Lost momentum: how Covid hit real estate’s D&I progress

Although the industry’s journey to becoming more diverse and inclusive has been hindered by the coronavirus pandemic, EG’s third survey on attitudes to LGBTQ+ in real estate shows that further progress is essential for businesses – and their people – to thrive in the future. In a time when there has never been such a talked-about focus on people and such a bright light shone on the need for rigorous equality, diversity and inclusion policies, it is not surprising that three-quarters of respondents to EG’s third LGBTQ+ in Real Estate – Attitudes and Actions survey said they felt LGBTQ+ employees were supported by managers and senior managers – a 10 percentage point increase on the previous survey. What is surprising, however, is how the industry has seemingly taken some backwards steps in other areas and how unacceptable behaviours are still persisting. Fewer respondents were out, out at work or out to clients this year than in both of EG’s previous surveys, and the percentage of people who thought that enough was being done to promote inclusion of LGBTQ+ people dropped from 28.4% in 2019 to 22.5% this year. The belief that there were enough visible allies in respondents’ workplaces also dipped this year, from 61% to 55%, and 80% of respondents, rather than the almost 88% in 2019, said they believed that their firm provided a safe place for LGBTQ+ people to come out. Unwelcome distraction Covid-19 can take the blame for some of the reversal. Businesses have been so focused on staying afloat and helping colleagues deal with the burden of childcare and home-schooling that, understandably perhaps, the continued push towards LGBTQ+ inclusion has slipped. “We lost momentum due to Covid, which is understandable,” explains JLL head of valuation Ollie Saunders. “But I can’t see that much has ever been done for bi and trans colleagues. Property is still behind the legal and accountancy professions when it comes to the lesbian and gay community. And not enough has been done to ensure that everyone at the top of this industry is a vocal ally for the community – and that means actually doing things to show they mean it sincerely.” He adds: “The LGBT community had a tough time with Covid – isolation, loneliness and the impact on mental health – and the recovery is a great opportunity to support it, make it feel welcome and to see a true desire to change things. I do hope that the real estate industry shows that it cares about the LGBT community.” Covid cannot take all the blame, though. There still exists in real estate discrimination or a fear of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. And that is evidenced by the experiences shared through additional comments in the survey and the fact that many people chose to remain anonymous. “I wish I could leave my details, but I know I could get in trouble,” read the most heart-breaking of all the responses to the survey. Other respondents share experiences of being overlooked and not offered opportunities because of their sexuality, and how that has caused them to be cautious of sharing their true self with clients and certain colleagues; of feeling that their safety or security of employment was being threatened; being told to “tone it down”, not be so softly spoken or not show support for LGBTQ+ events because of what clients – particularly overseas clients – might think. The discrimination still exists and real estate, despite moving in the right direction, still has a long way to go. “While the property industry lags behind other industries, it is slowly evolving for the better, and there is an energy around LGBT+ matters,” says one respondent. Not enough has been done to ensure that everyone at the top of this industry is a vocal ally for the community – and that means actually doing things to show they mean it sincerely. Ollie Saunders, JLL Better understanding Loren Pereira, assistant property manager at British Land, agrees. “There is a lot of work to be done for all aspects of D&I. We need to find ways to bring awareness without just celebrating calendar events to include the history and culture for people to better understand so that they can then make their own conscious decision to support D&I,” she says. “We have to also be aware that not everyone will be accepting for a range of reasons, and it’s about finding the balance and respect for that too.” One respondent, who came out as trans in the 1980s, is more hopeful for the future and sees the industry’s evolution being just around the corner. “Covid has made folks realise how transient life is and that we have bigger things to worry about than gender and sexuality,” they say. “In a few years’ time we will look at history and wonder what all the fuss was about. “Only a few years ago we allowed people to smoke on planes and in restaurants. Now we think such an idea is crazy. We’ll soon feel the same way about discrimination just because of someone’s gender or sexuality. It will be considered to be such a ridiculous concept – so archaic and Neanderthal.” They add: “Success will be when LGBTQ isn’t even discussed because it is a non-issue. Who you are and who you love doesn’t make you a better worker. When I started working in the industry, I can remember taking my tie off before leaving the office