Guardian is delighted to announce its corporate membership of GAIN, the group dedicated to championing neurodiversity in the financial services industry. Through its membership, Guardian seeks to provide better support to neurodivergent people within its business, helping them to succeed and thrive in their careers.
According to GAIN, one in 7 of the UK’s population identify as neurodivergent, both diagnosed or undiagnosed. The group believes that a lack of awareness, opportunity and access has resulted in many of these people being unable to find long-term meaningful work or realise their full potential. GAIN also believes that, through more inclusive practices, the neurodivergent population have the potential to address talent gaps in financial services industry.
Through the membership, GAIN will initially support Guardian in a benchmarking exercise to provide recommendations across the firm’s facilities, policies and processes, to help Guardian take steps to become more inclusive of neurodivergent employees. Individual Guardian employees are also encouraged to sign-up for GAIN membership if they’d like to, giving them access to a broader neurodiverse community and further support.
Duncan Mosely, Guardian COO said: “Our decision to partner with GAIN came as a result of some initial conversations with a number of dyslexic members of our team about the adaptations they needed to perform in their careers. What this quickly highlighted was that within most businesses there is significant scope for improvement to better support the neurodivergent mind.
Working with GAIN, we seek to improve our understanding of neurodivergent thinking, to create a safe place where our colleagues feel they can come to work as they are, and where they can thrive and develop. Longer-term, we also hope the partnership will help inform our approach to addressing neurodiversity in product design and customer experience, to better meet the needs of the diverse population we serve.”
Laurie Edmans CBE, Co-Chair, GAIN, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Guardian to our growing membership base of forward-thinking companies seeking to improve the employment prospects of neurodivergent people in insurance, investment and related areas of financial services. Our desire is for neurodiverse workplaces to become the norm; where every employee can thrive and feel empowered to bring their unique skills and abilities for the mutual benefit of all.”
Examples of improvements that can be of benefit to neurodivergent thinkers include more thoughtful office design – like the provision of quiet spaces, headphones to aid concentration, and more dimly lit spaces – as well as the level of support given to prepare neurodivergent people for situations including interviews, the onboarding process and performance reviews.
Guardian’s membership of GAIN supports the work of its disability and neurodivergent employee group. This sits alongside 2 other employee groups designed to advance diversity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ colleagues and those experiencing Menopause. These employee groups are designed to allow colleagues to bring their whole selves to work, to raise awareness of their perspectives and encourage allyship, and to support a diverse and inclusive workforce.
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Notes to editors:
Press enquiries to Natalie Robinson, 07789 501146, Natalie.robinson@guardianfs.co.uk
Guardian Financial Services is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority.
All products are provided by Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited and we have an agreement with them to underwrite and issue the protection policies we distribute through the UK intermediary channel.
As an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited, Guardian Financial Services Limited is the market-facing brand under which we promote our proposition and engage with advisers.
Background to Guardian Financial Services, owned by Gryphon Group Holdings
Guardian, the life and protection insurance business, launched in 2018 and pledged to grow the protection market. The brand promise of ‘Life. Made Better.’ reflects the company’s commitment to rethink and reinvent protection for the better; making sure customers get cover that’s easier to understand, simple to buy and designed to never let them down.
Guardian’s business partners
Gryphon Group Holdings is majority owned by Punter Southall Group as the largest equity capital investor. Guardian partners with UnderwriteMe for its Underwriting Engine, Liss Systems, the UK arm of Nasdaq-listed EXL, for its policy administration technology, and Space, for its front end technology, branding and marketing. Guardian’s reinsurance partners are Hannover Re and Gen Re.