The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) – as part of its 54-page Manifesto launched in the Houses of Parliament earlier this year – has called on companies in the insurance broking sector to create a culture of openness about mental wellbeing.
Next month the trade body will also be shining a spotlight on the matter at BIBA 2019, and specialist insurer Ecclesiastical – which in May will be holding ‘Love your heart, love your head week’ across its offices in the UK – has expressed its support.
“The benefits of a happier, more engaged workforce are well documented and the challenge for businesses is creating a workplace environment where everyone feels able to talk about mental health issues,” said commercial director Adrian Saunders.
According to a survey by Ecclesiastical, only a third of brokers would feel comfortable talking to their manager about mental wellbeing while a mere 26% would open up to their human resources department. In fact, of the 250 brokers polled, more (33%) would opt to pick up the phone and contact a confidential helpline.
In addition, it was found that male brokers over the age of 35 are the least likely to discuss their mental health issues. The good news is, 38% of those surveyed said their firm is making efforts to create a more supportive culture.
“Ecclesiastical’s research pinpoints concerns in our sector around mental health,” commented BIBA chief executive Steve White. “We are committed to helping members understand more about mental wellbeing and I’m happy to say there is a great deal of interest in this subject from them.
“We would like to see all organisations in our sector have a culture of openness on this subject. I was delighted to pull together our conference panel, the session [on mental health] is proving hugely popular – a pointer to the interest and empathy brokers have in relation to this.”
In other news, Ecclesiastical has teamed up with essential duty of care and safeguarding training provider EduCare for the benefit of policyholders, who will be offered an exclusive 25% discount on the EduCare service platform. The courses cater to the education, charity, and health & social care sectors.
“We understand that the risks for our customers are wide-ranging,” noted Faith Kitchen, education and heritage director at Ecclesiastical. “The EduCare partnership will provide our policyholders with unlimited access to key compliance and duty of care materials that can be used by all members of staff, trustees, and volunteers.”
