How property can aid refugees

COMMENT Refugees have been in the news all year, with prime minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” one of his five core promises, and Labour’s alternative plan to take on people smugglers also drawing a great deal of attention. The property industry rarely finds itself drawn into the debate, perhaps because although the UK’s refugee situation is seen as a national problem, it is still not as prominent as in Germany where more than 2m refugees have arrived since 2014. At Sirius Real Estate, with €1.7bn (£1.5bn) of our portfolio in Germany and €356m in the United Kingdom, we are witness to the national debate in both countries. As a FTSE 250 company with a market capitalisation of £1bn, we also believe it is our duty to play a part in wider society, particularly as we have 43 nationalities working in our business. Our answer – and one which we believe other property companies in Germany and the United Kingdom could replicate – is Prisma, a programme to give training, development and a wide range of specialised roles within our company to refugees who have fled conflict. It’s not just the refugees we employ who benefit from this. In both the UK and Germany – and particularly in real estate – there can be a tendency towards groupthink, which leads people to read cycles in the same way and to not always see creative or ingenious solutions. Real-world situations The refugees we employ at Sirius have experienced real-world, life-changing situations where they have had to think quickly and even to save lives – a far cry from the “first-world problems” which some in the industry find afflict them. For example, when you are crossing the Mediterranean in a small boat and you are handed a baby to protect on the journey, it is bound to concentrate the mind. Just as arriving in Berlin after a 2,700-mile journey from the Middle East with very little English and confronting some hostility is a much bigger challenge than some real estate challenges. Prisma’s name is derived from the English word prism, which is often used to describe a way of looking at or thinking about something that causes you to understand it in a different way. At Sirius we have given 16 refugees – including our first from Ukraine – apprenticeship opportunities in our offices and on site, culminating in full-time roles. They receive German and English lessons and are given support with housing and legal issues, plus advice on everything from how to structure meetings to how to attract customers to our assets and understand management information systems. Here are our eight keys to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture – and successful integration of refugees: Demonstrate genuine commitment through action by leadership: Sirius chief executive Andrew Coombs – who is a former soldier with experience of conflict zones – sponsors Prisma and as chief impact officer, I “own” the programme; Invest in building a diverse talent pipeline; Provide diversity and inclusion training for all employees; Develop mentoring and sponsorship programmes for all under-represented employees; Foster open dialogue through story sharing; Promote employee resource groups to enhance feedback and promote active listening; Celebrate differences through events, recognition programmes and inclusive celebrations; and Engage with the community: extending diversity and inclusion efforts beyond the workplace by supporting social initiatives involving tenants and other stakeholders. Countries have a range of choices in how to handle the influx of refugees: one of those choices could be to seek to embrace refugees and give them a new and fruitful life that benefits the private sector and develops those people. There are no easy answers, but Prisma is certainly working for Sirius Real Estate. Kremena Wissel is chief marketing and impact officer at Sirius Real Estate Image from PR