Rainbow Tick recognises travel insurer’s inclusive and diverse culture
New Zealand’s Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) has been awarded the Rainbow Tick, recognising the travel insurer’s commitment to providing an inclusive and progressive workplace
The Rainbow Tick is awarded to organisations that have demonstrated that they are a safe and welcoming place for people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. The term ‘rainbow’ encompasses people who are LGBTTQIA+, which includes, but is not limited to, those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, takatāpui, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual.
As part of the Rainbow Tick accreditation process, organisations must complete a Diversity & Inclusion assessment process, which tests whether a workplace understands and welcomes sexual and gender diversity and involves ongoing quality improvement to maintain the accreditation.
SCTI Head of Operations Wayne Carter-Stuart has been a driving force during the process and says he’s proud to work for an organisation that values diversity and openness. “The Rainbow Tick also signals to our customers that we understand the complexities they may face when they travel to certain parts of the world. They know we’re going to recognise their partnerships and that they can be their true selves with us. Being able to trust a business with very personal information is really important when it comes to travel insurance, especially in times of need,” he said.
Feeling safe at work
Reflecting on his own experience since moving to New Zealand with his Kiwi husband more than a decade ago, Carter-Stuart said SCTI has always fostered a safe, inclusive culture for LGBTTQIA+ employees. “I’ve been comfortable working at SCTI since day one – I can be myself. I know from personal experience that it takes a lot of energy to pretend to be someone else, so it makes a massive difference if you don’t feel like you need to do that at work.”
SCTI CEO Jo McCauley said Rainbow Tick accreditation reflects the value that SCTI places on diversity and inclusion. “The process of achieving accreditation has been a valuable journey for us to go on,” she said. “Our team has told us that the culture at SCTI is like a family and it’s incredibly important to us that our employees feel supported and safe at work.”
SCTI joins Southern Cross Health Society as the entities within the Southern Cross group to have achieved the Rainbow Tick, with Southern Cross Healthcare currently progressing on this journey as well.