Gender Diversity at Canada Life

We spoke to some of our colleagues on driving positive change for gender diversity within Canada Life and the wider industry.

What are the best examples of positive change in the workplace that you’ve noticed in the past 5 years?

The approach to flexible working that we’ve seen since the pandemic, coupled with improved technology is such a positive change. For many of us this means we can work where, and when we need to and can be managed around family commitments, dog walking and even the occasional lunchtime bike ride. I love being in the office working with the people in my team, but having the flexibility to work in whichever office or home location I choose is very special.

How can women be more visible in the workplace?

Do something that you really enjoy, where you can be yourself and inspire others. Learn about the wider organisation and your colleagues within it – look for new opportunities and experiences. Be an amazing leader, colleague or member of your team. Building relationships and supporting others will connect you to the broader organisation and expand your network.

As individuals what can we do to be effective advocates for driving gender diversity?

We all have a role in ensuring we have a more diverse workforce.  It could be developing our rising stars through coaching and mentoring, or being aware of conscious bias in ourselves and others. Most importantly, talking to those around us to listen and learn about their experience and what’s important to them.

Is there anyone who’s championed you through your career and if so, what impact did they have on you?

I’ve been very lucky to have worked with some great mentors, but also a lot of amazing bosses – each of them bringing something different to my career. Having a boss that believes in you, gives you the confidence to do new and exciting things and is always there to support you when things don’t go according to plan, is really like having a secret superpower.

What professional and career advice would you give to your younger self?

Stop worrying about whether you are going the right way – you are going your way! Sometimes it's going to be tough, sometimes its going to be amazing, just remember to have fun whatever you do.

What advice would you give to women who are early on in their careers?

Be curious about your organisation and the opportunities within it. There is no prescribed career path so be open to new ideas and new experiences. Learn what you enjoy doing and build your career around that. Find yourself at least one mentor and work with them to develop your horizons.

What are the best examples of positive change in the workplace that you’ve noticed in the past 5 years?

The working world is so very different. Technology, attitudes and openness have shifted to really offer different opportunities for all organisations to think differently. At Canada Life we are passionate and committed to being flexible, taking a wide view of skills and experience from all sectors and thinking outside the box in identifying and nurturing talent. We’ve come a long way – it’s really exciting to see women of all ages joining us, growing with us and making such a difference to our business.

What can we do as individuals to be effective advocates for driving gender diversity?

Think! Question yourself and others where you think narrow or ingrained views, actions or behaviours are being played out. It is still happening every day – effective advocacy has to be felt every day.

As Chief People Officer (CPO) how do you think men can be better allies for gender equity?

I often hear from new colleagues who join Canada Life that we have a culture of kindness – we care for each other and people really notice the difference from employers they’ve worked for previously. This makes me feel really proud.

As CPO, I’m determined that we leverage these cultural strengths to allow our colleagues to fulfil their potential and career ambitions at Canada Life. To do this we need to continue to make sure we have a diverse range of perspectives and experiences in our Leadership team so that we can better represent and understand our colleagues and customers and respond to their needs.

As a male leader at Canada Life, I am committed to being an ally for gender equity by championing some of the great work we’ve done and are continuing to do and encouraging my male colleagues to do the same.

We now offer flexible working arrangements as standard for all our vacancies. Men can ally here by championing flexible working and actively role modelling it themselves where they can. Last year we offered unconscious bias training to all our colleagues, but to make a real difference, we need to put it into practice every day and challenge ourselves and our unconscious biases. We also made great progress in 2022 for women’s health, launching a new menopause toolkit to raise awareness and support individuals moving through the menopause, as well as a new dedicated app service, offering a broad range of expert support for women. By listening and educating ourselves on women’s health issues, men can better understand and empathise with their colleagues to support them and remove barriers that health issues may present. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made to make Canada Life a great place to work and I’m passionate about going further in 2023 and beyond.

