LV=General Insurance
Case study
Like many insurance providers, LV=General Insurance struggles to attract underrepresented groups into certain departments and senior levels. But with a fantastic culture already in place and a willingness to improve, the team’s new partnership with WORK180 is already showing signs of significant change.
Industry: Insurance
Size: 4,000 employees
“Our partnership with WORK180 means that LV=General insurance is really serious about inclusivity, it’s serious about diversity and belonging. It’s not a box-tick exercise for us.”
Neil Harvey
Employer Branding & Talent Acquisition Manager
The problem
LV=General Insurance is on a mission to become ‘Britain’s best loved insurer’. This means that fostering a truly diverse and inclusive company is more than just a moral obligation, it’s a strategic imperative; Britain is a diverse country, and a homogeneous team will lack the insight and experience necessary to truly connect with the wide range of potential customers.
As LV=General Insurance’s Employer Branding & Talent Acquisition Manager, it’s up to Neil Harvey and his team to attract, nurture, and retain this diverse workforce. However, despite the great workplace culture they are proud to have established, they continue to face two critical issues:
1. Underrepresentation of women
LV=General Insurance has a large number of women within some areas of the organisation, with significantly more women applying for entry level roles than men. However, in senior level roles, the data shows a concerning 60-40 split of men and women respectively. And like many organizations, this disparity in representation of gender is even more significant when it comes to roles within STEMM (science, technology, engineering, medicine and maths).
2. Lack of race and ethnic diversity
The latest figures from the Association of British Insurers’ annual Talent and Diversity data collection indicate that ‘Black, Asian and minority ethnic’ employees make up 10% of those holding entry level positions. Yet, at executive and board level, the figure drops to 2%. This low representation across all levels of the insurance industry is something that LV=General Insurance are keen to address.
While the team attempted to tackle these issues of underrepresentation by using more inclusive language in their job advertisements, they knew this would not be enough; they needed the expert knowledge, tools, and targeted approach to truly connect with a new audience.
“It’s part of LV=General Insurance’s issue that we’ve got such a unique culture — a fantastic culture — spread across multiple UK locations. We’ve not been very good about sharing that culture, sharing that experience with other individuals that may want to come on board and share our vision of being Britain’s best loved.”
Why WORK180: a problem-solving partnership
With a focus on gender equity and an intersectional lens, WORK180 was one of a small number of providers Neil and his team believed could help nurture a truly diverse workforce. They chose WORK180 in particular due to its trust among women, and the impact this credibility would have on LV=General Insurance’s employer branding:
“The appeal of WORK180 was being recognized as an Endorsed Employer for All Women, so almost having this approved stamp that we could showcase internally and also to a wider audience. [We partnered with WORK180] to show that we absolutely do care about diversity and we are trying to make a change, and we are openly addressing the issues of under-representation that we know that we have in some of our areas.”
The Endorsed Employer accolade is only awarded to companies pre-screened and approved for their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This protects the reputation of the badge and allows it to serve as an instant indicator to job seekers that LV=General Insurance has supportive benefits, policies, and culture in place. This amplification of the company’s current offering is new to the team, but it’s a quick-win that promises long term benefits.
Beyond the badge, LV=General Insurance also uses a range of tools and support to shine a light on their supportive benefits and policies.
“It’s not really until someone joins the organization that they become aware of how flexible we are, and what family friendly policies we have. But WORK180 is helping us showcase that information for a diverse audience to see and make an informed decision before they apply for a role with us.”
WORK180’s transparent job board
As well as only featuring Endorsed Employers, the WORK180 job board is known and trusted by job seekers for its dedication to transparency. This includes tables detailing the benefits and policies Endorsed Employers have to offer.
Employee stories
The expert storytellers at WORK180 create engaging content that brings to life the positive impact Endorsed Employers’ benefits and policies are having on their workforce.
Campaign features
By taking part in WORK180’s global marketing campaigns, Endorsed Employers can promote particular benefits and policies that relate to important issues, such as domestic violence, menopause, or LGBTQI+ experiences.
Brand amplification
In addition to the employee stories and campaign features, Endorsed Employers’ benefits, policies, and relevant updates are promoted to a highly engaged audience of women via WORK180’s social media platforms.
Careers fairs
Events such as WORK180’s Women in Tech Careers fair offer employers the opportunity to talk directly to a targeted candidate pool. Beyond promoting what they already offer, employers are also able to gain first-hand insights into exactly what these sought after women want.
WORK180 also provides LV=General Insurance with a unique and valuable perspective that is impossible to find within the organization. Neil explains that, “What WORK180 is giving us is that external expertise and insight of knowing what diverse talent looks for in an employer and knowing what these women will do when it comes to applying for an opportunity.” He also praises the audit and review process that WORK180 provides, helping LV=General Insurance see which benefits and policies they should be reviewing, updating, or introducing.
Like many of their fellow Endorsed Employers, LV=General Insurance’s recruitment team has had to step out of its comfort zone and trust in WORK180’s tried and tested techniques. For example, Neil admits that the concept of publicly publishing traditionally internal information felt strange at first. Today, the team has published their benefits and policies on the WORK180 platform, and have even incorporated this transparency onto their careers page.
And while only six months into the partnership — and despite employer branding initiatives notoriously taking time to show results — LV=General Insurance’s commitment already seems to be paying off…
“WORK180 has given us the insight to tell us that it’s ok to be showing [benefits and policies] because this is what an element of diverse talent is looking for in an employer.”
The results so far
HR or Talent Acquisitions professionals will know that it’s rare for results of DEI and employer branding initiatives to appear right away. However, Neil and the team are already feeling and seeing tangible signs of the partnership’s value.
1. High quality website traffic and applications
Within the first four months, WORK180 was already proving its ability to generate high quality traffic and applications:
- WORK180 traffic was 66% more engaged than average visitors
Visitors to LV=General Insurance’s career page view an average of six pages. Users generated by WORK180 visited an average of 10 different pages per session.
- 28% of WORK180 traffic applied for a role
An above average number of the unique visitors generated by WORK180 converted into applicants.
2. Signs of progress within senior positions
The company has recently seen the number of women in senior positions increase from 38.5% to 39.8%. Neil explained that this increase may seem small, but it’s a significant step towards helping LV=General Insurance meet the Women in Finance Charter target of “40% senior female representation across the organization by the end of 2021”.
3. Intangible benefits
“For my team, it’s also that sense of pride. Working for a company that is truly inclusive and being open and transparent about some of the issues that they have.”
As Neil explains, the partnership with WORK180 is far from a ‘box-tick exercise’ for LV=General Insurance; being an Endorsed Employer requires active participation and commitment from the team, but the work is paying off and providing everyone with an even greater sense of purpose and pride. There is also an appetite across the company to amplify the endorsement’s use, and a belief that the partnership should be communicated to an even wider audience.
“Customers have got more choice than ever […] and are going to want to be associated with a brand that is supporting diversity. Sharing our endorsement with our customers over and above our careers site (because you would only come to our careers site if you were looking for an opportunity) could be quite powerful.”
It’s clear that Neil and the team are ready and willing to keep up the great work. When asked how else the WORK180 can support them going forward, Neil said:
“I think continuing to give us open and honest feedback about how we are being represented in the external market; giving us that valuable insight and expertise on what we are doing, what are we not doing; and the continuation of that education to both hiring managers and others within the business.”