Recently, I had the pleasure of embarking on a 7-day cruise with Virgin Voyages. I expected to experience simply a vacation, but it surpassed my expectations. What I assumed would be an experience of mere relaxation ventured into a realm of profound workplace insights. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy myself, the entire experience illustrated how diversity can be implemented and the benefits of doing it right.
To start, the ship was a melting pot of diversity and inclusion. All types of people, from all types of backgrounds, beliefs and cultures were represented. It seemed like judgment was left at the gangway, and combined with the attitudes and actions of the staff, created a culture of friendship and camaraderie between all of the guests which you rarely see in the “real world”.
The Virgin staff seemed happy and joyous to be able to perform their jobs and serve the customers. I would ask them, when the opportunity presented itself, to ask about their experience with Virgin, and they shared the benefits and differences in the way Virgin treated them, in comparison to other cruise companies they had worked in, which translated into them feeling fortunate to be working for Virgin and happy to serve their clientele. The staff represented many countries, beliefs, races, genders, and orientations and they all shared the same basic assessment of their company.
Then there were the customers. At a glance, you saw people with almost full body tattoos, shirts expressing beliefs in everything from conservative politics, LGBT equality, Flat Earth (NASA stood for “Not A Space Agency”), as well as differently abled people, long-term immigrants to the US, as well as global migrants such as myself. We all spoke to each other, openly shared our differing beliefs, and were able to respect the opinions we were hearing and feel respected and safe the entire time.
Why was this the case? At the core, Virgin was able to create an environment where everyone felt safe. The staff felt safe, recognized and motivated and through their attention and service to the customers, we all felt the same, safe, recognized, and respected. When people do not feel threatened; when they feel psychologically safe, we become relaxed, doors open in our mind, and we become open to difference.
If you are working in an environment where you are seeing resistance to diversity, or in an environment where the benefits you expect from a diverse and inclusive culture are not coming to fruition, I believe there are key lessons to be learned from the way Virgin delivered it’s cruise experience. ****
A Culture Beyond Judgments
Aboard the vessel, the air was different – it was free from judgments. Staff and cruisers interacted with an ease that spoke volumes of the environment Virgin Voyages has cultivated: one of mutual respect and genuine enjoyment. This echoes the need for our workplaces to be zones where judgments are suspended, where every member feels valued and heard, irrespective of their role or rank. There were not particular messages to customers to accept diversity. Honestly I do not remember any overt messages whatsoever. What I did see was that the staff, from those dressed in their conservative Virgin uniforms, all the way to drag queens, simply treated everyone with kindness and consideration and it became contagious and a matter of fact.
The Joy of Fair Compensation
The crew’s evident happiness and enthusiasm was great to see, but I wanted to know why. As I mentioned above, I put on my CHRO hat, reaching out to the concierge staff, support staff, performers, and galley staff about why they chose Virgin Voyages (a relatively new and unproven line compared to companies like Carnival or Princess Cruises) and kept hearing the same thing: Recognition and Compensation. Their sincere efforts to ensure we all had an amazing experience was a testament to the fair compensation and treatment they felt they were receiving. It reminded me of the simple yet powerful idea that when employees feel they are recognized, treated and compensated fairly, their job satisfaction and productivity soar. This translates into increased customer satisfaction. Lesson: When striving for excellence: the foundation of a motivated team is fairness and respect.
Diversity in Its True Form
The diversity on the ship was striking – not just in terms of nationality but across all spectra: age, race, sexual orientation, political beliefs, and beyond. Every guest, from the young to those over 80, black or white, gay or straight, Republican or Democrat, found a place on the ship. They also mixed with each other seamlessly, all while sharing their personal beliefs and opinions openly. And the lack of judgement began to make people kinder and more empathetic and conversations you would never have in the mixed company could happen because people unconsciously become more tolerant. Because they felt safe.
However diversity wasn’t just present; it was celebrated. An example was a ship show entitled “Misbehave”which was hosted by an openly man who went by the name of Reeses’ Pieces. At this show, the audience was split into two teams. Between stints of joke-telling, the host would ask questions and present challenges to the audience.
Based on who answered a question, points would be given to that particular team. One question which made me realize that I was in a different world involved asking the audience to stand up. We were then to instructed to sit down if the following question applied to us. He then asked who was under 25. Those under 25 sat down. He then asked who was under 35, followed by those people sitting down.
And this continued, to 45, 55, 65 and beyond. As he kept stating higher numbers, more and more people sat down. In my research on the cruise I learned that Virgin Voyages tends to skew younger than most cruise lines so I (having sat down after he asked who was under 55), expected most of the audience to be disappointed when the winner was verified. At least this was my expectation and assumption and I believe it was a realistic assumption.
However, when he eventually got to asking those under 85 to sit down, leaving one solitary woman standing, the host clapped as if he had won the event himself followed by all of us spontaneously bursting into thunderous applause and praise for this woman. I don’t believe it was just because she was older, or even the winner, but because we felt (and perhaps knew from Reeses’ response) that being 86 is both a gift and an accomplishment that deserved respect. We cheered and praised her as if she was OUR OWN grandmother. I believe that if we had had walls up, making us unconsciously feel in competition with each other, or if we had felt in any way unsafe, we would not have cheered as much as we had. Additionally if she had felt unsafe she would not have stood (or perhaps even attended the event). The lesson for office environments is clear: true diversity goes beyond mere numbers or compliance. It’s about creating spaces where this diversity is celebrated, where we SHOW that every background enriches the tapestry of the team. But to embrace diversity, all staff need to feel safe.
Translating Sea Lessons to Office Success
How do we take these insights from the sea and anchor them in our office culture? The answer lies in building environments that prioritize inclusivity, respect, and fairness. But we don’t just say it, we show it. Showing it builds a culture and attracts those who want that culture. We must also be careful to build culture in a way that understands that a person takes time to change; that transformation doesn’t occur overnight is a must. Both sides of a divide need to feel safe, and this breeds openness and thus unconscious acceptance begins to spread, because people feel that acceptance takes nothing away from them.
It starts with leadership embodying these values, creating policies that support diversity in all its forms, and ensuring every team member feels valued and fairly compensated. This approach not only enhances job satisfaction but also mirrors the rich, diverse, and inclusive experience I witnessed on Virgin Voyages. In the abstract this may seem strange to those who do not work in inclusive environments, , but once you experience it you realize the power of “walking the talk” and being an example of the change you wish to see in the world: a world where we all respect and accept one another; a world where we feel safe to be our authentic selves. When that happens most of us choose to be kind to each other.
By fostering a workplace culture that reflects these principles, businesses not only enhance their team’s cohesion and productivity but also position themselves as leaders in the market. Why? Because their employees’ joy translates into more effort, more investment, and happier customers.
As Virgin Voyages has shown on the high seas, the power of diversity and inclusion, coupled with fairness and joy, can propel us all to new heights of engagement.
For those looking to delve deeper into creating inclusive and positive workplace environments, I invite you to explore further insights in my book, which is available on Amazon.
