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Many companies in the insurance industry are actively working to diversify their workforces and foster inclusive work environments by launching company-wide initiatives, internship and recruiting programs, employee resource groups, and community outreach activities.

Here are some best practices for companies and employees to build a more inclusive workplace culture.

Make sure everyone feels heard and understands the benefits of inclusivity.

Inclusion is not a tactic but rather an intrinsic motivation to create a more welcoming and inclusive work environment for all employees. Inclusion emphasizes your shared values and experiences, while diversity highlights individual distinctions.

Shaping a company’s culture in this way demands reaching out to each worker. Some employees may feel pressured to support diversity and inclusion efforts even if they don’t fully believe in or acknowledge their merits.

Placing an emphasis on finding methods for making others feel heard and respected can help overcome this obstacle and propel genuine inclusion. Communicating the upsides to staff is essential.

Ensure your hiring team knows the dangers of bias and unconscious bias.

The insurance business has a long way to go regarding diversity. One of the first steps is to become aware of overt and unconscious biases that can inhibit recruitment.

You may attract a more diverse group of qualified applicants and better understand their unique experiences and viewpoints by providing your hiring staff with proper, continuous training and education about both conscious and unconscious prejudices about race, religion, gender, and so on.

Create avenues for communication.

As your business expands, so should the culture of your workplace. Building and maintaining a culture that values diversity and inclusion requires constant communication between upper management and staff.

Employee engagement events that welcome all staff members are another excellent method to get people talking. It may occur in a formal context, such as a town hall, or a more relaxed one, such as a company-wide lunch, volunteer event, or happy hour.

Write a job description that will attract a diverse pool of candidates.

Crafting a job description can be challenging. Technical insurance-related terminology or jargon that may be part of the company’s everyday vocabulary may be an obstacle for your applicant. Avoid using jargon and abbreviations specific to your field if you’re looking to attract a diverse pool of eligible applicants.

Several words also have a gender code that indicates whether they are more masculine or feminine in tone; remembering this when writing job postings is essential, as some terms may subconsciously bias the applicant pool toward men or women.

It can be especially problematic in the insurance industry, where roles such as brokering are stereotypically associated with men, while customer service is often seen as a more feminine domain. Using generic job descriptions and inclusive wording might help attract a broader range of applications, including people from underrepresented groups.

Conclusion

A truly inclusive workplace culture is one where all employees are valued and respected for their unique contributions. To achieve your inclusion goals, you will need the everyday commitment of everyone in your business.