Zurich almost quadruples part time hires in just five years

Swindon-based Insurer Zurich UK has nearly quadrupled the number of employees hired on a part time basis.

It has done so after becoming the first company in Britain to offer all full time roles on a part time, job share or flexible basis in 2019.
In addition, in 2023, 87.5 percent of part-time hires were female, with the number of females hired part-time increasing almost four-fold since 2019, opening a whole new pool of talent for the business.
Records also show that the number of part time female hires to a senior level more than doubled since 2019. Overall, in 2023, 13 percent of Zurich’s employees worked part time.  
According to a parliamentary report into women and the UK economy, 38 percent of women were in part time roles compared to 14 percent of men.
Over the last five years, the men joining Zurich on a part time basis has more than doubled.
Steve Collinson, Chief People Officer at Zurich UK, said: “Offering flexible and part-time working for all our roles advertised has had a real impact on attracting and recruiting top talent to our brand and it’s something we remain committed to.  
“It’s great to see a consistently high number of people applying for our roles since 2019, and even more so we are proud to see that we are supporting peoples’ careers to grow and develop with internal promotions whilst also accommodating their flexible working arrangements.”
When it comes to flexible working, the insurer has been committed to the concept for over a decade, with all colleagues encouraged to use FlexWork to help them manage their work/life balance.
Zurich’s latest data comes at the same time as the Government’s announcement that millions of UK workers will now be able to request flexible working from day one of their employment, under plans to make flexible working the default. This falls under the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act which came into effect on 6 April.  

Despite the latest results from the Timewise Flexible Jobs Index showing just a 1 percent increase (31 percent) of jobs advertised as flexible6, the insurer has continued to see demand for part time opportunities. Across the board, there has been a 72 percent increase in applications per vacancy in the last five years and a 110 percent surge in applications from females.
Alongside attracting new talent, Zurich is also focused on creating a sustainable workforce by retaining and developing existing talent. 
Around 70 percent of Zurich’s vacancies are filled through internal appointments, with many internal hires opting for a part time or job share role. In the last year alone, part time internal promotions increased 167 percent.
Zurich employees include Hayley Gare, who has worked there for 18 years and is currently a business manager. She has been able to flex her hours over the years to adapt to both her personal and family commitments. She joined as a new business underwriter and has been able to work flexibly since she had her daughter ten years ago. 
During this time, she has been promoted to a team manager, leading a team of 14, many of whom also work part-time. She spends a couple of days in the office, but also when working from home flexes her hours to accommodate school runs.  
Hayley said: “Zurich has been a huge support to me both professionally with development opportunities, but also personally, enabling me to change my working week to balance to fit the needs of my family. 
"As my family have grown, I have been able to flex my hours whilst also meeting my career goals and growing professionally.  
“Being promoted to Team Manager has meant that I can now also support those in my team to work part-time and show that as a team we can do it, and as a manager I can do it.”
Employee Alan Roxborough was due to retire at 60 last year but felt that he wasn’t quite ready after working 12 years for the company as an underwriter. Following a four-month sabbatical, he returned to work for one and a half days a week, or six days a month, enabling him to pursue hobbies outside of work while also feeling happy that he was able to contribute and be a part of his team.  
Alan said: “When the time came to retire, I just didn’t feel quite ready. My manager was really great at working with me to make a plan for where I could go next within my role and we decided that I could use my knowledge and skills to work on a projects basis. 
"I’m now really enjoying working one and a half days a week, whilst also enjoying gardening and many other hobbies I’ve never had time for.”