29 Environmental, Social and Governance Report 2023 PILLAR 1: HUMAN CENTRIC At ESR, we are committed to supporting diversity and aim to be an inclusive employer by extending our recruitment process to reach candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and skillsets. Regardless of gender or background, our employees are encouraged to learn, grow, and develop on both personal and professional levels — enabling them to progress and realise their fullest potential. We believe in instilling trust and mutual respect among colleagues, partners, and stakeholders, which are cornerstones of growth and success. We believe that every employee deserves to work in a supportive and professional environment. Employees at all levels ensure that our Diversity and Inclusion goals are implemented in their areas of responsibilities. Each supervisor has the obligation to promptly address any questions or complaints about diversity or equal treatment and, if necessary, refer them to the Human Resources department for additional assistance. We have set up a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee piloted in Europe. The committee ensures that diversity, equity, and inclusion are promoted and integrated within the ARA Europe business at all levels to (i) create an inclusive, diverse, and dynamic team (ii) prevent discrimination and (iii) provide a supportive and inclusive working environment for everyone. The committee meets on a quarterly basis. During 2023, the committee updated its recruitment policy to ensure that the talent pools are as broad as possible and to implement a positive and consistent approach to diversity during the recruitment process. It also introduced the new ARA Europe School Outreach Programme 2024 to address low social mobility within the UK. The programme provides a range of initiatives that seek to increase access to opportunity by broadening students’ perspectives on the career opportunities available to them. Going forward, we plan to set up more such committees to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Group. Women In Our Workforce While it is true that historically the real estate industry has been predominantly male dominated, in recent years there has been a noticeable shift towards greater gender diversity. Today we see plenty of efforts are being made to encourage and support women in pursuing careers in real estate. At ESR, we have gender ratio of 45% as women are well represented in our workforce. In certain regions, we may experience social and cultural barriers hindering the availability of females in the candidate pool, but we strive to address such barriers through our recruitment policies and practices. For example, we managed to achieve a 58% female recruitment rate in Japan for 2023. To uphold the Group’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, ESR announced the appointment of a new female Non-executive Director to the Board effective 1 January 2024. The new female director has extensive experience in global real estate investments and development and is also a recipient of the Private Equity Real Estate (“PERE”) Woman of Influence 2021. To-date, there are four female Directors out of a total of 13 Directors, which forms 31% female representation on the Board. CASE STUDY DEI Training in the UK In building a more inclusive culture, we invited an external behavioural science consultant (and Assistant Professor) to hold several workshop sessions specifically on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The workshops delved into how recognising and appreciating the differences between team members offers an opportunity to make us more effective both as individuals and as professionals. We believe that nobody should be affected by any individual and systemic biases, and driving cognitive diversity requires commitment from both individuals and the organisation. Some practical takeaways from the workshops include: • Promoting an environment, with psychological safety and innovation, that encourages and rewards individuals for their contributions and ideas by making them feel safe when taking risks. • Considering subtle nudges in how you solicit feedback: rather than asking ‘Does this make sense?’ instead ask ‘What’s wrong with this plan?’ i.e. frame the expression of differing viewpoints as the default position. • Staying aware of biases e.g. similarity bias and model curiosity. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIwODcxMw==