JLL and British Land have featured in an index aimed at showing what employers are doing to support social mobility in the workplace.
The 2022 Social Mobility Foundation’s Index of the top 75 UK employers included just three from the real estate sector.
British Land moved to 16th position, after ranking 61st last year, while JLL dropped to 49, down from 38 last year.
A total of 149 companies applied to enter the index, which was created in 2017 to rank British employers on the actions they are taking to ensure new talent from all backgrounds is being support or promoted.
Law firms featured heavily, with the top spot going to Browne Jacobson. Several institutions with strong real estate divisions – Schroders, Legal & General and M&G – and relevant public sector bodies, including the Valuation Office Agency, also made the list.
Sarah Atkinson, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation, (pictured) urged more real estate companies to get involved.
She congratulated BL and JLL on making the top 75, adding: “In the context of economic uncertainty, we are pleased to see these employers prioritising social mobility as it is an investment into the future.
“However, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, we believe more businesses from this sector should enter the index to invest in skills and create opportunity for the next generation of working professionals. The SMF stands ready to support the entire sector in their social mobility journey.”
The full index and criteria can be found here
How British Land performed
BL was ranked in the top 20% of UK employers for data collection, which is used to assess employees’ socioeconomic backgrounds and improve employment outcomes for people from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
The REIT was praised for its commitment to a fair and unbiased recruitment process, which has seen it adjust its hiring procedure to eliminate unconscious biases and give applicants from underprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds equal access to professional opportunities.
Simon Carter, chief executive at British Land, said: “Diversity and inclusion is central to driving innovation, understanding our customers and ultimately the success of our business.
“Accountability for British Land’s social mobility outcomes sits at board level but we couldn’t do what we do without our employee networks which hold us all to account and do a brilliant job of representing colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds.”
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