As the father of two daughters, I want them to have the same opportunities as men and my commitment is use my influence to address the inequalities that can exist today by making sure women have the same chance as men of getting there.

Is there anyone who’s championed you through your career and if so, what impact did they have on you?

I have been very fortunate to have had amazing mentors and bosses - women and men - each one has helped me to think widely, openly and given me the confidence to progress over my 22 years at Canada Life. Being promoted to Chief People Officer in 2021 was another big step for me, I was not an HR professional but had a passion and deep interest in how we work and operate.  I was encouraged and supported to apply and take the opportunity – mentoring and development are very high on my agenda for our business.  Everyone who wants to, should be able to access it.

What professional and career advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself! I’m a music graduate in a Financial world. I’ve learned a mix of different perspectives and experiences gets amazing, more powerful outcomes than where only narrow views are taken.

What are the best examples of positive change in the workplace that you’ve noticed in the past 5 years? 

Having a strong, visible female CEO and COO leading us forward, practical changes like shared parental leave policies, adoption of flexible and hybrid working and spotlighting gender-neutral recruitment practices. We're also having more open and more frequent conversations with colleagues on diversity and inclusion as part of personal objectives. These are just some of the positive changes we have seen.

What can we do as individuals to be effective advocates for driving gender diversity?

Live by example, call out inequality and provide opportunities for women to be visible. Tap into learning and development modules and networks promoting equality like the Gender Balance Network. Take individual and collective accountability for creating a level playing field for all.

Is there anyone who’s championed you through your career and if so, what impact did they have on you?

I have been lucky enough to have lots of people who have supported, championed and challenged me including my dad, husband, male managers and now my sons. Their support has given me courage and confidence to take opportunities, use my voice, and be curious.

What professional and career advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t overthink things and focus on the things you can control, not the things you can’t control. Seek out different challenges and don’t discount opportunities.

What advice would you give to women who are early on in their careers?

Say yes to potential opportunities, face challenges and risks that come your way without questioning your worth, ability or place as a woman. Set yourself high goals and believe you can achieve them. Seek out sponsors, mentors and groups where you can bounce ideas and share thoughts in a safe space.

How can we eliminate/mitigate bias when providing opportunities?

Everyone has lived a life of bias. This is because our framing of certain situations is influenced by our own experiences. What’s important is that we take the time to recognise our own biases so that we can ensure they don’t play a part in the decisions that we make on behalf of the organisation. Last year we launched Bias Awareness learning to all our colleagues across Canada Life and we’ll continue to do more in this space.

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

There’s still more to be done to increase female representation in the workforce. I think that as a collective force for good, organisations should continue to create and implement ways to grow and nurture female talent across the industry and at all levels. This could include; further investing in emerging talent programmes and schemes at entry level, through to mentorship and development opportunities while in role, as well as returnship programmes that encourage and support people back to the workplace after a career break.

What are Canada Life doing to support women in the workplace?

We invite all candidates to talk to us about any flexible working requests they have. Whilst we see more women than men taking up the opportunity, it is open to both. 

We’re proud to be signed up to the ‘Women in Finance Charter’, with a commitment to increasing women in senior leadership roles.  We're actively taking new approaches to make a real difference and move faster, and this year we’re excited to be launching some internal development opportunities aimed at helping high-potential colleagues accelerate their careers into leadership roles.

Our Chief Executive became a member of the 30% Club earlier this year to help drive positive change for women in business and increase female representation at board and executive level.

We recently signed the Wellbeing of Women UK Menopause Workplace Pledge, demonstrating our commitment to supporting women and talking openly, positively, and respectfully about the menopause. We launched a dedicated app service last year which offers a broad range of expert support for women moving through the menopause.

We also offer ongoing investment in deviser channels to the talent market, gender-neutral language in our role advertising and campaign messages, and a charter with our agencies to provide diverse shortlists where they are engaged to support. The result is that we’re committed to building and reviewing diverse candidate shortlists for every role.

