People

Top award for gender equality

Zurich Spain achieved in 2021 a top-level external certification for its gender equality practices, becoming the first organization in the Group to gain such recognition. Issued by EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality), the award is globally recognized for evaluating true gender equality practices within the business world, focusing on pay, recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentors, flexible work and company culture. The LEAD level is the highest certification awarded by EDGE, and Zurich Spain is one of three companies worldwide to achieve such a standard (the business unit is committed to regular recertifications, the next one coming up in 2023).

This recognition follows years of implementing diversity practices in Zurich Spain including monitoring and evaluating the pay gap and linking all talent management practices to gender.

Our progress is evident in the figures:

• Fifty-four percent of new hires during the period 2020-2022 were women and promotion levels are at the same percentage for men and women.
• At the end of 2022, more than fifty percent of leadership roles are occupied by women (50 percent of the current local executive committee, 51 percent of leadership roles)
• In the 2021 EDGE survey, 89 percent of our people said the organization’s management shows a firm commitment to equity and gender equality.
• Eighty-four percent of respondents also said, having a career and family are very compatible in our organization and that they feel fairly paid.

If you are interested to know more, see our Zurich Spain pages on Diversity.

Paid gender affirmation leave in Australia and New Zealand

Zurich Australia and New Zealand took a further step this year toward a more diverse and inclusive workplace through the launch of their new Gender Affirmation Policy. If transgender and gender diverse team members choose to affirm their gender identity socially and/or physically, the policy provides them with:

• Four weeks paid leave
• Up to 12 months unpaid leave
• Support services.

The policy recognizes that every individual’s experience of gender affirmation is unique, and this is reflected in the flexibility of the leave and range of support provided to the individual.

‘You Matter’

On World Mental Health Day in October 2021, we launched ‘You Matter’, our global wellbeing employee resource group sponsored by Laurence Maurice, CEO Latin America. The group focuses on the four dimensions of wellbeing – emotional, social, physical and financial. Voluntary and employee-led, ‘You Matter’ is a movement to change attitudes and behaviors related to wellbeing. It has a mission to foster a workplace culture that supports anyone’s desire to make healthy lifestyle choices and to maintain and improve employee wellbeing globally at Zurich.

As such, it aims to help put resilience, health, safety and employee wellbeing at the heart of Zurich’s strategy to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world.
‘You Matter’ is engaging with other employee-led wellbeing groups across the globe to establish a platform for collaboration and showcasing the great work that is already being done. For countries who are just embarking on their wellbeing journey, ‘You Matter’ is there to help them get started.

‘You Matter’ has a mission to foster a workplace culture that supports anyone’s desire to make healthy lifestyle choices where employees excel, businesses thrive, wellbeing is promoted, and health and safety friendly policies are in place to maintain and improve employee wellbeing globally at Zurich.