5.4.1.4 InsuranceCo

InsuranceCo is an insurance company that is active in the Netherlands. The company is listed on the Dutch stock exchange. The management board of InsuranceCo consists of one man and two women (67 percent). At the end of 2020, the supervisory board consisted of five members, two of which are women (40 percent), senior management consisted of 28 percent women, middle management 22 percent women, and junior management 34 percent women. Of the other employees (non-managers), 43 percent was female.

InsuranceCo has twelve interventions in place. Six interventions have been implemented that are specifically aimed at increasing gender equality for women. InsuranceCo set a numerical target of 30 percent women and men for the supervisory board, management board and higher and senior management. No time frame was included as to when the targets needed to be met, but it was mentioned in the interviews that the targets are the same each year. InsuranceCo provides mandatory training for all managers, including higher and senior management, about what diversity, equality and inclusion entail, how unconscious biases can be identified and overcome, and how interviews can be conducted in an objective manner. This is all part of the company’s leadership development program. Objective criteria are set for selecting personnel. The company appointed a recruitment and selection committee that ensures procedures are transparent and that candidates are assessed objectively. Furthermore, the company requires that the selection and recruitment panel for all positions within the company is diverse, i.e., a mix of women and men. InsuranceCo also requires that at least one woman is included on the shortlist for every company position. During the interviews it was also mentioned that in certain instances a preference is expressed for women. Having said this it was also indicated that InsuranceCo always looks for the best person for the job, meaning that quality is key. However, if a qualified woman were to apply for a job in a division in which men are already overrepresented, she would take precedence over a man.

InsuranceCo has implemented interventions that aim to support (wo)men within the organization and outside of the workplace. A female mentoring program is in place for high potential female managers. The mentoring program is run by an external company. A family supportive intervention is time and location independent work, which enables InsuranceCo’s employees to work (partly) from home and to arrange their time according to their own schedules. This program assists families in combining work with family life. As previously discussed, a leadership development program including diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias training is offered to all managers.

Interventions with a broader scope are: (1) an employee engagement survey to assess how employees view gender diversity and inclusiveness within the organization; and (2) strategic workforce and succession planning aimed at estimating which, and how many, women (but also men) may be eligible for leadership positions in the future.

An intervention aimed at achieving an inclusive workplace is the use of job vacancy texts and images that are inclusive. This is done by using language that also attracts women, or by using gender neutral terms.