Brokers put Hiscox top
Hiscox wins three industry awards and comes first in Insurance Times surveyHiscox has scooped three top awards at the Insurance Times Awards.
Hiscox was awarded the title of Personal Lines Insurer of the Year, Commercial Lines Insurer of the Year and Lloyd’s Syndicate of the Year.
The awards were decided by an extensive judging panel of brokers and insurance industry experts.
The awards follow news that brokers have voted Hiscox one of the top insurance companies in a survey by Insurance Times.
Hiscox was among the top three commercial insurers for each aspect of service. Brokers ranked Hiscox first for documentation, second for claims handling, third for e-broking and first for general services and support.
Insurance Times surveyed the opinions of 378 individuals working in or running UK commercial broking firms, 159 of which are senior management and 219 of which work in client facing and operational management roles.
Brokers’ comments also supported Hiscox’s high scores, with positive comments outnumbering negative ones by an amazing ten to one.
The survey also revealed brokers’ opinions on the market. Respondents anticipated that the consolidation of the broker market will continue. The survey indicated that 19 per cent of commercial broking firms may have merged into bigger outfits by the start of 2009.
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Flexibility is key to attracting good staff
Flexibility and being able to balance work with family and leisure time are becoming prized job benefits in the UK workplace. Employers are eager to offer more tailor-made, flexible working conditions in order to secure and retain loyal employees.
The latest Work-Life Balance Employer Survey, commissioned by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) finds 95 per cent of workplaces offer some form of flexible working.
The amount of workplaces that provide childcare facilities, or other arrangements to help parents combine work with family commitments, has more than doubled since 2003, from 8 per cent to 18 per cent. Recent research also shows more men than ever are keen to work flexibly, making up 43 per cent of employees who requested a change to working patterns in the past two years.
Minister for Employment Relations, Pat McFadden, said: “The way we work is changing and it is developing to fit in with people’s lives.
“More people want to balance work with family and lifestyle and more employers are increasingly recognising that flexibility helps retain good staff.”