At Aegon, we recognize that our workforce is made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds. We want everyone to feel that they can bring their authentic self to work without fear of judgment or discrimination.
Our inclusion & diversity approach is designed to support and enrich our culture, encourage employee participation, improve organizational effectiveness and strengthen understanding of our customers' values. This approach also supports the Code of Conduct by raising awareness of our unconscious biases within a global training program and by encouraging personal accountability for making the workplace more inclusive.
In 2021, we held Strategic People Discussions centered on ensuring inclusion and diversity within our talent pipeline, with a focus on underrepresented and young talents. These conversations have created opportunities for aspiring leaders to participate in mentorship programs,, stretch assignments, group development programs, and conversations with Management Board members to raise their profiles.
Alongside diversity and equality, improving openness and inclusion is a priority across Aegon. We have updated how we measure these elements in Aegon's Global Employee Survey to enable more targeted interventions and track our progress. The 2021 survey included additional questions exploring whether people feel comfortable speaking up and being their authentic selves, along with openness about learning from mistakes.
In 2022, Aegon will appoint a Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity to support the development of our inclusion and diversity strategy across the following three pillars:
- Workplace – moving from awareness of unconscious bias to helping people adopt conscious inclusion.
2. Workforce – leveraging diversity data to understand the current context, deliver impactful interventions,
and track progress.
3. Marketplace – assessing our current level of maturity on inclusion and diversity – including how we compare with
relevant peers – and determining our level of ambition and how to achieve it.
Furthermore, Aegon's new Diversity Policy is intended to address the legal requirements of the ‘Diversity at the Top Act’, effective from January 1, 2022, to improve the designed gender balance in listed and large Dutch-owned companies. We will also continue to include a non-financial performance indicator for Management Board members regarding gender diversity in all senior management positions.
"I believe including multiple and diverse perspectives is critical. This makes debates richer and it leads to better decisions. I want people from all walks of life to feel included at Aegon."
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