Lloyd’s eyes experience of black and minority ethnic talent after latest culture survey

The latest culture survey conducted by Lloyd’s shows that progress has been made on gender targets and the experience of women working in the market – but there is more work to be done on wellbeing and improving the experience of Black and Minority Ethnic talent.

The market’s 2020 annual culture survey is designed to track the market’s collective progress towards a more inclusive environment and identify areas that need specific attention and action to drive culture change.

Following a challenging year, the market said the results of the survey demonstrate that the actions being taken by Lloyd’s are delivering positive and measurable change, with improvements across all priority areas.

In particular, it noted that its second culture survey highlights notable progress in the experience of women working in the Lloyd’s market over the past 18 months, following targeted action to drive change at pace, including the setting of gender targets.

However, the survey has also highlighted areas for ongoing and concentrated focus, including continued focus on wellbeing across the market and improving the experience of Black and Minority Ethnic talent as a top priority.

The results of the 2020 annual culture survey, the second to be commissioned by Lloyd’s, show that progress has been made across the four priority areas that Lloyd’s originally identified in 2019 as foundational to driving cultural change.

In terms of ‘Gender Balance’ it showed that women’s perceptions have improved by 7 points on average across all characteristics, with men’s scores up 3 points. While women’s perceptions still lag men’s in several areas, the gap has closed substantially in nearly all of the criteria measured. In addition, there was a 5 point improvement in the number of respondents believing that people do not have equal opportunities (2020: 14%; 2019:19%).

When it comes to ‘speaking up’ there was a 5 point improvement in the percentage of respondents who would feel comfortable raising concerns about behaviour in the Lloyd’s market (2020: 50%; 2019: 45%), as well as a 16 point improvement in those who raised a concern feeling they were listened to and taken seriously (2020: 57%; 2019: 41%).

In terms of ‘wellbeing’ fewer respondents said that working in their organisation had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing (2020: 15%; 2019: 23%), however, there was no improvement in survey respondents feeling under excessive pressure to perform at work (2020: 40%; 2019: 40%). Encouragingly, nine in ten respondents felt that their line manager had supported them throughout the coronavirus crisis.

Finally, in terms of ‘leadership’ the number of respondents who do not believe senior leaders in their organisation take responsibility, especially when things go wrong notably decreased (2020: 8%; 2019: 16%). In addition, the proportion of respondents who said that people in their organisation turned a blind eye to inappropriate behaviour fell to 15% (2019: 22%) which, although unacceptable, demonstrates progress.

Although these results show progress, Lloyd’s also noted that insights into the perceptions of Black and Minority Ethnic professionals in the market demonstrated that additional focus is needed to improve opportunities and experiences amongst these groups; Black and Minority Ethnic respondents were less likely to raise concerns relating to discrimination, had a higher level of disagreement about whether their colleagues act in an honest and ethical way, and a higher level of distrust in senior leaders. These insights continue to inform Lloyd’s current and future commitments and actions level the playing field and create an environment free from injustice for Black and Minority Ethnic talent across the market.

Covering the period from 29 September to 1 November 2020, the results of the survey are impacted by the new virtual working environment driven by COVID-19 restrictions. The effect this has had on the results of the survey is difficult to ascertain in the short term. However, this does not change the importance attributed to the findings and Lloyd’s continued commitment to building a high-performing, inclusive culture.

Lloyd’s CEO, John Neal, said: “The results of our second annual culture survey show good progress in our efforts to sponsor gender parity and to our commitment as leaders to make needed and valued change. Though we are encouraged by the results of the survey, the feedback from our Black and Minority Ethnic colleagues has reinforced our commitment to address the inequalities and lived experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic colleagues across the market. We can feel confident in our ability to make change quickly and are more determined than ever to create an inclusive and inspiring culture for all.”

Did you get value from this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.