Our Conversations

I am a Co-Chair of B.gente, our newest Employee Resource Group at Booking.com. It was launched in February 2023 to offer a place for all Latinx employees and allies in the company.

B.gente looks to engage, represent and create awareness about the Latinx community to build a motivated group of people that enjoy their journey, while celebrating their rich culture at work. Inspired by equity, inclusiveness and intersectionality, we invite everyone who likes and/or identifies with the Latinx American culture to join our community because our diversity is our strength. 

Being a Co-Chair and member of B.gente has made a big impact on my personal and professional life. Since I started this project, I have been appreciating more about my origins, my home country of Colombia, my journey and how these have become my superpowers to face the world on a daily basis. Honouring my culture has allowed me to connect on a deeper level with many people, who have brought a lot of experiences and learnings to my life.

Working to launch B.gente has taught me the importance not only of diversity, but also of equity and inclusion to create a better space for everyone. I started seeing the world and people with different lenses, which motivates me to do my best to help others and to make them feel seen, recognised, valued and respected. I have seen the impact when this is achieved, as  this leads to greater collaboration and creativity, which are excellent skills for any workplace or community.

It has been a short time since B.gente became an official ERG, however, we are already having many great moments and memories.

My favourite moment or event, so far, has been the launch. I loved the process and everything that happened to make the ERG possible. I still remember how the Steer-Co team worked so hard to make it happen, and how we got excellent support from our fantastic sponsors. Connecting people from different backgrounds and locations was a challenge that we overcame with a lot of joy and love.

Our different ERGs work so hard to make sure everyone has a place, where differences and diversity are seen as strengths and opportunities and not isolated traits of an individual. ERGs are creating a place where everyone can identify and feel safe, so they can be themselves in the workplace without any worry. 

Our collaboration makes it possible for everyone at Booking.com to feel that they can fit in more than one community and that they do not need to fit into only one. That is why intersectionality is a very important topic for ERGs. We are conscious of how our people can have multiple identities and how we can offer places celebrate who we are while thriving at work.

Diversity is all about creating an inclusive environment, accepting of every individual’s differences, allowing all employees to achieve their full potential, increasing work productivity and, as a result, allowing the business to achieve its fullest potential.

A diverse workforce also brings together individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and problem-solving approaches. This diversity of thought fosters creativity and leads to innovative solutions. From my own experience, I have seen how diverse teams are more likely to generate fresh ideas and develop unique approaches to challenges.

To find out more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Booking.com, click here.