AXA UK and Brokerbility Academy offer management training for broker leaders

Insurer AXA UK has partnered with the Brokerbility Academy, part of the independent broker network group Brokerbility, to provide management training for broker team leaders.

The residential seminars, which focus on both prevention and intervention, target topical team issues, for example misconduct and harassment. This includes information around tackling potential #MeToo investigations.

The sessions, available for Brokerbility’s members, are facilitated by members of the AXA Broker Development team as well as the Brokerbility Learning and Development department.

Training

The first prevention-centric seminar was held in December 2019 and was led by Van der Laan Management Consultants. The session aimed to explain how good managers communicate, how to set clear, measurable objectives and how to empower and delegate within teams. The seminar further showed brokers how to benchmark their team’s existing culture.

The second seminar, due to take place in February this year, will have an intervention focus. Led by law firm rradar, the session has been designed to build team leader confidence and will explain how broker leaders can approach issues such as poor performance, absenteeism, grievances, complaints and conflicts. Rradar will further advise on how brokers can tackle bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Knowledge sharing

This training provision could not be more timely; Lloyd’s of London, for example, confessed in September last year that 500 individuals in the market have witnessed sexual harassment. Its culture survey, which polled 6,000 staff, also found that 22% of respondents have seen people within their organisation turn a blind eye to inappropriate behaviour.

Ken Wright, head of broker development at AXA Commercial Lines, said: “We are proud to help our broker partners develop their people. The training programme was co-created throughout with Brokerbility, who listened to the needs of their members and had a real desire to respond.

“It delivers the knowledge sharing in two distinct parts, with an initial focus on the building blocks for good team leadership and then on practical legal insight should an issue be tackled. Both seminars support the cultural change at hand in our sector, to make it more inclusive.”

Ian Stutz, managing director at Brokerbility, added: “In the spirit of true partnership, the AXA and Brokerbility teams worked well together to produce this bespoke programme.

“Our independent broker members really value this investment in their employees’ professional and personal development.”