An informal, safe and non-judgemental space was created on Thursday 28 November for our first in the series of Diverse Leaders Networking for an evening of structured discussions to support the diversity, equity and inclusion of the built environment industry. A space for people to speak openly and honestly about their experiences in the industry and highlight some of the challenges that are still present. 

 

It was also an opportunity to hear how things have dramatically improved and how the Diverse Leaders Pledge has helped guide companies, by using the pledge as a frameowork for their EDI action plans and kept them accountable. We heard from Pui Quan Choi, Architect at Hawkins\Brown and member of the Diverse Leaders Steering Group about how the pledge has helped their practice. One key thing driving diversity across the practice is the appointment of their Managing Partner as Diversity Champion, who chairs and attends all their EDI quarterly meetings and ensures accountability and progress against their pledge action plan. The Diversity Champion advocates within the practice and amongst the leadership and ensures decisions being made are considered with diversity in mind. 

 

From other Diverse Leaders Pledge signees we have heard about their commitment to zero tolerance of harassment and bulling, and how they have implemented an anonymous Whistle Blowing hotline and a separate anti-sexual harassment policy. Companies have measured their gender and ethnicity pay gap and set targets and an action plan for closing them, as part of this they regularly review staff pay in line with an equal pay policy. Others have implemented a mentoring programme throughout the office, of which everyone is involved, or had training from a wellbeing coach who covered Eating Disorder Awareness and heard from a Managing Partner on how to support trans colleagues in the workplace. While others have set a long-term objective to improve the diversity of their Board and create and implement an EDI Action Plan.

 

In recruitment practices, we’ve heard from multiple companies that they have diversified where they are advertising vacancies to attract a diverse range of applicants, and that this is constantly reviewed and measured. Other companies have reviewed recruitment processes to mitigate bias, for example by implementing blind applications where possible and ensuring that applications are reviewed by more than one assessor. For one organisation, the outcome has proven blind CV’s to be a useful exercise in eliminating potential bias’s at the applicant stage. However, they suspect the use of blind CV’s has not changed their recruitment practices or altered the pool of applicants who have been invited to interview stage. Whereas a different company has seen an improvement in their diversity since blind sifting CVs and ensures a gender-balanced recruitment panel. 

 

 

If you are interested in hosting one of these quarterly events please do get in touch and sign up to the Diverse Leaders Pledge. 

 

The 61 Diverse Leaders pledge signees are: 

 

5th Studio 

A Small Studio

Banananana Limited 

Bell Philips Architects

Ben Adams Architects 

Bidwells LLP

BM3 Architects 

Brighton and Hove City Council 

BT

Cartwright Pickard

Central District Alliance

Child Graddon Lewis

City of London Corporation 

Concilio Communications

Corstorphine & Wright

CZWG 

David Chipperfield Architects 

DeSimone Consulting Engineering

Deloitte

dMFK Architects 

DO

Farrells

Fletcher Priest Architects 

Foster + Partners

Fourth Street

Fuse Architects

Gerald Eve 

Grimshaw

Haverstock

Hawkins\Brown

Haworth Tompkins

Himasini Subramani

Hoare Lea LLP

Howells

Iceni Projects Ltd 

Jesse Pringle 

John McAslan + Partners 

Lendlease

LOM architecture and design 

London Borough of Redbridge

London Borough of Sutton 

London Communication Agency

Make Architects 

Midtown BID 

Montagu Evans

Navana Property Group

Poroban Limited 

Proctor & Matthews Architects

Publica

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 

RWDI Anemos Ltd 

SD Structures

Silvia Vian 

Singh Fudge Architects

Site Sales 

ShedKM

Stitch 

Studio FiftyOne

Suresh Singh

UNEK Building Consultants 

WSP UK Ltd