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Socio-Economic Pillar

Supporting the people around us is key to achieving a better world. This pillar covers policies that impact hostel employees (e.g., equal employment), customers (e.g., exploitation and harassment), and the wider community (e.g., local purchasing).

Villa Viva Guesthouse Cape Town

What's covered in Socio-Economic?

Community support: Identifying at least one group within the community to support. 

Fair and equal employment: Having an equal opportunities policy, that includes hiring across gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, and race.

Local purchasing: A supplier review, with the commitment to sourcing local and/or Fairtrade suppliers where possible.

Exploitation and harassment: A defined policy enforcing zero tolerance to any form of exploitation and harassment.

Local entrepreneurs: Wherever possible, give local entrepreneurs access to the hostel and its guests to develop and sell products and/or services.

Decent work: A policy to ensure all mandatory and applicable labour rights are respected and employees are provided with a safe working environment.

Community services:  The hostel's operations do not impact local access to basic services such as food, water, energy, healthcare, or sanitation. 

 

Local livelihoods: The hostel's operations do not impact local access to livelihoods, including land and water use, rights of way, transport and housing.

Hostels taking action

Villa Viva Guesthouse Cape Town-1
Villa Viva Guesthouse Cape Town, South Africa.

"Villa Viva is a Guest House, a fresh, innovative social business, meeting and networking platform to share and express, creative work, social projects and celebrating life..."

Edd Hostel - France
Edd Hostel, France

"[…] All our food and drink providers are choosen locally. We are based in a small town at the crossroad of famous touristic attraction and they are all accessible by train or bike"

Hostel Celica
Hostel Celica, Slovenia

"Hostel Celica sustainable policy is visually presented to guests and employees throughout the property with THINK. ACT. SHARE. information signs."

Amama Baita France

Summary

  • Our industry has a direct and indirect contribution to the local economy and therefore the community. 
  • Our activities within the sector can generate jobs, be an incentive for public investment in infrastructures and services, strengthen local identity, as well as add value to the local culture. 
  • The sustainable management of your hostel should ensure that economic activities are viable in the long term. 
  • Reporting socio-economic benefits can contribute to the reduction of local poverty.

Benefits

1. Economic contribution to the local community:
  • Fair, equal and decent work, as well as new professional opportunities
  • Support for local and fairtrade entrepreneurs
  • Ability to track and communicate the economic contributions of the hostel industry
2.  Social contribution to the local community:
  • Increase community support
  • Prevention of exploitation and discrimination
  • Ownership and use rights defined
  • Increased security and surveillance
  • Greater access for all

Self-Assessment for Socio-Economic Pillar 

  • Does your hostel support any local community groups? And if so, are your contributions tracked? 
  • Does the hostel have an equal opportunities policy? 
  • Does the hostel oversee employment equity to ensure there is no discrimination?
  • Has your hostel held discussions with local or fair-trade suppliers? 
  • Do you offer spaces or opportunities to local entrepreneurs?
  • Does the hostel have policies against exploitation or harassment? And are these policies available for everybody to view?
  • Do you have policies that ensure that work rights are respected and always applied?
  • Do the hostel’s activities have any impact on local access to basic services?
  • Do you have a system that allows you to collect feedback from the local community to solve any problems that arise?
  • Can you ensure that the hostel’s activities do not negatively impact the local populations’ access to basic services?