Exploring social mobility in the built environment with an expert Property Week panel

Last week, I had the opportunity to join an expert panel hosted by Property Week. Alongside colleagues from across the industry, we explored ‘Social Mobility: Overcoming the class and connections barrier in property.

As a sector, and within Muse, we are making great strides to improve diversity and equality within our workforce. However, schooling and familial connections can still have a disproportionate impact on both access and progression within our industry.

Only last week, research from JLL showed that 22% of those working in real estate are from lower socio-economic backgrounds. I’m proud to have come from within that bracket and developed a successful career, but we should be able to do so much more.

Growing up my family and friends worked in trades, and that was my experience of the industry. It was only when my eyes were opened to the range of opportunities that I started to plot a career and understand what I could achieve if I worked hard.

The Muse Academy, which was launched in 2023, has already supported T-Level students, graduates and apprentices gain experiences and skills which can act as a springboard for their future career.

Our grassroots partnership with Oldham College has also allowed us to work directly with the communities we are seeking to regenerate and provide opportunities for ambitious young students.

By having colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds we can better empathise with communities and understand the challenges. In doing so we can better craft solutions.

Greater diversity also improves us as a business. Diverse teams with different points of view and perspectives invariably lead to better decisions and outcomes.

Within Muse, diversity and equality is deeply ingrained in our culture. I’m proud to see colleagues going above and beyond for their peers. This is reflected across our fantastic teams who champion inclusive initiatives and exciting opportunities.

In recent years our Senior Leadership Team has also become much more diverse. It is important that our people have strong role models both within the business and wider industry who can lead the way, providing guidance and advice.

Of course, it hasn’t been smooth sailing, and we’ve had to learn lessons. One of the biggest has been championing the ‘I’ in DEI. Regardless of background, if a person doesn’t feel included or that they shouldn’t be in a certain setting, we won’t be able to break these barriers.

As a panel we agreed that we can do more to collectively raise awareness and support social mobility in the years ahead.

Read more: Cracking the social mobility nut | Property Week