COMMENT Improving diversity is about shifting organisational culture. It is a team effort and something that every single person needs to believe in fully if there is to be true change.
At Savills, we embrace diversity and provide a platform and supportive environment for everyone to be the best they can be. We achieve this by continually developing our policies and approach to promoting diversity and inclusion at all levels and across our six pillars: age; disability; ethnicity; gender; LGBTQ+ and socio-economic. Our affinity groups in these key areas have been working incredibly hard over the past four years to encourage a diverse workforce. They have made some great headway in building an environment in which everyone can thrive, but we recognise that there is still much more to do.
For any firm to truly change its culture, they need to find what works for them. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Learned experience
We have learned from experience, and from diversity events that we have held in the past, that the thing that resonates most is hearing our own people talk about their own experiences and challenges.
One recent example of this is a webinar organised by our team in Scotland where we heard from colleagues who have faced their own mental health battles, including one of the most powerful and emotive videos I have seen on the subject. Another is a webinar held earlier this month, where a director in our planning team stepped up to educate those in our business on how the menopause affects women, the impact it can have on their daily lives and how we can support colleagues across the business who may be going through the menopause.
Not only did I find it unbelievably brave to see colleagues speak so openly, particularly on subjects which are still sometimes wrongly seen as “taboo”, but it also made me incredibly proud to be part of a business where they felt comfortable enough to share such personal accounts.
Courageous changemakers
The people in our business who are courageous enough to speak about their personal experiences have been a big inspiration in creating a programme that fits our needs, and they act as a stark reminder of the importance of educating ourselves on subjects we haven’t always been comfortable talking about.
I am not afraid to say that we have done a lot of soul searching to create a diversity and inclusion programme that is authentic to our business. We knew it simply wouldn’t work otherwise. Savills is a people business, and it is so important for us to make sure our people are at the heart of driving things forward.
It’s not enough just to encourage a diverse workforce, we need to be proactive in creating inclusion across our vast, national network and we have now reached a crucial stage. This is why we have created our allies programme to take the diversity offering to the next level.
The role of an ally within Savills is to educate, support and challenge. Our allies will educate themselves and others about inclusion, support our diverse culture and challenge unacceptable behaviours in the workplace. It is our belief that they will help to build an inclusive environment by understanding the challenges those in under-represented groups face, providing support and addressing inequalities.
After launching the programme earlier in the year, more than 700 people have signed up already, and we are on the cusp of undertaking a tailored training programme, again delivered by our own people, to empower our allies to drive change.
Ongoing process
Throughout Savills there is a hunger to learn more. We want to change, grow and develop, and we are all learning new things every day. It is our hope that the allies programme will add another layer towards creating an atmosphere where no one is afraid to ask questions, or to challenge things they hear that they feel aren’t right, no matter how small. Particularly as people return to an office environment, which brings with it other anxieties, we want to give everyone the tools to feel empowered to speak out.
I am proud of our allies programme and everyone who is involved in making a difference. This is an ongoing process and there is no finishing line. We must all take action and take the time to educate, support and challenge one another to strive for better.
Siân Tunney is Savills UK board director and head of its gender group
