Question 3

Female | 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Charlotte | Financial Services

It would be great if companies could make the process of reporting an incident less overwhelming and intimidating.

It’s difficult to be a female in a male-dominated industry. You don’t feel comfortable coming forward when sexual misconduct occurs. It would be great if companies could make the process of reporting an incident less overwhelming and intimidating. It’s not that they’re doing something wrong per se, but the investigations conducted after an incident is reported tend to make the accuser feel victimized and the accused defensive, leading to a hostile work environment because anonymity is essentially nonexistent. And, the corrective actions are often less than satisfactory. No one would put themselves through that process unless something actually occurred. I don’t know what the solution is, but HR departments need to do a better job of handling [these situations] or sexual misconduct will continue to go unreported except in the media long after it’s occurred.

Female | 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | New York City | Brokerage

Men need to learn how to actually be an ally.

I think all men need to become more aware of the subtle ways less-powerful people — whoever they may be, not necessarily just women — are systematically excluded from the conversation or from even joining a group to begin with. Even well-meaning men don’t recognize when other men say certain things that naturally exclude women from the conversation or make it difficult for them to get involved. I know women who have learned about sports in order to ingratiate themselves with colleagues and clients. But I don’t see many men learning things outside their preferred wheelhouse to get to know their female colleagues and clients better. Men need to learn how to actually be an ally. That doesn’t mean ‘Well, I didn’t slap someone’s butt today or make a derogatory comment, so I am in the clear or did my part.' They need to actively ask themselves, ‘is this a conversation that is inclusive?’ and make it so if the answer is 'no.' That is something most women do naturally, I feel.

Female | 32 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Washington, D.C. | Brokerage

Companies need to carry through on their policies because too many don’t.

There’s too much looking the other way over monetary gain. I think my company is fantastic. We’ve had some bad eggs. Not many. We’re not afraid to fire them. Generally speaking, to provide a more respectful and comfortable environment, a company needs to have the guts that when we see bad behavior they’re not afraid to terminate or put people on probation and have strict guidelines that are followed. Every company gives lip service, but I think companies need to carry through on their policies because too many don’t. It’s a male-dominated industry and they look after each other. Respect comes from having policies, adhering to them and not being afraid to fire or penalize people. Everybody sees that. When you see your company is willing to do that, the level of respect rises and people feel like ‘I’m safe here because I have a respectful environment where I feel that behavior is not allowed.’

Male | 17 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Los Angeles | Brokerage

I’m considering paternity leave.

In addition to paid maternity leave, I’m considering paternity leave for male employees.

Male | 28 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Boston | Brokerage

Not a thing.

Not a thing. As a white male, I take great pride in having long been an aid in the success of others without prejudice. I feel the current climate is discriminatory toward us. Like nearly any other set of people, we have a wonderful history of being kind, resourceful and sticking up for others, including women (advocating for rights, voting) and minorities (literally went to war over this in the 1800s).

Female | 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Manchester, U.K. | Development

The issue isn’t property; it’s the way we bring up our children.

Older women often aren’t as helpful to younger women as they could be in a male-dominated industry. I was the only girl in some agency jobs. I asked why, I was told they left and never came back after maternity leave. Perhaps that maternity issue is changing now, thanks to the law, but it is still true that a lot of the out-of-hours socialising in the property business is very male-themed. There’s a lot of golf. I learned golf so I could take part, and I saw a lot of sexism. There are women at the top of the property industry who could help here, and even more women on the board would mean property businesses couldn’t get away with bad behaviour any longer. At the same time women clients are noticing more, and insisting on change. But the issue isn’t really property; it’s the way we bring up our children, it all goes back to treating boys and girls differently at school and afterwards.

Female | 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Atlanta | Brokerage

We need women in power positions who can hire and promote women. We also need to train men to mentor women.

Since we are a very small company, the only thing I can do is to hire as many women as possible, mentor young women and do whatever I can to help the men understand where we are coming from. We need women in power positions who can hire and promote women. We also need to train men to mentor women. We all tend to want to be around those like us. That means white men will hire white men. Take a look at the pictures of commercial real estate company executives and brokers — pretty much all white men who wear the same clothes, have the same haircut, live in the same neighborhoods, etc.

Female | 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | London | Law

For me it is about ensuring meritocracy exists at every level.

There are still lingering attitudes that need to change at an individual level and this can only come from the top or from further education on where boundaries lie, what the grey areas are and what the real issues are, away from the headlines. Indeed, none of us want to lose our sense of humour altogether, or constantly tread in fear of how comments or actions can be misconstrued. This can’t just be about hiring more women or promoting those that exist in the organisation — for me it is about ensuring meritocracy exists at every level and addressing all areas where men and women, or any other group, are not on an even footing.

 Male | 28 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Washington, D.C. | Brokerage

We need to recruit more women into the industry and give them the tools and support to become successful.

We need to recruit more women into the industry and give them the tools and support to become successful. I bet most women think the only path in real estate is residential real estate and unless they have a family member in CRE they do not even know it’s an option for them.