We know there’s more to do, but we’re pleased with the positive steps we’re taking to drive and accelerate action.

What are your top tips for hiring managers and senior leaders to improve gender diversity in the workplace?

Be aware of what’s driving their career decisions. Fully understanding what’s important to them is key to establishing the fit and ensuring that they are set for success in the organisation.

Understand the DEI proposition of the organisation. Having a good level of knowledge of all of the various tools, resources and initiatives that the organisation offers will ensure that you are best placed to structure the right training, progression and retention activities for each individual in your team.

What advice would you to give to colleagues who aren’t sure what impact they can have in driving gender diversity?

Taking part in learning opportunities and events that are carried out by the Gender diversity group. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and build on knowledge around the topic. This will create awareness on what to look out for in the day-to-day activities and how we can avoid subconscious biases.

Is there anyone who’s championed you through your career and if so, what impact did they have on you?

My managers throughout my time at Canada Life. I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and have had amazing support during this time. As a full-time working mum with this disorder, it has its challenges, but through the support I’ve received, I’ve been able to continue focusing on building my career.

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

I have recently given birth to my baby girl and was given a great opportunity to come back to work after five months. This was due to my husband’s work giving him 6 months paid parental leave.

It would be great to see more benefits like this available to working parents to reduce the subconscious bias of hiring women who may be entering this stage of their life. This may also improve retention rates of those looking to expand their family.

What has helped you become a more effective advocate?

I like to think that even through my challenges I have taken on all opportunities with a positive attitude. I often take myself out of my comfort zone to excel as an individual, which has helped me get to where I am.  As a Team Lead I will always look to encourage this behaviour within my team.

What advice would you give to colleagues who aren’t sure what impact they can have in driving gender diversity?

Being someone who supports, encourages and promotes the value of diversity is so important and it can be at an individual, team or even at organisational level. The important thing is to actively want to drive change and take action to do so. Any action, no matter how big or small will make a difference in some way

Is there anyone who’s championed you through your career and if so, what impact did they have on you?

Yes, and the impact was in two ways. They helped me gain confidence and self-belief in my abilities, but they went beyond that to create opportunities for me to take the lead and build my profile. That sponsorship and endorsement of my abilities has had a huge impact on my progress.

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

It’s important to look at the whole spectrum of diversity. I am an ethnic minority woman and that intersectionality means that the challenges I face are different to someone who is female and has a disability for example. We need to create a space where all of our differences are welcomed, and needs are understood.

What has helped you become a more effective advocate?

Being part of an internal colleague community – The Ethnicity Network (TEN) - I started to improve my knowledge on the subject of diversity. I started to recognise the privileges that I have and think about how I could use my position to effect change.

What advice would you to give to colleagues who aren’t sure what impact they can have in driving gender diversity?

It would be great to see everyone challenge their actions and thoughts to become more self-aware and call out biases, stereotypes and discriminations. If we challenge our thinking, this will have a positive impact on behaviours and decision-making. It doesn’t matter what position you’re in, anyone can be a role model by leading by example and driving positive changes for gender diversity.

Is there anyone who’s championed you through your career and if so, what impact did they have on you?

My line manager has championed me through my career since joining Canada Life 8 years ago. She has provided coaching, mentoring, opportunities, and continuous feedback to help me progress to where I am today. I also work alongside lots of leaders who are inspiring, strong and hugely supportive. I hope I can provide this support to future leaders.

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

The industry should be transparent when it comes to gender diversity, opportunities and pay. I would like to see gender pay gap reports completed by everyone in the industry, flexible working, equal opportunities and more diversity at senior leadership level.

What has helped you become a more effective advocate?

Questioning the self-impostor syndrome that I felt when I first became a leader - I challenged this thinking and grew confidence as I wanted to be a role model for others. I have also had support from Canada Life to do a diploma in leadership and management which has helped me gain skills in coaching, mentoring, and given me the confidence to lead in various situations.