Executives from some of Australia’s leading insurance groups have pledged an “unwavering commitment” to creating diverse, inclusive workplaces.

The CEO Pledge – a Lloyd’s initiative – promises to stamp out “undesirable behaviours in pockets of the industry that cannot be tolerated if we are to truly attract the best talent”.

Lloyd’s General Representative in Australia Chris Mackinnon says the pledge is a statement of zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination.

“The intent is to really focus everyone’s mind on calling out inappropriate behaviour and not being a bystander to it… it’s about making a commitment to creating working environments where bad behaviour is just not tolerated,” he tells insuranceNEWS.com.au.

A UK CEO Pledge was launched in July, gathering more than 40 signatories.

The Australian version was drawn up following Lloyd’s international Dive In Festival of diversity and inclusion, held in September.

It stemmed from an insurance and broking CEOs roundtable which discussed challenges around workplace inclusion, leader accountability, leadership diversity and attracting talent to the industry.

Signatories to the Australian pledge so far are Lloyd’s, Zurich, the Insurance Council of Australia, QBE, Chubb, Gallagher and Axa XL.

“We fully expect there will be a significant number of other organisations that want to be part of it,” Mr Mackinnon said.

“This is not a single-strategy solution for the industry … a lot of organisations will already have their own strategy in place and may chose not to sign this, and that’s absolutely fine – this is providing a framework for organisations that might not otherwise have one.”

Signatories promise to create workplaces where staff of all backgrounds, religions, genders and sexual orientation are treated with “respect, courtesy and dignity”.

Executives vow to act on all instances of harassment and discrimination, with clear procedures in place for doing so and “significant repercussions for the perpetrators”.

“It gives all staff within an organisation a clear expectation of what is appropriate, and a level of comfort that at C-suite level the organisation is fully behind not allowing discriminatory behaviours to take place,” Mr Mackinnon said.

“It is about providing an inclusive working environment where everybody feels comfortable and safe.

“From an individual’s point of view… if you see [bad] behaviour and call it out, you know you have the support of your C-suite in doing so.”

For more information or to sign the CEO Pledge, email chris.mackinnon@lloyds.com.