Female | 26 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Cleveland | Environmental Risk Management

Change is taking place every day.

Our company includes a variety of personality traits at all levels — beginner to leader, younger to older, black to white. To me this is diversity. In the commercial insurance business we are slowly obliterating the stereotype of female support staff/male leadership. Change is taking place every day. 

Female | 32 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Washington, D.C. | Brokerage

The industry loses women because they feel like they have to choose between a career and being a mother.

We lose women and the industry loses women because they feel like they have to choose between a career and being a mother. I see it all the time where women literally want to stay in their jobs but are looking at the hours they have to work. In my case with tenant brokerage, clients demand weekends and evenings, so they leave and we lose great talent that we shouldn’t be losing. What we should be doing is creating a more flexible schedule where they can feel confident they can go on maternity leave and come back and their job is still there and they haven’t missed a beat, upward mobility is still there. Let’s not lose good talent because they’re not working within the corporate box we’ve created that we’ve said you have to work within.

Female | 13 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Toronto | Brokerage

One of the main problems with creating a respectful and comfortable environment for women is that there are male sales associates who are immune to consequences.

In the brokerage environment, one of the main problems with creating a respectful and comfortable environment for women is that there are male sales associates who are immune to consequences. If you are a male employee who is a top earner (becoming a top earner as a woman is near impossible, given the clear preferential treatment to men), or if you are a male legacy employee (nepotism runs deep here too) — you can do, say or act in any way you want without consequence. The commercial real estate landscape is not designed to make people feel respected or comfortable; it is designed to ensure that the people bringing the most ... money into the company are protected. Women often leave before they have the opportunity to pave a career for themselves. While the explanation is often “they couldn’t hack it”, the reality is that they did not feel they should have to tolerate abusive and sexist behaviour to earn a living. With companies functioning in this way to protect those at the top, it is extremely hard to imagine how women could feel safe. In an ideal world, a no-tolerance policy for sexually explicit comments or actions would be important. In an ideal world, there would be clear consequences for reports of male employees who have acted against this policy. This is not an ideal world, and in this male-dominated landscape, perhaps a good first step would be mandatory education for all employees to increase their empathy and understanding for how their words and actions actually impact their female counterparts. In addition, striving to ensure there are more women in managerial positions would likely improve the environment. As it stands, the all-male managerial team at my company has absolutely no problem modelling sexist and misogynistic behaviour as acceptable, appropriate and humorous. 

Female | 3 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Houston | PR

The truth stories are powerful. But I also want to read articles that offer solutions. Let’s read about how a woman became CEO.

My only concern [with the #MeToo movement] is that there is so much “noise” that the valid resolutions to the #MeToo movement get drowned out, i.e. the statistics of women CEOs to men CEOs are staggering. Let’s fix that. I’ve read countless — maybe hundreds — of articles about women getting violated in the workplace. I have no doubt that some of these stories need to be told. However, I’ve only read [about] a few people who have been bold enough to offer resolutions. Yes, the truth stories are powerful. But I also want to read articles that offer solutions. Let’s read about how a woman became CEO, what she did to get there, what she had to sacrifice and what she thinks needs to be changed to open up the door for more women in that role. For example, should workplaces help support child care so families aren’t forced to have the salary versus child care expenses conversation? That may be an absurd solution, but it’s a start.

Female | 15+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | San Francisco | Law

We in California have been surprised that so much of the country does not receive any sexual harassment training.

We have seen in response to the #MeToo Movement employers in the real estate, legal and other industries taking actions such as updating or implementing policies on sexual misconduct and requiring their employees to attend training sessions on unacceptable behavior in the workplace. Although sexual harassment training has been mandatory in California for companies with 50 or more employees for over 10 years, we in California have been surprised that so much of the country does not receive any sexual harassment training. In addition to training, there needs to be more work done from a cultural perspective in our real estate industry and in our country to carry those ideas taught in training into everyday work life.   

Female | 30+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Washington, D.C. | Development

I would allow more opportunities to allow for honest conversations.

If I could do anything, I would allow more opportunities to allow for honest conversations. Just more time to talk about it in groups. Just having open conversations in groups really helps shape perspective. 

Female | 29 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Washington, D.C. | Development

I have already made the changes.

As a woman leader who has run the company for 18 years, I have already made the changes. The workplace I have created through culture, the people I hire, policies and training is a respectful and comfortable environment of which I am proud.

Female | LESS THAN 5 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Manchester, U.K. | Development

I don’t think you’ll ever get men to tone down their banter, but raising awareness might help.

I’m lucky enough to have never encountered gender discrimination or sexual misconduct, and I have worked mainly with men all my career. There’s a lot of banter which maybe skirts very close to the bone of some of the #MeToo issues but I can always identify what is banter and what is not. I don’t think you’ll ever get men to tone down their banter, but raising awareness might help.

Female | 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | London | Finance

Creating a more flexible environment for women to work in would allow more women to choose property as a career.

