IAT’s Lindsay Spann spotlights current trends in insurance recruitment and retention

“I would say one of the most recent trends over the last few years has certainly been the desire to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture,” Spann said. “I think employers are looking at ways to really understand the foundation [of] what their culture represents. And I think it’s important for organizations to really take a more holistic view of that and really assess where they are currently before being able to build on and enhance what it is that they’re trying to create.”

Spann also said that recruitment is increasingly looking for candidates who will do more than simply fit into a company’s culture. Recruiters, she said, are looking for “culture add” rather than simply “culture fit.”

“[We’re] recruiting with a different mindset of not someone that can just come in and do the job and the requirements that are listed. We’re looking for candidates now that can add something to the culture – whether that’s a diverse perspective, background, race, gender or sexual orientation. All of the elements of diversity are a big part of the conversation now, but really hiring with a different lens. ‘How can someone add to the culture that we have’ versus ‘How can someone fit into what we’ve been doing’ as things continue to evolve.”

Read more: Breaking down barriers to entry into the insurance industry

Spann also said that the COVID-19 pandemic continued to present challenges for recruitment and retention.

“I would say it’s still ongoing,” she said. “I would say in addition to being creative and adapting, it’s also having a level of patience and grace – patience for ourselves in terms of, we’re all humans going through all of these changes at once.”

Watch the full roundtable discussion here.