Redefining D&I for the next generation

A focus on greater diversity and inclusivity (D&I) in recruitment and beyond is driving innovation and development at CCR Group, giving this established re/insurance industry institution a tangible market advantage.

This was the view of Marlène Larsonneur, human resources (HR) director at CCR Group, as she spoke to Intelligent Insurer about the employer’s D&I strategy. And it isn’t just the initial recruitment process where the organisation is embedding greater equality—the group has committed to supporting recruits throughout their onboarding, job integration and career paths.

The benefits so far are clear. “The CCR Group has low staff turnover, loyal teams and high commitment to the firm,” said Larsonneur.

For the past five years, the group has been strengthening its teams by recruiting from more multicultural talent pools. This is one of the key drivers of its HR policy, she said. Increasingly, the group is hiring qualified candidates of different nationalities, depending on the operational needs, and supporting them throughout their integration.

“Living and working in a different cultural environment can be complex for some employees, depending on their level of proficiency in French,” Larsonneur said. “To ease the adaptation and integration of our foreign employees, the company provides a tailor-made programme based on the employee’s needs.

“Language training courses to learn French are available both face-to-face and remotely. This type of recruitment goes hand in hand with our strategy of strengthening our markets by hiring expert employees from The Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Latin America and Asia, in particular. All in all, more than 15 languages are now used in this organisation.”

Future development at CCR is directly supported by initiatives that foster open-mindedness, promote D&I internally and open the business up to other cultures and working methods.

In 2020, the group launched a young talent contest designed to promote the best initiatives of young experts aged between 20 and 35. Twelve teams took part and presented their projects to a jury of Executive Committee members. The winners were announced during chairman and chief executive officer of CCR Re Bertrand Labilloy’s New Year address at the beginning of 2021, and the projects were rolled out in the second half of the year.

In the same year, CCR set up a sponsoring programme with a collaborative recruitment method based on human relationships. Larsonneur explained that this approach was designed to confirm and formalise trust, mutual respect and direct relationships that are the basis of interactions between CCR and its employees.

“By letting employees recommend desirable characteristics as part of the recruitment process, the group increases its chances of attracting qualified and diverse candidates, in line with our commitment to the Diversity Charter,” she said.

Employees involved in CCR’s sponsor programme become ambassadors of its knowhow, expertise and values, she added.

Challenges remain

Historically, there has been a lack of diversity in the wider insurance industry. Larsonneur acknowledged that many challenges remain despite increased awareness, government policies and legal obligations initiated by the state, networks, foundations, and schools that are working to promote D&I.

“By fighting against stereotypes and prejudices, discrimination, conscious or unconscious, in hiring, and the lack of representation in management positions in executive committees and in boardrooms, the insurance industry will improve its much-needed collective awareness over time,” she said.

“D&I policy is a shared responsibility. Education and learning, training, mentoring, communication, policy, managerial leadership, and societal change will all help to bring out the diverse and unique talents in the industry. But the responsibility lies first and foremost with the companies, starting with management and top executives. This approach also addresses issues of reputation and corporate branding.”

The business benefits of greater D&I are well documented, but CCR highlighted the broader societal influence it can have.

“As a committed and civic-minded group, CCR puts human issues and diversity at the heart of its activities and approach. We consider social, environmental and technological issues to be at the heart of our activities and approach. Our team management aims to enhance the skills of each individual and to promote equality and professional diversity,” Larsonneur stated.

D&I is not just a legal obligation for CCR or for Larsonneur. This philosophy represents a desire to bring together individuals from all social, cultural and intellectual backgrounds.

“We believe that this diversity is the strength of the group,” she said. “D&I are complementary in meaning and in practice. The word diversity refers to the idea of bringing in people from different backgrounds; inclusion means the full integration of people from diverse backgrounds to ensure they reach their performance potential.

“Therefore, we pay close attention to the inclusion of new employees in our company.”

Next generation D&I

In recent years, CCR group’s HR policy has covered inclusivity in a variety of ways. Gender equality, for example, has been enhanced by developing work-study programmes and inter-generational mentoring. The organisation plans to further maintain and pursue professional equality by increasing the mix of different professions and levels of responsibility within the company.

This will include increasing women’s career advancement, ensuring equal treatment in the assessment of objectives and taking steps to ensure fair treatment in terms of compensation.

Networks where women can share career experiences and make professional connections are being promoted.

“Such a proactive approach is part of the group’s D&I policy and aims to fight against discrimination,” Larsonneur added.

Efforts to seek out people with different backgrounds and profiles from those of more traditional hires has helped improve equality, as have efforts to integrate employees into CCR who qualify for the right to work in jurisdictions where CCR group operates (France, Canada and Lebanon). The group has also focused its recruitment efforts on different countries and continents beyond Europe.

“This diversity in all areas of HR policy contributes to the group’s culture,” she said.

In 2020, the fight against discrimination, which included the development of inclusive management, was a main driver behind the decision to sign the Diversity Charter, which is renewed annually.

The first commitment was to young people, who were actively supported throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Larsonneur said that in 2020, the business welcomed a significant number of interns and 27 work-study students in pre-recruitment for training in one of the group’s 32 business lines.

“A welcome and integration process helps them to join our company, as well as regular monitoring of their experience in our teams.”

She explained that the business has a skills sponsorship project with the association Un Stage et Après to develop internship mentoring and get CCR employees involved in supporting high schools.

As part of action to overcome barriers that can prevent more disabled people gaining employment, CCR partners with Agefiph, which works to find jobs for disabled people. CCR raises awareness of disability at work and actively participates every year in the Insurance Profession Training Institute’s (IFPASS) Disability Club forum by promoting the inclusion of its participants in CCR and CCR Re.

“We want to continue our efforts on disability issues. In 2022, we are going to set up corporate theatre sessions to raise awareness among our employees,” Larsonneur said.

In June 2022, the CCR signed the LGBT+ Commitment Charter represented by L’Autre Cercle, a leading non-profit organisation that works for the inclusion of LGBT+ people in the workplace. Values of team spirit, respect, involvement, service, honesty and responsibility engendered by this charter are all values shared by the CCR Group, she said.

“We will launch a webinar together with L’Autre Cercle to raise awareness among our employees about the fight against LGBT+ discrimination.”

Ongoing D&I efforts include showing support and demonstrating to all that everyone should feel free and proud to be as he/she/they are.

“By signing the LGBT+ Commitment Charter, CCR is reminding everyone that we welcome all talents within the CCR Group without discrimination,” she added.

CCR has worked hard to improve and expand the impact of its D&I policies, but there is, of course, always more to do, particularly across the industry and wider society. Asked what she’d like to see in D&I in the next five years, Larsonneur said: “The overall D&I objective could be taken into account to a greater extent in targets for setting company directors’ bonuses, in the same way as climate actions. This would extend the role of companies in the community.”

Marlène Larsonneur is HR director at CCR Group. She can be contacted at: mlarsonneur@ccr.fr