Great colleagues and benefits, but culture has declined - Information Technology Beazley Group Employee Review

Fantastic colleagues. I worked at Beazley for 10 years and for much of that time I genuinely believed it was one of the best employers in the insurance market. The people were fantastic, there was a real sense of community, the benefits were excellent, and the company culture made you feel valued. I was proud to work there and would have recommended it to anyone. Unfortunately, the company I joined is not the company I left. The biggest disappointment wasn’t being made redundant—it was watching the culture slowly disappear over the last few years. The appointment of a new COO marked a noticeable shift in priorities. The business increasingly felt driven by restructuring, outsourcing, efficiency and preparing for sale rather than investing in its people. The outsourcing of approximately 90% of the IT department to Infosys was devastating for many loyal employees. Just one week later, Zurich’s acquisition of Beazley was announced. Considering Zurich also uses Infosys extensively, it’s difficult not to question how long these plans had been in motion. What frustrated me most was the complete disconnect between the company’s messaging and reality. The department now called “People & Culture” felt anything but. Every difficult question was answered with generic corporate statements and carefully scripted responses. There was little empathy, little transparency and almost no acknowledgement of the personal impact these decisions had on long-serving employees. It felt automated, rehearsed and transactional rather than human. Career progression also became increasingly difficult. Unless someone left or you happened to be in exactly the right place at the right time, opportunities felt limited. Recognition for loyalty and experience seemed to matter less than organisational restructuring. I fully appreciate that businesses need to evolve and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. Redundancies are part of corporate life. What disappointed me was that the values Beazley spoke about no longer seemed to match the actions employees experienced. It increasingly felt like profit, efficiency and shareholder value had become more important than the people who had helped build the company. I’m grateful for the friendships I made and the experience I gained. Those colleagues are what made Beazley such a great place to work for so many years. Sadly, I don’t believe that culture exists anymore. Great benefits and flexible working. Modern offices and good working environment. Plenty of opportunities to learn. A genuinely brilliant company… once.