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The Chicago-based National Association of Realtors will hire outside law firms in response to complaints from its staff and members about a bad workplace environment that includes and enables harassment, according to a Thursday email sent to its staff from Bob Goldberg, CEO of the association. The Tribune received a copy of the email and confirmed it with the organization.
A new member task force will work with outside legal counsel, whose attorneys will conduct an independent assessment of company policies and practices and then make recommendations “to improve our procedures, trainings, and systems to prevent inappropriate behavior, encourage reporting of alleged misconduct, and promote an environment of transparency and accountability,” according to Goldberg’s email.
The email also states that outside counsel will independently investigate “harassment, discrimination, or misconduct complaints” and bring those findings back to a new member committee. Employees will have a new system to report workplace complaints to an independent investigator, too — details of which are being ironed out — and a Culture Transformation Commission task force will be created to work with the staff and members to receive feedback on the organization, according to the email.
“NAR’s leadership is committed to taking concrete actions to strengthen our organization and promote an environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and empowered to do their best work,” Mantill Williams, the association’s vice president of communications, said in an email statement to the Tribune. “We’re thankful for the dedication and commitment of our staff and members as we work to move forward and continue to advance our mission.”
The announcement from Goldberg comes after the president of the National Association of Realtors, Kenny Parcell, resigned at the end of last month after allegations of sexual harassment against him were reported in The New York Times, as well as following a letter from staff members shared in an executive committee meeting Monday calling for executives like Goldberg to be removed from their positions and for outside counsel and human resources staff to be hired to improve the workplace environment.
A copy of the letter from earlier this week was obtained by the Tribune, with a National Association of Realtors member confirming the discussion in the executive committee meeting. Crain’s first reported on the letter.
Jason Haber founded the NAR Accountability Project to bring members of the National Association of Realtors together to demand change within the organization after the New York Times article was published.
A real estate agent with Compass who does work in New York and Florida, Haber came to Chicago on Monday to host a news conference with state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, and Sharmili Majmudar, a representative from advocacy group Women Employed, to call for more change to be made within the association.
Haber told the Tribune on Thursday that the announcement from Goldberg marks progress.
“It is not the end, but it is a move in the right direction,” Haber said.
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