Hybrid working – are we getting it right for women?

Those of us working within the built environment understand the value of well-designed, comfortable, modern, captivating workplaces. They can inspire us, stoke our creativity, facilitate collaboration and enhance our lives.

I know from experience how working together in-person expands our social and professional networks, and can even lead to meaningful new friendships.

At Real Estate Balance, we have also learned over the past few years that diverse up-and-coming professionals benefit enormously from being able to speak first-hand with colleagues and mentors, as well as being in the room when those important, business-critical conversations take place.

Being together in person helps us build a stronger rapport with clients, develop new skills through osmosis, absorb crucial cultural competencies and more.

It was therefore no surprise when I read in BE News recently that a survey of 15,000 UK professionals has found that the ‘tide is turning against hybrid’, with the number of fully office-based workers now exceeding hybrid workers.

One inconvenient truth we need to face in relation to hybrid is that real estate is an industry with gender imbalance at the very top – and there is little evidence to suggest this is likely to change significantly this decade.

Women who work mainly from home are more likely to work full-time than those who work mainly away from home, which is even more pronounced in the case of households with dependent children.

So, will we see a generation of future women real estate leaders who have got there in part by making hybrid work for them? Or will presenteeism continue to limit their opportunities, just as it always has? Would improved childcare and other family-friendly solutions enhance the working lives of women even more than hybrid appears to?

Our members have regular opportunities to meet in person and explore possible answers to questions like these – such as through our newly reformed Parents’ Network.

Earlier this year, we asked our members to share their experiences and views on hybrid working with us in a series of lunchtime roundtables. These sessions were really illuminating, with attendees at many different levels and life stages coming from SMEs all the way up to multinationals in the diverse sectors that make up UK real estate.

Some key themes emerged around how hybrid working is implemented and the importance of training, development and fostering a culture of belonging. You can read more in the write-up of our Workplaces for Women seminar (pictured).

If your organisation is not yet a member of Real Estate Balance, then I hope you might be inspired to add your own voice to these important conversations and consider joining us. If there’s one thing I know with absolute certainty it is that the only way to overcome the biggest challenges facing our industry, communities and society is by working together. Whether in-person or virtually, we need a diversity of voices and experiences if we’re going to create real and lasting change.