Diversity, equality and inclusion

Our progress

In this section, we have set goals and objectives in the following areas: talent attraction and knowledge, DEI, employee engagement, wellbeing and sustainable living.

This is how we track our progress toward attracting, retaining and engaging the most diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we operate in alongside our efforts to work with diverse suppliers and keep spend in local economies.

Our highlights

  • We redesigned our Canadian maternity and parental top-up plans, providing improved support for full-time employees.
  • We continued to expand and develop our Employee Resource and Business Groups: Empower, Roots, Folx, Conexíon and Pangea.
  • We continued to invest in our future talent through internships and work experience placements.
  • We launched a workplace engagement programme called My Perspectives, to shine a light on our people and their experiences, histories, customs, and celebrations.
  • We delivered a range of career and upskilling programmes through school and college outreach.
  • We continued our global tracking of certified diverse spend.
  • All Avison Young staff have access to Supplier.io’s searchable global database of diverse vendors to identify small, local, and diverse vendors.

Our KPIs

To measure and report progress against our global ESG strategy, these are the current KPIs that we have adopted or plan to adopt and disclose externally in this report and other reporting channels. In some cases, we are measuring KPIs internally while we set up data collection processes and evaluate the data.

KPIS
Status
Internal/External
Number of training hours
Formulating scope of data to disclose
External
Percentage of women on the board
Reporting
External
Percentage of women on the executive committee
Reporting
External
Annual supplier diversity spend (percentage of total spend)
Tracking
Internal
Number of professionals enrolled on Emerging Talent programs annually
Plan to disclose in 2024
External
Completion of annual employee engagement survey
Tracking
Internal

Explore our global carbon footprint and net zero strategy.

Our global carbon footprint

Explore our UK carbon footprint and net zero strategy.

Our U.K. carbon footprint

Stories of impact

Driving ideas, inclusivity and creativity through DEI

We explore our DEI journey with our HR leaders, hearing their perspectives on progress, how they are navigating challenges and what’s next for Avison Young.

Read more

Creating impact for our employees

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are our not-so-secret way to bring our supportive, inclusive, and engaging workplace culture to life. Learn about how we bring our groups to life.

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Conexion | Celebrating connection and community

Meet the founder of Conexión, and find out how this group is creating impact for our Hispanic and Latino community.

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Empower | Empowering all women to close the gender gap in CRE

In the commercial real estate industry, where women have historically been underrepresented, we’re making a conscious effort to create opportunities and promote gender equity with our Empower Employee Resource Group.

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Folx | Working toward understanding and acceptance

Find out more about the impact Folx is creating for our LGBTQ+ employees.

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Roots | A strong foundation for our Black professionals

Roots committee members are building a solid foundation for our Black professionals. Find out how.

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Five tips for more inclusive office spaces

One size doesn't fit all for office spaces. Here are five considerations to make your next office more inclusive.

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This article is part of our 2023 Impact Report

Download the full report