London | 7 May, 2024
Underlines Marsh McLennan’s commitment to inclusive recruitment and improving working environment for autistic and neurodiverse colleagues
Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), the world’s leading professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people, today announced that it is the first UK organisation to be granted the newly-launched ‘Autism Confidence’ status by the charity Ambitious about Autism (AaA). The status follows a three-year programme of strategic work to adopt more inclusive practices in the areas of recruitment, HR policy, employee engagement and education, and to also improve the physical working environment for neurodiverse colleagues.
In 2021, Marsh McLennan signed up as an Employ Autism partner with Ambitious about Autism, making a formal commitment to hiring autistic talent, and has since facilitated 22 paid work experience placements for autistic young people across in the UK, with 50% becoming permanent hires. Additionally, 238 Marsh McLennan colleagues have gone through specialist training to be able to support an autistic person within their team and 74 colleagues in recruitment have undertaken training on understanding autism to make elements of the hiring process, such as the language in job descriptions and HR policies, more accessible.
In terms of wider colleague engagement and education, Marsh McLennan has achieved 4,000 hours of volunteer time by UK colleagues partaking in activities focused on increasing autism awareness. An advisory group of neurodivergent colleagues, the Lived Experience Advisory Group, has also been established to create further meaningful changes across the workforce such as the creation of several bespoke resources for autistic colleagues and their families.
Chris Lay, Chief Executive Officer, Marsh McLennan UK, said: “As a result of our work with Ambitious about Autism, more and more neurodivergent individuals are bringing fresh perspectives and unique problem-solving capabilities to Marsh McLennan, enabling us to better serve clients and enrich our overall working environment. We look forward to furthering our efforts to remove all barriers to entry to the UK insurance industry and make Marsh McLennan a truly inclusive place to work for people across all differences and backgrounds.”
Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive Officer of Ambitious about Autism, said: “We’re thrilled that Marsh McLennan has achieved Autism Confidence and established itself as a sector leader in neuro-inclusion over the course of our hugely successful four-year strategic partnership. This has been made possible by the commitment and determination of Marsh McLennan senior leaders and colleagues, whose incredible efforts have raised awareness, funds and helped shape recruitment practices and a workplace culture that both welcomes and celebrates autistic people. We hope our pioneering partnership will inspire other businesses to follow Marsh McLennan’s lead, enabling more autistic young people to realise their ambitions in the world of work.”
