COMMENT As I look around our business, I’m proud to sit among a peer group of amazing, talented senior women. Women who are passionate about supporting the next generation of female talent through our organisation and industry. But while we – and the whole real estate sector – have made great strides with gender equality, diversity is about so much more. I know that we can and must do better.
In a year that has been dominated by the impacts and disruptions of Covid-19, the diversity and inclusion agenda has grown ever more urgent. Confined to our homes, neighbourhoods and screens, our day-to-day lives can feel like they have become narrower and less diverse as a result. But another interesting outcome from this past year is how it has broken down barriers between work and home, enabling us to share the diversity of all our lives with our peers and colleagues. It’s my hope that we will all emerge from this experience with greater understanding and acceptance of those around us.
Since joining Argent at the end of last year, my team and I have been focusing on initiatives to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. We have prioritised wellbeing, particularly during this past lockdown, raising awareness on key issues such as disability in the workplace, domestic abuse and removing the stigma around poor mental health.
Partnering with EG on this Future Leaders programme is another initiative, and one which I am incredibly proud that our business is supporting. I believe that a truly diverse, inclusive business doesn’t just ensure that its people are treated fairly, respectfully and have equal access to opportunities and resources; it also helps them to find their voice and create an environment in which it can be heard. Our own future leader, Alexandra Woolmore, said it perfectly. Leadership is about being authentic, not the loudest voice in the room.
That’s why my team and I dedicate so much of our attention to ensuring that our whole organisation is bought into our D&I journey. As diversity is only part of the story. It is inclusivity and the sense of belonging it creates that will ensure our efforts deliver meaningful change.
I’m also aware that change – and the cognitive dissonance and challenge it brings with it – can be uncomfortable. How ready are we to be uncomfortable? As professionals and experts in our fields this can feel like a step into the unknown. But real estate does have a significant advantage. Our sector is inherently long term: the places and spaces we are planning and creating today will be used by people for decades to come. The issues of diversity and inclusion need truly long-term thinking. By applying the skills that are at the heart of our innovative, vibrant industry we can deliver positive impacts and opportunities for generations to come.
As placemakers it is not just the decisions we take today, but those of our partners and whole supply chain, that will help to create more inclusive cities that encourage and enable diverse communities to thrive.
Victoria Sathasivam is head of people at Argent
