen stewarding. This focus allowed us to iteratively develop training modules and standard operating procedures. We later extended the programme to roles involving guest interaction, such as restaurant service. Here, interaction with guests is a key aspect of the job, so the relevant service mechanisms were re-engineered to enable EwD employees to communicate effectively with guests.
We also worked with individuals with orthopaedic impairments that did not hinder their job performance. Furthermore, at our restaurants, we have conducted six trials involving individuals with Down Syndrome in the Northeastern states.
This initiative was launched in 2024. Currently, approximately 8% of our workforce comprises Indians who experience some form of opportunity deprivation.
Join hands with Sumi Yashshree Hotels & Resorts in creating a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow—a future where everyone, regardless of their challenges, has the opportunity to shine. Let us work together to achieve our goal of having 10% of our workforce composed of Employees Specially Abled (ESA) by the end of 2024.