With an agile workforce that is proud to be part of the industry, insurers can flourish

"How did you end up working in insurance? Like some of the most successful people in our industry, the chances are it wasn’t a conscious choice and it’s something you ‘fell into’” says Carol Geldard, Marketing and Communications Director, Covéa Insurance

Whilst at times it can feel like we’re a ‘regulation and legislation’ industry, when you step back we’re really a ‘people industry’; as such attracting and retaining talented people is crucial, so is it time we looked at how we move from ‘fell into it’ to ‘great career opportunity?’

When you look at what our industry does and what it offers, it’s phenomenal. We’re a significant contributor to the UK economy - nine out of ten UK households have at least one insurance product and our industry manages investments of £1.8 trillion, equivalent to 26% of the UK’s total net worth (source: ABI). And from a breadth and a diversity perspective, whilst we can’t claim we have a role for everyone, I’d say we’re not far off, but we need to get better at selling ourselves.

The dynamic pace of change across our industry - through technological advances, new legislation and rising service standards, to name a few - is resulting in a move away from traditional job ‘silo’ approaches, to the need for agile workforces which can adapt and respond to the changing external landscape. This is positively adding to the already great opportunities to develop a career, but what does an agile workforce look like?

At Covéa Insurance developing agility has been about creating the right culture and taking a behavioural approach, rather than just looking at skills and qualifications. We’ve created an environment where there are opportunities for people to develop and grow across our organisation, not just ‘up their line’. We’re also finding that giving back to the communities we operate in, is increasingly important. The impact of the positive energy created through our work with local charities and special needs schools has been quite simply inspiring. Not only have we seen first-hand the positive impact on our people, it’s been equally powerful in engaging potential employees; all of which is helping us to both attract and retain talent.

Across our industry you see lots of similar initiatives underway – including apprenticeships and graduate programmes – all helping to position insurance as a great career choice, but what more can we do? Maybe it’s as simple as the next time you’re asked what you do, instead of mumbling ‘insurance’, you hold your head up high and say you’re part of an industry that contributes enormously to the wider economy and society, that is interesting and diverse, that is full of talented people where there are great opportunities to build a fantastic career...and it’s called ‘INSURANCE’.

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About Covéa Insurance

Covea Insurance plc is the UK underwriting business of leading French mutual insurance group Covéa, who are number 1 for property and liability insurance in France and served 11.5 million policyholders, generating over 16.3 billion Euros in premiums in 2016.  

Covéa Insurance handles the insurance needs of 1.5 million policyholders; delivering financial reassurance through its Standard & Poor’s A+ stable rating, as a guaranteed subsidiary of Covéa. 

The company offers motor, household, protection, mid and high net worth insurance and a range of commercial insurance products, designed to meet the needs of most individuals and businesses. Employing over 1500 people, Covéa Insurance has a strong people and service ethos, having Investors In People Gold accreditation and featuring in the 2015 and 2016 Sunday Times Top 100 Mid-sized Best Companies to Work For. It also has World Class service accreditation from the Institute of Customer Service for its Motor Claims, Home Claims and Underwriting Services teams as well as Chartered Insurer status for its Commercial and Mid/High Net Worth business.