17 California Buildings News • Q4 2021
Diversity, Inclusion Key to Better Building Management Promoting diversity in the buildings operational workspace is much more than just being politically correct. As Portia Mount, Trane Technologies’ vice president of marketing for commercial HVAC in the Americas said at a recent Building Owners and Managers International conference, “there are compelling business reasons why we should be doing it as well.” She explained that driving employee performance and attracting the best and brightest new talent to the organization is a compelling reason to be more inclusive. She cited a 2018 Deloitte report that said organizations with an inclusive culture are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes. Rita Hernandez has been an inspirational leader in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) throughout her career. Hernandez, who was once named the Institute for Real Estate Management’s top building manager in the world, says, “The Great Resignation is in play resulting in a significant lack of labor across all industries, and most everyone is scratching their heads about why people have not come back to work. “The reasons are many and complex; however, there is a major opportunity many Rita Hernandez companies are overlooking… implementing a DEI recruitment and retention strategy as a solution. Among pay equity, work/life balance, and remote working, DEI requirements have increased significantly because of the pandemic and that has shifted the power to the side of labor. “Employers are finding that you can’t just throw money at it (although pay equity is important); therefore, the time is now for businesses to study their internal structure and policies. She cites a McKinsey & Company report saying that more ethnically and culturally diverse businesses are as much as 36% more profitable than the least diverse companies.” The Brickman MGR LLC general manager in San Francisco added, “As real estate managers, our job is to continually search for the best vendors, so I am adding this new prequalifying question in conversations and in my RFPs: Do you have a DEI strategy? Because if they do, they will likely
be more successful in delivering superior client services to your building and tenants… and that’s our responsibility.”
DEI in Facility Management DEI leader Tanicia Tanicia Jackson Jackson, an active BOMA member and general manager at TMG Partners for 1330 Broadway in Oakland, says, “Facility management has been understood as the technical and procedural responsibility of managing maintenance and equipment. With increased importance on DEI, facility management has become more about creating and supporting workspaces to achieve optimal productivity and wellness in an environment where diversity, equity and inclusion are authenticated. “Achieving DEI in facility management means that organizations and leaders are taking action on the social responsibility to acknowledge and support differences and creating both tangible spaces and intangible experiences that represent and celebrate those differences. “Attaining DEI in the physical design of a facility means reflection of everything from the community where it is situated and participates in accessibility features to the artwork selected reflecting the aesthetic and design intent of the ownership and architecture. It means going beyond the basics of minimal accessibility compliance to creating innovative and dynamic spaces that all people can fully and equally access, utilize, enjoy and thrive as a result of the inclusivity thoughtfully created. “Equally important to the physical aspects of a facility are the people who manage and service the spaces. It is the soul of an organization’s people that ultimately create the experience and tell the story of its workplace culture. Consequently, it is vital that DEI also be reflected in the facility management team, and their ability to embrace and communicate the importance of inclusivity. The team we hire and support is ultimately reflected in the overall occupier experience. “DEI in facility management is important because when perceived routinely, exclusion has a very real power with lasting adverse effects. It’s time to be more thoughtful about how spaces are created and managed. Our industry has the power and resources to cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture.” n
