Industry Voice: Building a strong and diverse workforce for the international assistance industry
Susan Yates, Head of Americas Region at Falck Global Assistance, considers how to ensure an inclusive and diverse organisational culture
In the ever-evolving landscape of the international assistance industry, the imperative of cultivating a diverse and strong workforce cannot be overstated. Beyond being a mere aspiration, it is an absolute necessity. The intricacies of our work demand that we employ teams with diverse perspectives, experiences,
and talents to effectively address the multifaceted challenges presented by the equally diverse populations of customers, clients, providers, and employees we serve.
At the heart of building a diverse and strong workforce lies the cultivation of an inclusive organisational culture. This goes beyond a mere checkbox on the diversity agenda; it’s about creating an environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds not only feel welcome and valued but are also empowered to contribute their unique insights.
True diversity extends beyond entry-level positions. To create a lasting impact, organisations must actively work towards promoting diversity at leadership levels as well, to bring a variety of perspectives to decision-making processes and to provide mentorship to others growing with the organisation. At Falck, we believe that our differences are critical to our success and we’re committed to maintaining an inclusive culture; in fact, from top management throughout our organisation, we have a significant mandate and focus on diversity, and we have won awards based on our own employees’ opinions of the culture at Falck.
To create a lasting impact, organisations must actively work towards promoting diversity at leadership levels as well
Gaining fresh perspectives
At Falck, we recognise that diversity also means that we must form teams that blend assistance-experienced professionals and professionals from outside the industry. Diversity of career backgrounds and experiences results in new and fresh ideas being brought into our organisation. Similarly, new entrants to the workforce with less experience could be underestimated, as they bring innovative ideas around creating efficiencies and leveraging technology. We see diversity as a multidimensional concept, not only encompassing various facets such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background, but also educational experience, career experience, geographical travel and living experience, language capabilities, and perspectives.
Getting team composition right is just the beginning of a continuous process that needs to be facilitated to build strong teams. Ongoing training, professional development, and retention of staff are crucial in ensuring the sustained growth and development of the organisation, especially in an industry that faces new and different problems and challenges every hour, and where tenure is so important to building expertise. Strategies around building expertise and staff retention can actually go hand in hand.
Encouraging job rotations
To maximise the power of our diverse workforces, job rotations emerge as a potential strategy to nurture talent. While specialists like accountants, human resource specialists, or clinicians bring invaluable expertise without rotating, in areas where job rotations are feasible, they should be encouraged. We often think about career progression as an ascent to a leadership position within one’s function, but lateral moves across departments and geographical locations also facilitate the development of expertise and that expertise better positions employees for career progression in many directions. At Falck, we have seen great value in moving staff from assistance to claims, or claims to business intelligence, or provider network management to sales. These moves don’t have to be permanent; it is also possible to get value from these tactics through providing temporary shadowing opportunities or job exchanges. We see that those employees who have worked in multiple departments are more engaged and are developing a deeper understanding of the business.
During Covid-19, we asked many of our employees to temporarily work in non-traditional areas so that we could right-size our operations and retain our key staff. We asked nurses to take frontline calls; we asked provider network specialists to manage cases; our claims and billing teams picked up additional, non-traditional tasks. There was a significant learning curve for each individual, and as a team we had to redefine how we collaborated; however, coming out of the Covid-19 period, each of those employees relayed that working on different tasks helped them foster a deeper understanding of the organisation’s intricacies, and, as they returned to their prior roles, they found that they also had newfound appreciation for the work of their peers. Collaboration across functional areas increased, and the experience contributed to helping us build a more adaptable and resilient workforce.
Fostering success
Organisations must recognise that diversity is not just a matter of representation but is intrinsically linked to ongoing learning and adaptability. It is an ongoing commitment to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, is provided with the opportunity to learn and grow, and is empowered to contribute to the collective success of the organisation. It is understanding that we need to employ people who challenge our traditional ways of thinking and help us advance into the future.
Getting team composition right is just the beginning of a continuous process that needs to be facilitated to build strong teams
Organisations that prioritise diversity, inclusivity, ongoing development, and diversity of job roles are better positioned to bring innovative solutions to the table. They create a workplace culture that not only attracts diverse talent but also empowers the workforce and contributes to employee retention, the development of niche expertise, and the industry’s overall strength and resilience. Most importantly, a diverse workplace creates an environment where people are respected for their skills and for who they are as unique individuals.