Rothesay is committed to promoting equality and diversity, and a culture that actively values difference
We recognise that people from different backgrounds and experiences can bring valuable insights to the workplace, enhancing the way we work. We know that diversity is a strength and that in order to recruit and develop the best talent, we must be proactive about creating equality of opportunity.
We also recognise that prejudice and discrimination are still present in society today and that they have a real, damaging impact on the lives of many of our colleagues and customers. Racism and other forms of discrimination have no place at Rothesay.
Our Diversity & Inclusivity Working Group
Our Diversity & Inclusivity Working Group leads our efforts to develop our diversity and inclusivity strategy. It works across the business to challenge us to do more to bring diversity and inclusivity to life at Rothesay, and, most importantly, listens to everyone who would like to share their view on what they would like to see us doing and how they would like to support our work in this space going forward
We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity through our:
Culture – ensuring we have a working environment where everyone feels valued
People – having a clear and transparent approach to talent development along with an inclusive recruitment policy
Community – supporting the communities we work in, and businesses we partner with, to promote equality and inclusivity
Culture
- We welcome open and honest feedback from colleagues and conduct regular employee engagement surveys to measure their opinion and to hear what we can do better
- In our most recent survey, 86% of our employees agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “My co-workers respect my thoughts and feelings” with only 4% disagreeing
- All our people participate in annual training on what it means to be an inclusive company
People
- We offer training and support to new parents and their managers
- All employees taking extended parental leave are offered one-to-one coaching to support their return to work
- We collect diversity data from our employees to help us understand our people and deliver growth and change.
- Our 2023 Gender Pay Gap report, can be found here:
Gender Pay Gap report
- Our parental leave policies, can be found here:
Parental leave policies
Community
- Rothesay is participating in #10000BlackInterns, a programme which seeks to offer internships to Black students across the UK to help kick start their career
- We are a member of WorkLife Central, an award-winning organisation providing expertise and support to professionals and working parents in corporate roles
- We support the industry-wide initiative, led by the Association of British Insurers, aimed at ensuring transparent, easily accessible information is available on parental leave and pay policies
Frequently asked questions
- How are you addressing diversity issues within your company?
As a founder-led business, Rothesay has been committed to actively promoting diversity and inclusivity from day one.
Creating a culture at Rothesay that values difference is an important part of our commercial strategy as we know it makes us a stronger, more dynamic business. We pride ourselves on having a very non-hierarchical structure which ensures that everyone is treated as an individual, whose opinion is valued and who has equal opportunity to thrive in their career.
We welcome open and honest feedback from colleagues and conduct regular employee engagement surveys to measure their opinion and to hear what we can do better. In our most recent survey we were pleased to find that 86% of our employees agreed, or strongly agreed, with the statement “My co-workers respect my thoughts and feelings” with only 4% disagreeing.
All our people receive annual training on what it means to be an inclusive company and we also hold additional sessions for those with line management or recruitment responsibilities.
- What sustainable action are you taking to embed diversity and inclusion in Rothesay?
Rothesay became a member of WorkLife Central following a series of meetings that Terry Miller, one of our Non-Executive Directors, had with some of our senior female managers to discuss actions to improve inclusion. WorkLife Central is an award-winning organisation providing expertise and support to professionals and working parents in corporate roles.
We recognise that parenting responsibilities can be a key issue impacting people at work. We aim to support all parents at Rothesay, recognising that individuals need to feel supported in managing their personal and professional commitments. This includes offering training and support to all new parents and their managers alongside one-to-one coaching for any employees taking extended parental leave to help with their return to work. We also reviewed our parental leave policies and increased the entitlement for paid paternity leave. We fully endorse the industry-wide initiative, led by the Association of British Insurers, aimed at ensuring transparent, easily accessible information is available on parental leave and pay policies.
As recruitment plays an incredibly important role in supporting diversity and inclusivity we work very closely with our third party recruiters to ensure we have a diverse candidate base for all our roles. We have also partnered with SEO London, an organisation which prepares talented students from ethnic minority or low socioeconomic backgrounds for career success through internship and graduate programmes as well as offering training, mentoring and work experience opportunities.
- To what extent are you leading or taking part in industry-wide initiatives?
We believe it’s vital to partner with others to most effectively tackle the prejudice and discrimination still sadly present in society today. This includes industry-wide initiatives as well as other partnerships, for instance with our customers, suppliers or organisations based in the communities in which we operate.
One area where the industry as a whole can play an important role is supporting a more diverse range of talent for the long-term. During 2021, Rothesay will be participating in #100BlackInterns, a programme which seeks to offer internships to Black students across the UK to help kick start their career in investment management. The programme has received such a strong level of support from industry, with over two hundred companies now offering internships, that it has led to the #10000BlackInterns initiative being launched. #10000BlackInterns will offer paid work experience across a wide range of sectors, not just investment management, creating a sustainable cycle of mentorship and sponsorship opportunities across the whole UK economy. We’re currently interviewing candidates and are excited about welcoming interns to Rothesay.
- What is your organisation’s key message to women looking to progress or start a career in the pensions industry?
Our industry provides security and peace of mind for millions of people, something which is more important than ever due to the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19. It’s dynamic and constantly changing, with a huge range of opportunities spanning multiple sectors and potential career paths.
We know that a diverse workforce is not only a strength, but absolutely vital to our continued success. As the range of opportunities within the pensions industry continues to grow, Rothesay is committed to making sure that the equality of opportunity does so too.