COMMENT This year marks 50 years since the UK had its first Pride protest march in London, and even though a lot has changed over the decades there is still work to be done every day, not just in June, including in the world of real estate.
In EG’s latest LGBTQ+ Attitudes and Actions in Real Estate survey, 80% of respondents wanted to see more action by our sector, and I believe this resonates within each of our businesses. Every day, LGBTQ+ people regularly have to “come out” in the office, while entertaining clients or even on the sports pitch. The spaces and work environments we create are the litmus test of whether people feel valued, safe, and supported.
I joined the real estate sector having worked in LGBTQ+ mental health, sport and cultural institutions, and as a very average rugby player have seen first-hand how our behaviours can have a positive and negative impact on how some people feel in the workplace. In fact, when people find out I am a rugby player I often get a head tilt with responses such as “I didn’t think gay people played sport” or “what happens when you get injured?”, which is an ongoing and consistent connection between gay men and the AIDS pandemic.
Celebrating diversity
Pride month is a moment to look at progress and to celebrate the wonderful diversity that forms our LGBTQ+ communities. At CBRE are we are using the 50th anniversary to do just this. One of our major projects is the launch of our Pride 50 Portrait series, where our LGBTQ+ staff and allies have responded to the theme “Can’t Hide My Pride!”. The portraits show a side of our lives that you might not normally see through a corporate profile. Our ambition is to show that LGBTQ+ people are in our business, and we are thriving.
However, our business recognises that LGBTQ+ inclusion and representation is more than just a rainbow or a Pride event. Our diversity, equity and inclusion vision is to enable our people to thrive by fostering an inclusive environment for everyone. This means ensuring that our LGBTQ+ colleagues find our company an inclusive place to work, where coming out in the workplace is a positive experience in which our people feel safe, valued and heard.
Last September, our UK Proud Network launched our first “Coming Out at CBRE” guide for all employees. It is a document dedicated to those who wish to come out in the workplace, those joining our business and to those who are supporting their journey. This guide sends a clear message that we expect our business to be a space where, if someone chooses to share this part of their identity, they can safely do so. We have had great feedback from colleagues at all levels in the organisation about the value of being able to see a clear commitment to LGBTQ+ people and motivating them to come out to their colleagues and clients.
Reviewing practices and processes
When we look at interventions, sometimes this is about specific LGBTQ+-facing ones such as our Coming Out guide, but also reviewing all our practices and processes to ensure they reflect the community. We are actively de-gendering our policies, for example, to reflect modern workforces, switching maternity leave to parental leave, and paternity to partner leave, and are working towards ensuring all our benefits support our LGBTQ+ communities. We are also working with charities working in the LGBTQ+ community through fundraising and increasing their profile.
Visibility is hugely important for any business right now. Our Proud Network was established in 2012 and currently has more than 750 members. The network offers allyship training, support, socials, and discussion platforms to encourage debates and networking. The network has also been a source of support for parents of LGBTQ+ children, connecting them with other support and providing valuable interactions.
If we want to change our industry to be more diverse and inclusive, we need to think about our future talent and recognise what it looks like and how we can help them. CBRE’s Coming Out guide is supporting this, but we need to encourage senior leaders to be the role models, inspire people within the business to have conversations and create a safe space for everyone. I think the challenge I set to everyone is: “what do you want an LGBTQ+ employee to say about your organisation?”, and if you don’t know, this month is a great opportunity to ask them.
James Brandon is diversity, equity, inclusion and responsible business manager at CBRE UK
