Could the Tech Industry Inspire Change in the Property Sector?

 The tech and property industries have a lot in common. Both industries are fast paced, entrepreneurial and competitive. They also face big diversity challenges at the senior leadership level.

A number of tech firms have made headlines recently on their policies to retain and attract top talent, with a key issue paternity leave.

A few weeks ago, WIRED Magazine dubbed Etsy’s parental leave policy (six months for men and women, regardless of relationship status or how the child joined the family) as a case in hand of the “tech parental perk race”.

Etsy described the new policy as a way to proactively enable parents to be empowered to play more equal roles at home and ultimately, for the company to retain its top talent.

The issue of whether the onus on promoting shared responsibilities at home should fall on the shoulders of employers, is a complex one. However, when we consider the financial impact on the sole carer who opts to stay at home (whether paid or unpaid), we can start to see how our businesses’ policies have a direct impact on their employees’ ability to earn over time.

They say it takes a village to raise a family and the same can be said for achieving bold business growth. Not every employee will be motivated by the same factors or have the same leadership opportunities. In fact, not all employees will decide to (or be able to) have children.

For those who do, navigating the complexities of shared work for parents with partners can be made easier if an employer explicitly states that they support paternity leave policies which benefit the whole workforce.

Ultimately, it is not up to employers to police whether employees who decide to have children take up these policies. Rather, there should be policies in place that support workers who decide to take up these opportunities to support their own financial and personal ambitions.

Just one in fifty men take paternity leave, according to a new study recently released. And social constructs about men and women’s responsibilities, while outdated, still play a driving role in this low percentage of men.

At Hodges we’re embracing the issue head on so as to not only retain our people, but also to attract talent. It should be up to us, as leaders, to customise our employees’ professional progression so that they have the very best opportunities afforded to them in reaching their personal, professional and financial goals.  

Whilst we don’t have it right yet, opening the conversation about what our employees need to realise their goals is a small step to addressing the larger issue, which, over time, I hope to impact in a positive way.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the below.