Making Census of Diversity

Fake news is how we describe propaganda and misinformation for the 21st Century. Social media has greatly accelerated the opportunity to spread misinformation, and all sorts of agencies and individuals use the immediacy of social media to get their messages across, fake or not.  

Separating truth from fiction has, in the era of fake news, become more vital than ever. In both the UK and the USA, fact-checking agencies have sprung up to test the validity of various statements made by politicians and other commentators.  

Of course social media is a force for good too, as evidenced by the #MeToo campaign which has given women a platform to show how widespread sexual harassment and sexual assault are. 

While the genesis of #MeToo was within the entertainment industry, a recent disturbing blog by Insurance Post reporter Jen Frost made it clear that she believes sexism is a still an issue in the insurance industry. 

 The industry has a reputation for lacking diversity, and in my role as a female CEO, I strongly support the need for change and for us to seek diversity in the broadest sense - diversity is so much more than a gender point.

 So that is why I applaud Insurance Post for announcing this year’s Insurance Census – the fourth such survey – which will help get to the facts about how our industry has performed during the last twelve months. As Post says, the survey will help answer the following questions:

•  How diverse do you think the insurance sector really is? 
• How open is your workplace in terms of racial or gender equality? 
• How is your company dealing with issues like mental health and harassment?

 I’m especially pleased to see the survey will tackle questions about mental health and well-being, an area that many companies don’t acknowledge to be problematic or won’t do much about. 

The good thing is that the survey is open to anyone who works in our industry. The findings that emerge will help us all understand where we have improved, and what areas require more work. While stories and anecdotes are vitally important, policy needs to be driven by facts and statistics. 

I urge everyone who works in insurance, and loves this industry as much as I do, to take part in the survey. 

Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If we want to see a vibrant, diverse, multicultural industry, then we must all play our part. For more information on the Post Census visit https://www.surveygizmo.eu/s3/90108855/5036400020db