When over 250 teammates across the United States began to work from home on the heels of a global pandemic and a summer of protests against racial bias and discrimination, it became more important than ever for our team at Brown & Brown Absence to develop a way to ensure that we are listening to and learning from each other. In understanding we each have different experiences, ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds, we were encouraged to use this to create a stronger and more creative work environment that not only provides better results to our claimants and customers but fosters a feeling of belonging among our teammates. To support this, Brown & Brown Absence formed a Diversity & Inclusion Committee that has worked hard to promote engagement and awareness among our teammates.
In developing the committee, four areas were chosen to highlight through subcommittees to ensure the most meaningful impact to both our teammates and our community. Those areas are Recruiting & Retention Best Practices, Culture & Events, Community Outreach, and Communications. Since its inception, each subcommittee has worked to produce content, events, and change, and we are excited about their continued impact. Because of the work we are doing on our Recruiting and Retention subcommittee, we have implemented meaningful change, including structured interviews for candidates, continuing to seek multicultural partnerships to recruit candidates, and offering a wider range of flexibility in our positions.
As a team, we know we will continue to face challenges. By embracing the unique talents and identities of our teammates, however, we look forward to innovating faster, problem solving more quickly and equitably, and creating an overall more inclusive environment.