Crawford & Co’s Lisa Bartlett on what it takes to retain top-tier talent

Retention, as well as attraction, is on the minds of insurance employers everywhere as they face up to the talent crunch impacting the wider market. On hand to discuss her top tips on how insurance businesses can retain staff in a recent interview with IB TV, Lisa Bartlett, president at Crawford & Company UK & Ireland highlighted how the business is winning the war for talent.

She noted that the first thing Crawford is focusing on is employee retention. The company has a wide range of roles available so it’s zeroing in on the opportunities at hand for moving talent around the business. A key part of that is technical training, she said, which is why the team is leveraging its ‘Crawford Academy’ to develop technical skills.

“The second thing we’re focusing on is really bringing to life our flexible working programmes, and making sure that those with caring responsibilities can balance work and home life,” she said. “[We’ve] also developed early career programmes and social mobility programmes where we are looking to bring diverse talent into the Crawford business.

“And finally, for those at the end of their careers or nearing retirement, we are offering flexible work programmes to retain their technical expertise in the business and have them become a part of upskilling the younger generation.”

Digging into how Crawford is managing to hold on to its top-tier talent, Bartlett said she’s proud to share that its internal promotion rate is the highest it has been. This is being achieved in several ways, including by focusing on secondments and creating a comfortable environment in which people feel empowered to move around the business rather than seeking employment elsewhere.

“Alongside that,” she said.  “We’re investing heavily in technical training. Our Crawford Academy is alive and well, where we are devoting really structured training plans and career pathways to help people get to the next level.”

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