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Diversity portal delivers

  • November 08, 2016

Diversity portal delivers 

A new online portal endorsed by the Property Council provides an easy way for the industry to tap into the full potential of diversity, build inclusion capability and gauge its diversity performance. 

The portal, created by Symmetra and called E-Challenge, presents a user-friendly, gamified interface that provides an additional channel to drive the Property Council’s diversity agenda. 

Launching E-Challenge, Property Council NSW executive director Jane Fitzgerald (pictured) says it is another tool to ensure diversity is “top of mind” within the industry.  

“The portal helps people to uncover some of the unconscious biases that are often present in the workplace,” Fitzgerald says. 

Joshua Price, director of innovation at Symmetra, says the gamified approach delivers an interactive, competitive learning experience. 

“The E-Challenge helps people learn about the substantial benefits of diversity and inclusion, while giving their companies insights into attitudes and perceptions. A lot of e-learning is one-way, while we’ve developed an approach that creates a two-way conversation,” Price explains. 

The E-Challenge is presented in what Symmetra calls “Learning Bytes” – all take 10 minutes or less to complete, which means companies can “mix and match their learning content to meet the needs of their business and their people – such as behaving inclusively, addressing unconscious bias, building psychological safety and working flexibly”.

“And because E-Challenge is Cloud-based, we can confidentially collect and aggregate data to gain insights about the industry as a whole. This will be valuable for both small and large organisations, as it will help them understand where they sit on diversity and inclusion”.

Pricing is scaled depending on the size of the organisation, and Price says he is optimistic that the platform will help the industry “better understand the business benefits of diversity and build inclusion skills.

It’s not just a social issue, but something that will enable businesses to perform at a higher level.” 

Clinton Ostwald is national director of Urbis and sits on the Property Council’s Diversity Committee in NSW. He says Urbis will be using the portal, as it is an “important tool to augment our existing training”. 

“I can also see the value in democratising the diversity process. Property is made up of businesses of all sizes, and while the bigger companies are already taking steps to improve the diversity of their teams, many smaller businesses haven’t started yet. The E-Challenge is a one-stop-shop of resources that businesses of all sizes can access so that diversity training is available to everyone.” 

The portal complements a range of other Property Council initiatives, including the Property Male Champions of Change, 100 Women in Property and a new diversity video #diversitymatters. 

Fitzgerald says the Property Council is always on the look-out for innovative ways to promote diversity. 

The Property Council has formed diversity committees around Australia, which are overseeing research and mentoring programs, new event formats and professional development initiatives. 

“Diversity increases engagement and productivity, improves brand and financial returns and helps us build a more sustainable and agile industry,” Fitzgerald concludes.  

The new portal can be accessed online: www.diversityinproperty.com.au