It's all about people.

People are Zurich’s most important asset. They enable us to achieve our strategy and deliver for our stakeholders. Their varied skills, perspectives and experiences drive innovation. And they reflect the breadth and diversity of our customers, suppliers, communities and investors around the world. To succeed, Zurich needs to attract, select, develop and retain these talented people.

That’s why we aim to create a workplace where people thrive, in an environment where everyone is treated as equally important. We also carry out initiatives to embed and maintain a zero-tolerance approach to harassment, discrimination, bullying and disrespectful behavior in the workplace.

It’s not just the right thing to do, it makes us succeed as a company. It’s part of how we achieve our purpose: to protect you, to inspire confidence, to help you reach your full potential.

Diversity refers to the visible and invisible differences that exist between people. Zurich does not tolerate harassment or discrimination, including based on race, ethnicity, color, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other relevant characteristic protected under applicable law. It also refers to diverse ways of thinking and ways of working.

Global Focus Areas

Our Diversity & Inclusion framework provides global direction while empowering local action.

We are firmly committed to developing policies, practices and ways of working that support diversity. On a global level we have four areas of focus:

Our work in these areas is supported by Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) - employee-led associations that provide personal and professional support, and networking. Our ERGs also help Zurich better understand the challenges our employees, customers and communities face. ERGs offer employees with common interests, experiences and values the opportunity to come together and exchange ideas across all levels and business divisions. They play an important part in embedding inclusion at Zurich and promote a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Meet Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing

Katja holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior with a research focus on leadership and diversity. In her current role she is responsible for the many aspects of Zurich’s worldwide diversity activities. Katja talks more about this below.

Why you think Diversity & Inclusion is crucial for Zurich?

Combining global scale with local service at Zurich, we help our customers protect the people, places and things that matter most. For something this important we need the best passion, personal integrity and engagement from everyone at Zurich. Our people are Zurich’s most important asset.

Research has shown that diverse teams can bring benefits and higher performance to companies. Diversity can lead to more creative and innovative strategies to problems, as well as higher-quality decisions.

Zurich recognizes that diversity and inclusion is not just important, but fundamental. That is why we made our culture about embracing variety.

What active measures have been taken to foster an open, flexible and supportive working environment where everyone can reach their full potential, and be appreciated and respected?

Moving from awareness to action is a key organizational priority. Global initiatives like equal pay for equivalent work, improving access to parental leave, and work-life balance help us to maintain the performance and health of our employees and thus contribute to the profitability and competitive positioning of the company.

We are taking tangible actions to further embed diversity and inclusion in the way we do business, by focusing specifically on accelerating impact and building an open and supportive culture. Our Diversity & Inclusion framework provides global direction while empowering local action.

With our global D&I strategy as a foundation, we shape the global and local D&I agenda together with our business units and employees resource groups around the globe.

Our Flexwork@Zurich framework is a great example of how we empower people to work where, when and how they choose. Certain situations require flexible working hours. This is the only way to achieve a good work-life balance. It was introduced across our entire organization in 2015, providing minimum constraints and maximum flexibility. The framework encourages employees to work in a way that achieves optimum results while responding to changing customer demands. It isn’t an entitlement, nor is there a ‘right’ way of implementing it. It. The focus is on collaboration within teams to find the best solutions that deliver results - and these will differ across Zurich.

Furthermore, the UK launched a campaign in 2019 where every vacancy is advertised as a potential part-time, job-share or full-time working opportunity along with Flexwork. This initiative has already generated significant change. The business has seen a 25% increase in the number of women applying for jobs across all levels of the business. That shows how we continue to integrate D&I principles into our business practices, especially in hiring and promotion decisions, to ensure equal access and opportunities.

We also celebrate Pride month across the world every year. This is supported by the work of our Pride@Zurich employee resource group. Last year, we profiled role models at all levels in our organization who shared their stories of compassion and courage and invited others to do the same.