CBRE UK is set to become officially “fertility friendly”.
The firm will become the first real estate member of social enterprise consultancy and educational training provider Fertility Matters at Work.
CBRE plans to establish policies and resources that offer the best support to colleagues facing fertility challenges. By raising awareness of the topic within the firm, it aims to create a culture where employees feel supported, secure and valued.
The firm’s move to become Fertility Friendly-accredited follows on from the work done by its Women and Family Networks and People team. It identified that the time when people are wanting to grow their families is often a crucial phase in their careers and having a supportive and understanding workplace is essential in order to retain individuals, particularly women.
James Brandon, DE&I manager at CBRE UK, said: “Core to our DE&I approach is creating a culture where everyone can thrive. Our work with FMAW allows us to listen, raise awareness and continuously improve the employee experience. We also see alignment to our culture, providing practical tools for people and building empathy and better behaviours.”
He added that the first was to launch a toolbox of resources for staff, while running a range of awareness-raising events in the first year of the partnership.
CBRE already has a family friendly policy, with new measures including an extension of partner leave to 16 weeks at 100% base salary, applicable to any parent or co-parent involved in childcare responsibilities; a child care support scheme, which offers cash allowances for parents of associate director level and below with children aged one to two; and a neonatal policy to accommodate early births; a fertility policy, offering paid time off for appointments and up to four weeks for treatment recovery; and enhanced bereavement policies covering pregnancy and close family loss.
CBRE UK employees are also eligible for six months of paid leave after six months of employment, without payback obligations if they don’t return or leave within six months of resuming work.
To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews
