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Enabling talent to grow

When you invest in talented people, retaining them should be a priority. If your recruits don’t see an exciting career path ahead, they may leave for better opportunities. Likewise, women who take career breaks want exciting challenges and meaningful responsibilities on their return, otherwise an organisation risks losing their skills and expertise.

Retaining talent is easier when you have sophisticated processes to enable career progression. Some of the measures you could consider are:

  1. Mentoring for new and junior employees by a senior member of staff, either within your own organisation or from the wider real estate sector. Real Estate Balance regularly facilitates speed mentoring events for our members - get involved!
  2. Sponsoring by a senior executive to ensure female employees and those from other underrepresented backgrounds are given the same opportunities as male counterparts.
  3. Identifying early and mid-career development opportunities so women and employees from ethnic minority backgrounds don’t miss out on those essential early-stage promotions.
  4. Running ‘Return to Work’ programmes for employees coming back into work after career breaks and parental leave.
  5. Building a corporate culture that does not undervalue or side-line employees who take up flexible or hybrid working options.
  6. Make staff development a goal for management appraisals (and provide training if necessary).
  7. Share good practice with others across the sector.
  8. Have managers who encourage women and underrepresented employees to undertake career development programmes or nudge them to apply for challenging roles.