We need to think about what women want from the workplace

Amid all the talk of the return to the office post-pandemic, there’s been one glaring omission, one that applies to approximately 50% of what – or, more accurately, who – we need to be thinking about.

At a recent event hosted by communications and advocacy group SEC Newgate and Real Estate Balance, the industry body campaigning for a more representative property industry, my fellow panellists and I were asked: do workplaces really work for women? How can we better embed gender equity in real estate? As we ask people to return to the office, are we progressing or hampering gender equality?

There is a wealth of ways in which workplaces don’t necessarily work for everyone: from thermostats set at uncomfortable levels and glass staircases (seriously, my fellow architects?), to meeting rooms not equipped properly for a hybrid working culture that is genuinely inclusive. We can do much better.

With social impact increasingly on the agenda – led by the likes of British Land (whose CEO Simon Carter joined me on the panel) that have recently announced multimillion pound strategies – we as a sector can look closer to home, or the office, to make an impact. For commercial real estate, creating more gender equitable workplaces that make significant strides towards working for everyone is a tangible, authentic way to make the world a better place.

Of course, it’s overly simplistic to say that the needs of women can be wrapped up in one neat bundle. Truly inclusive design requires us to recognise that although everyone has unique needs, we can do a lot more by energetically consulting how we create places that have the people who will use them at their heart.

The principles of social value go a long way to providing a guidebook on exactly how to achieve this.

Engaging stakeholders

The first and foremost principle of social value (according to Social Value UK) is to involve stakeholders, whether customers, employees or the wider community. When it comes to designing and developing our spaces, this is something that we in real estate are well positioned to do – and while many developers embrace best practice, going beyond planning necessities to engage meaningfully, we can do more.

Beyond engagement in the development process, we should see the design of our spaces as an evolving practice, constantly responding to feedback. One recent exercise from Perkins&Will’s workspace projects revolved around requests from female employees to have clear lines of visibility through the scheme and avoid ‘hidden’ spaces, as well as to have a security guard present on-site.

My fellow panellist Laura Leggetter of SEC Newgate noted how the communications agency, which moved into its Farringdon office in 2022, is continuing to consult its team about how they use the building and adapting it accordingly. A workspace is never ‘finished’ because the needs and make-up of your employees continually change.

This feedback illustrates how we can embed gender equity in initial design as well as in development and operations. By engaging with communities early, we can improve lines of visibility, and by engaging often and continuously, we can implement measures that address safety and comfort and change how we use spaces to better suit the actual experience.

Social impact starts at work

There is a lot of good work being done when it comes to creating better workplaces for women. This includes: guidance relating to menopause; temperature-controlled individual rooms; well-designed parent rooms; and recognition that social spaces are key to a sense of belonging – and particularly important for women returning from maternity leave.

But to create truly equitable places, design and development needs to be viewed through a gendered lens. This doesn’t mean your architect has to be a woman or from any other specific group. It simply means you should consult with people who will, or may, use your space.

Through careful planning upfront, we want to see more positive impact from day one of an occupier moving into their space. At Perkins&Will, we believe that design has the power to inspire joy, uplift lives and strengthen the spirit of community.

To deliver on that doesn’t need to be complex or cost you the world: it just means you need to start by engaging with and listening to your communities. That starts at design, it continues at development, and it must carry on throughout the building’s operations. In her book Invisible Women, which inspired the Workplaces for Women event, Caroline Criado-Perez wrote of the gender data gap: by collaborating with communities, we reduce that data gap and create more uplifting places.