Rebuilding CRE’s Workforce: Bringing Women Back

Wendy Mann, CEO, CREW Network. Image courtesy of CREW Network

After years of sustained strides toward a more inclusive work environment, progress for women working in the commercial real estate industry almost came to a halt in March 2020. And while the economic conditions have undoubtedly improved since then, women need their employers’ support to return to the workforce in “the new different,” as CREW Network members like to call the post-pandemic era.

“This is a critical moment for employers to understand changes that women need to bring them back to the workforce,” Wendy Mann, the CEO of CREW Network, told Commercial Property Executive Senior Editor Laura Calugar in the latest podcast.

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According to a 2021 CREW Network research survey, company and industry leaders should institute more flexible work policies to regain the female workforce. Besides changes in work arrangements, the pandemic has emphasized the immediate need for a better work-life balance and has put a stronger focus on self-care and mental health.

Press play to learn more about COVID-19’s impact on women in the commercial real estate workforce, and why this is a pivotal moment for change in the industry!

Here’s a sample of the topics Mann touches on:

• Why women left the workforce (0:54)
• Women’s progress in commercial real estate (3:02)
• Career and personal priorities changes (11:48)
• New opportunities for women in CRE (16:57)
• Actions to support and advance women (18:50)