![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2018\/04\/Janice-ONeill_Headshot_815x866-e1523464733554.png\")
If someone had told me at this time last year that the world of diversity and\u00a0 inclusion (D&I) was about to be turned upside down, I probably would have laughed.<\/p>\nBy Janice O\u2019Neill<\/p>\n
If someone had told me at this time last year that the world of diversity and\u00a0 inclusion (D&I) was about to be turned upside down, I probably would have laughed.<\/p>\n
If they had told me that people would come together with a powerful and cohesive voice to speak out on these issues\u2026my jaw might have hit the floor.<\/p>\n
The world has changed with the rise of #metoo and other movements. And this industry has changed. We\u2019re starting to see real progress on a range of issues that have long plagued commercial real estate. There is a not-so-quiet realization that this change needs to not just continue, but accelerate. We are gaining momentum, so even if it seems that we could move faster, we are moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n
At Cushman & Wakefield, the progress is tangible. Last year we welcomed 15,000 people into the firm, nearly half of them were women. We\u2019re proud of this impressive accomplishment, but that doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re complacent. A diverse and inclusive workplace goes way beyond numbers; it\u2019s about diversity of ideas, engagement of those with varied life stories and experiences, and bringing it all together to deliver real value and innovation to clients.<\/p>\n
Across our D&I programs, we\u2019re looking at three key fundamentals to ensure success and to continue building on that success. First is leadership support. Without that support, you\u2019re on a difficult, uphill journey. Second is smart recruiting that finds the right talent. Finally, building a holistic culture that captures the spirit of inclusion.<\/p>\n
Strong leadership messaging and modeling have been key to D&I progress at Cushman & Wakefield. Our CEO, Brett White, has mandated that all executive succession plans include diverse candidates for each position, as well as development plans to prepare them for future roles.<\/p>\n
Our Americas D&I Council, led by CEO of the Americas Shawn Mobley, brings together influential leaders from the firm\u2019s various business lines; the council is tasked with ensuring full integration of diversity and inclusion into our corporate DNA.<\/p>\n
We also provide managers with training on fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace, which enables those who lead our people to model and support inclusive behaviors.<\/p>\n
Everyone knows the best way to get a job is through your personal network. According to payscale.com, 70 percent to 85 percent of new hires are found through a network connection. That can be a real challenge to diversity, because it tends to create an environment in which the demographic makeup of the workplace keeps propagating a new version of itself. If your company suffers from \u201ceveryone looks the same\u201d syndrome, and you lean on your team for recruiting, you\u2019ll have no shortage of candidates who look alarmingly similar to your current employees. After all, they come with seemingly impeccable references, and they\u2019re an easy hire.<\/p>\n
To build a more diverse workforce, a company needs to look past this echo chamber and find a wider field of candidates. At Cushman & Wakefield, we train our hiring managers to look beyond the typical recruitment paths and reach out farther to actively find diverse candidates. For every open leadership role, at least two diverse candidates must be identified prior to starting the interview process. In addition, we have begun utilizing common interview assessment tools to remove bias from the process.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve also launched a Veterans Initiative, a program to leverage the wealth of talent from the ranks of the U.S. armed forces. Veterans are a highly diverse, highly skilled group\u2014and they help break us out of our traditional recruitment silo.<\/p>\n
As Shawn Mobley wrote in a blog post, \u201cWhile engaging veterans may be seen as philanthropic, or patriotic\u2014and to some degree it is\u2014it is in our own self-interest. We want veterans at Cushman & Wakefield because we want the best talent available. We want natural leaders. We want people who understand a high-performance culture. We want people who don\u2019t settle for second best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hiring a diverse workforce is only the first step. Diversity doesn\u2019t work without inclusion. You can do everything in your power to recruit the best and the brightest, but unless they feel that they are part of the team and valued for their unique perspectives and contributions, they\u2019re less likely to feel engaged and less likely to stay.<\/p>\n
For this reason, Cushman & Wakefield has put a lot of thought into the \u201cinclusion\u201d side of the equation. We want all our hires to succeed, so we\u2019ve set out to establish robust networks for our employees to ensure they have the support, mentorship, and resources they need to succeed and thrive at the firm.<\/p>\n
We have self-directed, organically grown groups like Cushman & Wakefield Future Leaders, which provides networking and developmental opportunities for people navigating those challenging early years of their commercial real estate careers.<\/p>\n
One of our most successful groups is the Women\u2019s Integrated Network, or WIN. Its mission is to develop and support the talents of our female team members, and have a meaningful impact on the firm\u2019s performance. By sharing information, best practices, education and experience, participants help one another develop leadership skills and career-advancing opportunities. There are currently 38 local WIN chapters across the Americas, with more than 1,800 members, and we\u2019re now expanding the program globally.<\/p>\n
And we\u2019re soon to announce the launch of UNITY\u2014an initiative that will bring together our LGBTQ+ employees through grassroots efforts, not only to engage with their peers, but to nurture a broader understanding throughout the firm of the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n
During PRIDE celebrations last year, we handed out t-shirts celebrating our LGBTQ+ employees, and ran a social media campaign. Demand for the shirts wildly outstripped supply, and the social media posts ranked among the top shared posts of 2017. This tells us that there is an audience both inside and outside the company for this kind of inclusive message, and that it resonates with many audiences.<\/p>\n
We are also a global sponsor of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network because empowering women can\u2019t stop at our door\u2014it needs to permeate the entire industry. CREW\u2019s work to expand networking opportunities for women is unparalleled and sorely needed. Commercial real estate has historically had a reputation for being exclusionary and often intolerant.<\/p>\n
Our new reality is that the industry is evolving, and its evolution is happening with the full support of employees at every level, including our most senior leadership. Change is never easy but, as we\u2019ve shown, it\u2019s both absolutely achievable and absolutely worth achieving.<\/p>\n
Janice O\u2019Neill is Global Head of Talent Management & Diversity at Cushman & Wakefield.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What are the most effective ways to foster an inclusive workforce? Cushman & Wakefield’s global head of talent management and diversity shares best practices and discusses the firm’s latest initiatives. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1733,"featured_media":1004218650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21684],"tags":[32799],"class_list":["post-1004218629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viewpoint","tag-cushman-wakefield"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n