RICS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Progress Report 2023

Dr Louise Brooke-Smith FRICS, RICS Board and DEI Chair

Sybil Taunton, RICS Head of DEI

Seasonal Greetings to all and may I take this opportunity to share with employees, members and wider stakeholders the progress made so far in creating a more inclusive institution and profession.

Genuine, impactful and long-lasting change takes time and requires a solid foundation of data, policy and practice frameworks to support it. Hence, since my appointment as a RICS Board Member with specific responsibility for the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) portfolio, last Easter, that is the work the DEI team has been prioritising, along with a plethora of fantastic events, campaigns, and sponsorships. 

Here is a summary of what has been accomplished this year and what to expect in 2024:

Data and insights

As part of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with five other built environment professional bodies focused on improving DEI in the industry, RICS has worked collaboratively to deliver actions from an agreed plan prioritising three key areas of data collection, education to industry pipelines and professional competency. We will report on the findings of research into the ‘education to industry’ pipeline in the coming year.

As part of the MoU agreement, RICS started collecting membership data in the UK and Ireland in October of last year. The organisation had historically only collected gender and age data. Though a strategic communications campaign took place throughout the year explaining the importance of this data for establishing benchmarks and enabling informed target setting, sadly response rates remain frustratingly low. So, we will continue to engage and cajole our membership, to increase response rates over the coming year. We need this basic data to ensure our ongoing DEI strategy is shaped by accurate, meaningful information.

In an effort to showcase how data can be leveraged effectively to drive change, we launched the RICS’ first survey focused on the makeup and experiences of women in the global profession in 2022. Combining the survey results with general demographic data, we delivered the RICS’ first-ever Women in Surveying insight report in July of this year. This pinpointed areas of concern and the changes women in the profession would like to see moving forward. We launched a follow-up survey in September 2023 and will launch similar surveys across other demographic areas in the coming year, to reflect the makeup and experiences of underrepresented groups within the profession and priority areas that must be addressed to create more equitable and inclusive workplaces for all in our industry.

Finally, to establish stronger layers of comparable data to shape more accurate and sector-specific targets and objectives, we have partnered with Action Sustainability to bring RICS’ member firms into their large-scale DEI survey for built environment organisations. We will encourage and support more RICS firms in participating in this survey, as the benchmark it produces is a valuable tool for all firms looking to make meaningful and impactful changes.

Training and events

Over the past year, we delivered three major DEI events for the surveying profession. To build stronger relationships, all events were collaborative efforts which elevated the work of industry networks and partners. The theme throughout all events was Engaging Allies, with panel discussions and speakers focused on giving attendees tangible actions they could take away and start implementing both personally and professionally to help shape a more inclusive culture across the industry.

International Women’s Day: Advancing Inclusion for Women Surveyors

Pride in the Built Environment

Advancing Racial Equity in the Built Environment

In addition to formal training and events, we also collaborated with industry and DEI experts to deliver twelve RICS Podcast episodes focused on DEI topics ranging from inclusive and accessible design, to setting stronger expectations and targets for supply chain, global and legal considerations for implementing DEI initiatives, and more.

We supported external networks by hosting events at RICS headquarters to elevate and sponsor their work to improve culture, experience and representation in the profession. This included the flagship Association of Muslim Surveyors event which drew a full house of more than 100 surveyors from multiple regions; the flagship ‘Black Girls in Property’ event for the Land Collective which focused on educating and inspiring students to consider career opportunities in the built environment; and the ‘Why’ Conference led by the charity Translucent aimed at educating leaders and decision makers on the rise in trans hate crime and the importance of the Equality Act 2010.

RICS were also proud to sponsor the Women of the Future Awards Programme in the UK and Southeast Asia, the Black Professionals in Construction Awards, Black Women in Real Estate’s ‘Phenomenal Women’ campaign, and AbilityRE’s International Day of People with Disabilities event.

For continuing professional development, we collaborated with the RICS Products team to ensure a one-hour DEI course is now included in member CPD Support Packs for free, and we aim to expand the CPD DEI offering next year.

Policy and practice improvements

During 2023, internal RICS teams have been reviewing processes, practices, and policies to identify areas for improvement impacting both internal and external stakeholders. Through these reviews, we have adopted more inclusive language and content of documents, improved accessibility, made adjustments for employees and members, plus highlighted and addressed exclusionary and discriminatory behaviours.

Collaborative reviews have been initiated to ensure teams are delivering products, events, assessments, and stakeholder engagements that are more representative, inclusive, and accessible for all and we will continue to prioritise work in this area.

Internally, several new Employee Resource Groups were formed through 2023, enabling initiatives to review and provide feedback on internal policies, educate and engage with fellow employees on key inclusion topics, and engage with senior leaders to inspire positive changes.

Finally, working groups comprised of members and DEI leaders from member firms worked collaboratively over the course of the year to develop guidance and resources to support Rule 4 of the RICS Rules of Conduct focused on diversity, inclusion and respect. This will be the most robust guidance RICS has ever delivered to member firms of all sizes and wider stakeholders around DEI, and we expect it launch within Q1 of the new year.

What to expect in 2024

The RICS DEI team is gaining capacity with two new managers starting in January 2024. This will help support immediate priorities like the publication of the RICS DEI Strategy for 2024-2026, the delivery of Inclusion Guidance through the Rules of Conduct and the establishment of a DEI Leadership Forum.

This first of these forums is to be held at RICS HQ in January to connect DEI practitioners from our firms with network DEI leaders to gain insight and feedback, share best practice and collaborate on strategic priorities.

Recognising there are a lot of professionals passionate about driving positive and impactful change that would like to engage with us, we will also work to deliver more clear channels and mechanisms for providing feedback and engaging with us on all aspects of DEI.

We will also continue our work on research, insight and thought leadership across all demographic areas and continue collaboration, sponsorship and support for industry networks with increased training and DEI CPD content.

We are not complacent and, of course, there will continue to be issues that cause concern to our members, our staff, our stakeholders and the general public. However, we are moving the RICS to a place where such issues can be called out and acted upon with speed and effective action. Culture and attitudes can take time to change but we know how passionate people feel about DEI and we are committed to moving the dial as quickly and as effectively as possible.

Lastly, we are aware of the mixed reviews on the decision not to form a DEI panel and will engage with stakeholders to review and explore possibilities around this in Q1 of 2024 that would support all aspects of DEI.

We look forward to working with you throughout 2024 and beyond.