Why the industry needs a closer look at informal training

Canadian property and casualty insurance organizations have done a phenomenal job with formal workplace support programs, but they need to take a closer look at informal culture and ways of training women to take on senior roles, says a WTW executive.

Informal sponsorship and social event networking are equally as important as formal training programs and mentorships, particularly for senior roles, says Alena Kharkavets, head of claims for North America with WTW’s insurance consulting and technology business.

She considers a sponsor somebody who “sticks their neck out” and endorses another person.

“I think a lot of women are being mentored, but don’t necessarily have an advocate who, when decisions are being made, would say, ‘This person is going to be really good.’ That’s what sponsorship is,” Kharkavets explains.

A sponsor can acknowledge any gaps in a female candidate’s senior leadership experience and say how they’re going to be bridged, while insisting she is ready to take the role, Kharkavets says. Sponsorship differs from mentorship, in that mentorship is passive and does not involve endorsement.

“Organizations have an opportunity to be more deliberate in how their senior leadership group thinks about sponsorship, and to what extent they see sponsorship being practised [to promote] women,” Kharkavets says. “I think there are a lot of mentors, but on the sponsorship side, there is an opportunity and it’s really key for you to get at the executive table.”

Cultural considerations

Informal but inclusive social events are also important. “It’s where we get to know each other, trust builds up, and you become the known quantity,” she says. “It’s the fabric of the organization.

“It’s more, ‘Let’s go out for dinner after work as a team.’ They’re not imposed, but it’s part of the culture,” Kharkavets says. “You can really do a diagnostic assessment to what extent your teams have it or not…because without it, the trust is not there.

“Without the trust, no one is willing to stick their neck out…For me, the [talent] pipeline is there and women have ambition. We’re missing out on talent at the top because of this [lack of strong informal connections and sponsorship].”

Kharkavets says companies have made the workplace more inclusive and flexible since the pandemic, and the use of things such as parental leave by men has become more prevalent. But there’s still a lack of progress on the transition back to work, she says. 

Pondering whether to leave the workplace temporarily leaves women to wonder, “Is it going to impact my career and is it right to do?” Kharkavets says.

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For example, “quite often, when women come back from maternity leave, they have a role at the organization, but they don’t have a role that owns a P&L (profit and loss) typically, because they were away,” she says. “There’s a need for a more deliberate planning for this return to work,” whether a woman chooses to come back part-time or full-time.

“This transition to work, through my conversations with many women over the years, is something very challenging,” Kharkavets says. “I think if organizations are more deliberate about the opportunities when women come back early on, that would be a real big win and remove that uncertainty and the feeling of being in limbo.

“We need to plan better and earlier so that you can have a meaningful role when you come back.”

Jason Contant

Jason has been an award-winning journalist with Canadian Underwriter for more than a decade, including the past three years as associate editor and, before that, as digital editor for seven years.