Diversity should be at the core of business strategy

This week, EG is focussing on LGBT inclusion in the real estate industry. Is enough being done to make everyone feel respected, rewarded and included in an industry that perhaps does not have the best track record on diversity? Over the course of this week, numerous professionals will share their stories, thoughts and advice on LGBT issues in property. Here, Sarah Pollard, director of real estate occupier solutions at BNP Paribas Real Estate, tells her story. “From a professional perspective I don’t believe I have explicitly told anyone I’m gay since my first job after graduating from university, over 20 years ago. Rather, I’m very deliberate in using female pronouns or using the term ‘wife’ when I refer to my other half, and I work on the assumption that it won’t be an issue; and to be fair I don’t think it is ever really a surprise to anyone. “I think attitudes have improved significantly in my working life. In that first job, I wasn’t out, but it was assumed I was gay and it was considered acceptable for the team to make what they perceived as jokes about gays and lesbians to test my reaction. I’ve certainly not experienced anything that overtly negative in a long time, but that could also be a reflection of spending the majority of my career in London and having progressed up the ladder somewhat. Fundamentally, the real estate industry needs to embrace diversity in all its forms. I am constantly amazed at how homogeneous the majority of my colleagues are in terms of gender, race, sexuality and background. Leaders from across the industry need to embrace the value that diversity can bring and actively work to increase it in their business. “At a basic level that means accepting and understanding that we all have an unconscious bias towards people we perceive as like us, and working against that bias. While grass roots initiatives such as diversity networks have value, until senior leaders commit to making a change and lead that transformation from the top down, there won’t be significant change. “To people worried about coming out in the industry I would say, if your organisation has an LGBT network, join it. If not, there are organisations such as LB Women, which runs fantastic mentoring programmes – having people you can talk to openly and share experiences with will make you feel much more comfortable taking that step. Most importantly, in my experience, being out at work is a hugely positive thing. “I really hope attitudes shift in the next 10 years the way they have in the last 10, and we move from the current state, where homophobic attitudes are generally the exception, to a situation where diversity is valued and at the core of organisations’ people and business strategy.”