In the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have realised that they can do more to improve employees’ welfare. Among the members of Insurance Business New Zealand’s Top Insurance Employers 2021 list, some common themes include flexibility to achieve work-life integration and employee health and wellness.
Resolution Life Australasia highlighted its initiatives that give employees choice around how they work. Megan Beer, Resolution Life’s CEO, said a change of mindset is important. All parties involved must not view flexible working as a lack of commitment.
“Work-life integration is a valued component of our employee value proposition,” Beer said. “Resolution Life strives to create a workplace that supports work-life integration and provides our people with choice, flexibility and support for the way we choose to work.”
According to Beer, the company’s new flexible working policy offers a virtual workplace allowing employees to work from any location where the company is present, including at home or from its offices. All employees are encouraged to share updates from their life through company communication channels, with the leadership team serving as examples by frequently sharing updates on how they effectively balance work and personal responsibilities.
“Flexible work is not viewed as a lack of commitment, and career advancement for part-time employees is encouraged through equal development opportunities,” Beer said. “We see the importance of being able to integrate our work and personal life, finding the right balance of our personal purpose, which will enable us to deliver on our strategy, purpose and vision whilst managing a sustainable lifestyle.”
The global health crisis also strengthened Top Insurance Employers’ commitment to employee health.
Kevin Blyth, CEO of Allianz Partners, said the benefits offered to employees throughout the past year have been extremely successful, and having a fit and healthy workforce is essential to the company’s values and strategy.
“To support [our employees] in managing their health, we contribute to a wellbeing or fitness-related cost in the form of an annual allowance to the value of $250 per year. This was a very well-received benefit,” Blyth said. “So the winter months don’t slow our team down, we also offer everyone a free flu shot each year. We reimburse our employees for one eye examination each year to the value of $60, and we provide our employees with insurance covering life and total and permanent disability insurance, as well as income protection insurance.”
The company also provides employees “access to free, independent and professional counselling through our Employee Assistance Program, and this year we introduced a volunteer day where all our employees are encouraged to [take] a full day’s paid leave every year to give back to the community,” Blyth said. “We have also introduced meeting-free Thursdays and reduced all meeting times to 45 minutes as part of our solution to help improve well-being, reduce stress and manage workload.”
