Real estate is an industry dominated by men, and while women have come a long way, there is still much more to do to create equality in the workplace and benefit from the unique skills women bring, according to REA Group’s chief executive officer Tracey Fellows.
Tracey will be speaking about women in the workplace at the 2017 Real Estate Institute of NSW Women in Real Estate (WIRE) Conference on November 14.
She will also talk about recognising the need for change, what REA is doing in this space, how women need to put themselves forward and help their female colleagues, and how important it is to play to one’s unique strengths.
“There is so much more we need to do for women to have the same opportunities as men, get paid the same and to balance work with home life without the challenges and guilt that come with that,’’ says Tracey.
“It is in our hands and we need to continue to expose and articulate the hidden unfairness we experience, push ourselves out of our comfort zone to put ourselves forward and recognise we have a different style of leadership that can help change business culture for the better.”
Tracey says although there are successful women in real estate, there are relatively few who are principals.
“It’s the same in all business and in an industry that is dominated by men, we really do need to step up,’’ she said.
“Whether that’s putting yourself forward for that dream job that you’re telling yourself you’re not ready for, mentoring another female in your organisation, or just being there on the side lines for other women.
“And then when we do get in a position where we can influence how our organisations treat women, we can make changes that make the path easier.”
Tracey says one of her biggest passions is encouraging women in the workforce.
She said REA has worked hard to stamp out unconscious bias when hiring for roles.
“We give unconscious bias training to all our managers, and always have a woman on the interview panel and female candidate for every role, which is just the start,’’ Tracey said.
“Once women join REA, we have opportunities in place – such as networking during office hours for women who can’t commit after work, and we have one of Australia’s best parental leave policies – that support them to be successful in and outside of work.”
♦ To find out more about the Women in Real Estate (WIRE) Conference on November 14 click here.
I was pleased to employ the first woman in Real estate in Campbelltown and it proved a great appointment and I had many more over the years that proved to be top performers