Attract, Engage, Retain: Talent Solutions for the Evolving Insurance Industry Webinar

Held August 2025
Speakers: Aaron White, Team Leader, Insurance & Wealth Management and Madeline Martin, National Manager, Insurance & Wealth Management 

Guest Speaker: Benjamin Whitfield, Global Talent Acquisition Leader at Marsh McLennan. 

Fuse Recruitment’s recent webinar, Attract, Engage, Retain: Talent Solutions for the Evolving Insurance Industry, explored how candidate expectations and employee engagement are changing under the weight of a multi-generational workforce and what retention strategies are genuinely effective. Aaron White and Madeline Martin, along with special guest Benjamin Whitfield, gathered to discuss how the insurance industry must evolve to attract, engage, and retain talent in today’s shifting landscape. 

 

Current Statistics & Challenges 

SEEK data show the insurance workforce is down 7.7% year-after-year. Each filter we add, location, level of experience, role type, shrinks the candidate pool significantly. Employers must think more broadly about what “fit” means if they want to tap into more potential. With this information, Aaron White poses the question “How do you appeal to the much larger pool of passive candidates who aren’t applying but might be open to a conversation?”

Candidates are doing their homework more than ever, and their values have shifted. It’s no longer just about salary, people want alignment with values, mission, and purpose. This key shift to values alignment and autonomy now often carries as much, if not more, weight than base pay. Candidates are wanting meaning and purpose in their roles. 

 

How to Appeal to Candidates 

1. Build a strong digital footprint

Your online presence (company website, social media, employer reviews, digital content) needs to show who you are, your values, culture and mission. It helps attract people who care about more than just a pay check. 

2. Make benefits upfront

In job descriptions and interviews, clearly articulate what you offer beyond salary. Benefits such as flexibility, wellbeing support, alignment of values and growth opportunities. Transparency wins trust. 

3. Leverage employee recommendations

Word-of-mouth remains powerful. Former and current employees who are genuine brand ambassadors can sometimes be more persuasive than formal marketing.  

4. Display a strong work culture

What’s the daily experience like? How do people feel coming to work or logging in? Highlight what makes your workplace a talking point, not just what you do, but how you do it. Benjamin Whitfield strongly suggests that you “create a culture where people want to be a part of your organisation”. 

5. Show you see people as people

Acknowledging employees as individuals. Their family lives, their ambitions, their wellbeing makes a big difference. It’s more than perks; it’s respect, trust, and care. 

 

The Employee Journey: Engagement & Retention 

Employee Engagement & Retention 

Engagement is now one of the most discussed priorities in business. But its meaning differs depending on generation, role, and personal values. Some studies that we looked at show that highly engaged teams see 21% higher profitability so it’s important to look at the complete employee experience. 

Emotional Commitment 

It’s not enough for employees to do their work. They need to feel aligned with purpose, values, and company culture. When that happens, retention improves. 

Motivation: From Perks to Purpose 

Especially among younger generations, employees want deeper meaning. Perks are nice but purpose drives loyalty. Flexibility is no longer optional, it’s expected. Marsh McLennan has flexibility as one of their core attraction strategies. What matters is how flexibility is delivered as trust-based and outcome-oriented working often provide more engagement than “hours at the desk.” 

Mental health & wellbeing are top of mind as perks mean little if people are feeling burnt out and undervalued. To improve mental health and wellbeing in the workplace: 

• Normalise conversations about mental health 

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) 

• Leader training to spot burnout 

• Boundaries around out-of-hours communication 

Goal Alignment 

Often people want to grow in their roles. Learning opportunities, skills development and leadership paths can guide that growth as it’s common for employees to want their employer to invest in them. Increasingly, employees care about DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance). Organisations that take a stand tend to attract candidates who expect their employers to do so. 

Trust in Leadership 

Employees are expecting transparency around decisions and challenges cultivates trust. Wanting leadership to have authenticity, approachability, empathy. It helps for leadership to be visible not just a once-a-month email in your employee’s inboxes. 

Real Time Voice 

Employees want to be heard in real time — not just at annual reviews. They expect feedback loops and follow-through. Stay interviews (asking what keeps people here, what might make them leave) are powerful tools. They help pre-empt turnover rather than just reacting to it. 

 

Appealing to a Multigenerational Workforce 

No “one size fits all” — different generations have different needs and expectations. 

Generation	Key Characteristics & What Moves Them
Gen X	Often in senior roles. Balancing career peaks and family responsibilities. Engaged by autonomy, trust, and opportunities to lead without micromanagement. Stability, security, work life balance are highly prized.
Gen Y / Millennials	In mid-career. Seeking growth, meaning, and integration of life/work. They want workplaces aligned with values, feedback, development paths, flexibility (hybrid work, lifestyle considerations), and mental health support.
Gen Z	Early career / entering workforce. Used to digital-first communication. Expect intuitive tech, responsiveness, collaboration in digital formats. DEI, authenticity, transparency matter strongly. They look for fast, visible development, short-term wins, opportunity to make an impact early.

 

Employee Retention: What it Means & How to Keep It 

What Retention Really Means 

Engagement without retention is wasted effort. If the right people are being brought in but they leave within 12 to 18 months, you’re back to square one with lost productivity. 

The Cost of Turnover 

Turnover is expensive: time to review resumes, conduct interviews, negotiate offers, onboard new people. Loss of institutional knowledge, team disruption, lower morale. Plus, risk that new hires don’t stay long either. 

Strategies to Improve Retention 

• Offer growth and leadership opportunities. Mentor, coach, allow people to aspire to more. Marsh McLennan offers ‘anchor days’ where employees connect to gain knowledge and experience. 

• Personalised development plans. Not a generic “one path fits all,” but tailored to individuals’ goals. 

• Create skill roadmaps so employees see how they can develop and where they might go. 

• Culture matters: teams with trust, psychological safety, open communication tend to hold people. 

• Use regular feedback and stay interviews to address concerns early. 

 

The insurance industry is at a crossroads when it comes to talent. With shrinking candidate pools, shifting values, and generational differences, companies must adapt how they attract, engage, and retain people. It’s not enough to offer competitive salaries — you must offer purpose, flexibility, development, and authentic culture. Successful retention isn’t just an HR goal — it’s central to sustaining business performance and ensuring the industry’s ability to meet future challenges. 

To view the whole webinar and to listen to Benjamin Whitfield talk more about employee engagement click on the following link.