Our People in Action 2011
BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS TO INSURANCE
“A lack of access to insurance is a significant factor in financial exclusion in the UK - almost half of low-income households have no home contents insurance. People on low incomes often struggle to set up insurance. For example they may not have a bank account and cannot pay through credit/debit card or direct debit.”
“Our Tenants Contents Insurance scheme is a home contents policy which aims to be affordable for social housing tenants. We understand the challenges that these customers face and offer a range of options to help meet their needs. This includes insurance cover for relatively small sums, and no cancellation or mid-term amendment fees. We also offer various payment methods and flexible payment schedules which can be weekly, fortnightly, monthly or annually.”
“Offering accessible insurance products continues to be an important and growing part of RSA’s business. As the scheme enters its 16th year we continue to review and update it to ensure that it remains affordable to those who need it the most.”
Katie Balme, Schemes Account Manager, UK
THE RSA GLOBAL CHARITY SECONDMENT PROGRAMME
“My secondment was spent volunteering at a home for abandoned women and children in Goa, India. Day-to-day I worked with up to five other volunteers to help feed babies and handicapped children, wash mountains of clothes, and bathe those who were too old or disabled to do so themselves.”
“Despite the hard work there was always an atmosphere of camaraderie among the volunteers, missionaries and the residents and I looked forward to every single day. My favourite times were when the laundry had been hung out to dry on the rooftop, the dishes were clean, people had been bathed, and we had time to sit down and get to know the residents. The women were eager to talk about what they had been through and what they planned to do with their lives, and the children loved to play and revelled in the attention from the volunteers.”
“Stepping away from my day-to-day life as Assistant to the UAE CEO & Head of the Administration function for the UAE and into a new world gave me an opportunity to reflect on how I approached my professional and personal life. I always knew that the success of my role is largely based on managing relationships. The secondment helped me to appreciate that every individual has their own life story no matter where they are from or what position they are in. Understanding this and appreciating both similarities and individual differences helps to build stronger and more rewarding relationships.”
Nadia Bangera, PA to UAE CEO & Executive Administration Manager, United Arab Emirates
(Two week’s secondment to Mother Teresa’s Missionaries charity in Goa, India)
SUPPORTING A LIVING WAGE
“The Living Wage campaign calls for every worker in the UK to be earning enough to provide their family with the essentials of life. An hourly rate is calculated annually according to the cost of living. This currently exceeds the legal minimum wage by 37% in London and 18% nationwide.”
"RSA takes its responsibilities to its people and the wider community very seriously and when we were approached by the Living Wage campaign last year we were pleased to take action. Not only are we ensuring that our own employees are fairly rewarded but we are also encouraging our contractors and suppliers to pay a fair wage to their people.”
“We gathered together a number of people from across our UK operations to identify where pay was too low for our employees and our suppliers. For our own employees we could act quickly ensuring all employees were paid at least the Living Wage by mid 2011. Progress with our diverse network of suppliers was more of a challenge but we have acted with pace, aligned our own employees quickly and we are working with our suppliers to implement the same standards.”
Ian Templeman, Head of Employee Relations and Policy, UK
A FEW STEPS ON ICE, A JOURNEY OF A LIFE TIME
“As we stepped onto snow for the first time in our lives and watched the sun rise over a vast blanket of white we knew that this trip was going to be a once in a lifetime experience for us all. “
“Our journey to the Arctic started long before the 30 hour trip from Chennai to Churchill. As part of the challenge we logged over 200 hours of voluntary work to support WWF India's 'Save the Tiger' campaign. Contacting people from across the country we worked to raise awareness of the critical state of our iconic national animal. The response was fantastic with over US $9,000 raised for the campaign.”
“Seeing first-hand the changing landscape of the Arctic and the plight of the polar bear has transformed the way I think. In such an extreme and fragile environment you get an appreciation of the impacts of our actions and how they are affecting the natural habitat of wildlife and ecosystems in other corners of the world. It showed how everything we do is inter-linked and inter-dependent”
Prashant Singh, Vice President & Head Retail (South) & Agency, India