I believe there is a perception that the property industry is male-dominated and discriminates against women. I do not believe that is the case — rather that property companies historically have struggled to embrace flexible working, which in turn creates an environment which enables women to remain and return to the workplace following children. In addition, commercial agency in terms of travel and hours can present challenges. Creating a more flexible environment for women to work in would allow more women to choose property as a career, and is something which we prioritise within our team.

Female | 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Chicago | CRE Tech

My experiences have resulted in a zero-tolerance environment.

In this office, we are a small group and I hope that I'm open enough that people can come forward if they experience harassment in the workplace. My experiences have resulted in a zero-tolerance environment, and our small size allows us to carry that culture forward.

Female | 30+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | New York City | Brokerage

I would give a class on morality and ethics. I think that should be a prerequisite to getting a license.

I would get rid of all the entitled young boys who have no idea what they are doing and expect everything handed to them on a silver platter. I would make everybody go through a course in actual work and give a class on work ethics. And I would also give a class on morality and real ethics. I think that should be a prerequisite to getting a license. The young guys coming into the business don’t have respect. They don’t know how to speak to senior-level people. [They] don’t know the difference between a lie and a sales pitch. They really need to have a class in how to be presentable in business. That’s part of the bigger problem. Guys don’t know what’s appropriate. They don’t know where the line is. They don’t know when to stop. They don’t know how far they can go so they push limits and it gets them into trouble. 

They need [to] know appropriate business behaviour and etiquette. 

Male | 3 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Houston | Architecture

Having women around isn’t enough, you need to listen to them, you need to promote them, put them in leadership positions.

A lot of progress has been made with misconduct and harassment, but the work doesn’t end there. Equality in the workplace goes deeper than that. Women still need allies to advocate for them. Having women around isn’t enough, you need to listen to them, you need to promote them, put them in leadership positions. 

Female | 17 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Houston | AEC Business Development

Old habits die hard and those biases come through in all of their actions.

In our office it’s [a] very “old school” mentality of women’s and men’s roles. Down to the double standards of lenience on women going to kids' doctor's appointments and/or staying home with sick kids vs. the men that work in our office that get a lot of negative feedback for doing these things. These kind of ingrained behaviors are not something that can be changed overnight. While they often think they are being “equal opportunity,” old habits die hard and those biases come through in all of their actions.

Male | 5 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | New York City | Capital Markets

Sometimes those in leadership roles should not be there.

Sometimes those in leadership roles should not be there. They are there because they produce business. They are not good leaders. They are sharks. You can’t teach leadership. It’s something that is innate in you. And for me, I see some people that are in positions of power, but they are horrific people. They have no business being in a leadership. There are people who are in positions of power who are horrible, but they are good at their job. You are brewing a culture of assholes. 

Male | 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Wichita, Kansas | Banking

I've been incredibly fortunate.

For me personally I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked with some very good groups since college. First in commercial construction for 10 years in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, and for the past 30 years in national commercial real estate lending in San Antonio, Oklahoma City and now Wichita. Somehow I’ve been very lucky, and have made some fortuitous choices in the companies I’ve worked at. The ownership and management at those companies, and today at [my company], have been years ahead of the pack on the issue of fairness, inclusion and safety in the work environment. As for the industries represented by my two careers, I believe they both continue [to] evolve to the positive side on those issues and there’s more work to be done.

Male | 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Washington, D.C. | Brokerage

Our corporate leaders can do more to recruit young female workers.

I feel like my company has a very respectful, mature culture overall, but I work in a male-dominant industry. As an industry, I think our corporate leaders can do more to recruit young female workers.

Female | 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Dublin, Ireland | Law

I don’t think courses or education will help.

I don’t think courses or education will help. If the aggressor isn’t already aware that their behaviour is wrong, it’s too late for courses. It needs to be known that management will not tolerate it. It needs to be known and acted upon. If policy says this kind of behaviour isn’t tolerated but the chairman or managing partner is seen behaving similarly then it will never work.

Female | 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | Manchester, U.K. | CRE Marketing

Senior staff have to lead by example, and to show that being a good employer isn’t just about having all the right policies and paperwork in a file.

First, we need more men to take parental leave, because then parenthood isn’t just a women’s issue — and senior staff have to lead by example, and to show that being a good employer isn’t just about having all the right policies and paperwork in a file. Then there’s women in property who say “it’s never happened to me” and “it’s not an issue” and “feminism has done its job.” To say that kind of thing is to live in a very privileged bubble. The property industry needs to recognise that all its diversity issues are about privilege — it’s a much bigger issue than just women. Property is a very white, male and middle-class business, which makes it two-dimensional and means it misses out on so much talent.

 Female | 4 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE | New York City | Financing

I wouldn't change anything.

I wouldn’t change anything. I used to work in fashion. I suffered through a shit-ton of sexual harassment in fashion. And that’s a female-dominated industry. It’s more an issue of like — ‘we will call the male in,’ when I’ve been running the lead for weeks. I think it’s across the board. A man crosses his arms in a meeting because he’s cold. A woman crosses her arms, it’s because she’s pissed off and being a bitch.