and a guy from another company said I was a disgrace to the profession for not wearing a tie. Can you imagine someone saying that today? It’s hard living though these times, but it is getting easier.” If equality could be just around the corner, let’s take a deeper look into the survey results to help map the route to a more welcoming and inclusive sector for LGBTQ+ people. Success will be when LGBTQ isn’t even discussed because it is a non-issue Survey respondent LGBTQ+ in the workplace While the vast majority of respondents were out at work, almost one-fifth were not, and of those 48% said the negative reaction of colleagues was stopping them coming out. Some 44% said they were not out because of a lack of visible role models. Despite these numbers still being too high, they are an improvement on 2019’s survey, when almost 52% of respondents said a negative reaction from colleagues kept them from bringing their whole self to work and nearly 58% said it was because of a lack of visible role models in the workplace. In terms of divisions within the sector, consultancy remains the most LGBTQ+ positive area of the real estate business to work in, closely followed by law. Numerous respondents pointed to the legal sector as leading the way in D&I, saying that real estate could learn from it, as well as from the accountancy profession. Transactions remained the least inclusive area for LGBTQ+ staff to work in, getting 43% of the vote, a one percentage point drop on 2019. “It’s very much an old boys’ club,” says one respondent. “Straight, white, male, friends of friends. Lacks women too.” Keys to inclusivity With a notable step back in people’s belief that enough is being done in the industry to promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity, EG asked what could be done to better facilitate this. Respondents identified the need for more role models, in individual workplaces and in the sector more widely. Better leadership from both businesses and industry bodies and more visible allies were also rated highly as solutions to the existing inclusivity issue. “The areas that are most critical are the top senior roles,” says BL’s Pereira. “There is nothing more encouraging than knowing that I too can be respected and seen to lead a business despite being categorised as female, or black, or lesbian.” The view that leaders across the real estate sector all come from the same background also impacted respondents’ perception of there being visible role models. “Senior leadership is pretty homogeneous (white, male, CIS, heterosexual),” says one. “Even within the white ethnic group, most are the same sub-ethnic group of English from a specific socio-economic background, and many have even grown up together.” That perception means that it is crucially important that leaders work hard to make sure the culture in their workplace – and across the sector – is inclusive. This, says one respondent, would be more effective that any formal D&I process. That said, 83% of respondents said their businesses now had HR policies in place that promoted diversity and inclusion, and 63% said there was visible support for LGBTQ+ people at chief executive and board level. Two-thirds of respondents said that their company actively ran events or activities to promote LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion. Companies not focusing on diversity and inclusion will lose out on hiring the best talent Survey respondent The business case The positive impact that D&I has on business has been understood for years, with more than 90% of respondents across both our 2019 and this year’s survey saying it has a positive impact on the bottom line. But now, more than ever, the D&I policies and culture of a business are having a real impact on the ability to attract talent. Some 61% of respondents said they actively looked for and prioritised applying for work at companies that are visibly LGBTQ+ inclusive. “Companies not focusing on diversity and inclusion will lose out on hiring the best talent as a large proportion of young talent today prioritise workplace culture and look for a company with diverse management,” says one respondent. Another adds: “Inclusion is an important part of employee engagement. Employees who are engaged and feel included are able to work better, more productively, and are more likely to become ambassadors of their brand.” “There is no place in our industry for bigots,” says another. “I want to be associated with companies that are open, inclusive and non-discriminatory, and I would positively avoid companies that are not.” It is these statements that should be among the most powerful lessons learnt from EG’s third LGBTQ+ in Real Estate survey, for it is these that underline the absolute need for the sector to continue on its journey to becoming more diverse and inclusive. Progress may have slipped back in a year when focus has been on navigating a global pandemic, but for businesses to thrive in the future, that cannot happen again. And the good news is that, slippage or no slippage, 86% and 72% of survey respondents respectively would recommend their business and the wider industry as a place to work to members of the LGBTQ+ community. Work must now be done on taking that percentage to 100%. To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette