Seven commercial real estate (CRE) associations have teamed up to launch a global diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) benchmark.

ANREV, INREV, NAREIM, NCREIF, PREA, REALPAC and ULI have partnered to support and expand the Global Real Estate DEI Survey.

The Global Real Estate DEI Survey was first created in 2017 as part of an annual compensation study by NAREIM and Ferguson Partners and launched as a dedicated survey in 2020.

The newly expanded Global Real Estate DEI Survey is a corporate benchmark of gender, ethnicity and nationality across seniority and job functions across commercial real estate globally.

The associations said the Global Real Estate DEI Survey will provide employee demographic and best practice metrics for Asia, Europe and North America. 

“It will also expand the type of commercial real estate firms being tracked to include all players within the CRE asset class, from institutional investors to real estate investment managers, architects, developers and operating partners, to service providers and consultants.”

Among other things, the survey will track policies focused on recruitment, retention, training and development, inclusivity, tracking and accountability and pay equity as well as employee demographics by gender, ethnicity and nationality.

As DEI initiatives have become a major point of focus within the CRE industry, there is a strong desire among industry participants to understand best practices and learn from the experiences of their peers, the associations said in a joint statement.

“This survey, the most comprehensive of its kind, is designed to provide actionable guidance that real estate companies can leverage to benefit employees, owners, investors, and the industry at large.”

Ferguson Partners will conduct the survey on behalf of the organisations.

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