Navigating careers in the ‘new normal’

This International Women’s Day we spoke to one of the UK Insurance industry’s leading figures, Sheila Cameron about how we can prepare for work in the ‘new normal.’

Covid-19 has shown us that the issues that women have traditionally faced are no longer just women’s issues. Many people want to maintain a fulfilling career but also work flexibly to keep their responsibilities at home, such as caring for children or family.

As offices re-open later this year, it is imperative that employees and business leaders alike think carefully about what work will look like.

In this session we will learn from Sheila’s experience of achieving a successful career in the insurance industry and as a champion of Diversity & Inclusion. We explore:

• What can we do to advance our own careers in the new normal?
• How can we all balance a fulfilling career as well as family commitments?
• What can business leaders do to encourage their teams in an inclusive and constructive way

Our top 5 takeaways for success in the 'new normal':

1. Don’t be afraid to ask for more flexibility. Be honest with yourself and the business around your needs; explain how you propose to deliver the same or potentially more, just in a different way.
2. Grab the networking and collaboration opportunities that we have missed out on during lock-down.
3. Managers: more focus on outputs, less on presentee-ism. Set tight objectives and tight performance meas​ures and concentrate more on the what is achieved rather than how it is achieved.
4. Leaders: a plea to lead by example, show us that flexible working won’t hinder people’s careers.
5. Businesses should question the purpose of the office before re-writing their flexible working policies. Is it purely to observe people while they are working (probably not!) or is it, perhaps, to facilitate collaboration? 

This event was brought to you by Howden’s Insurance Companies team. Find out more about our services here.