Best Insurance Companies to Work for in the UK | Top Insurance Employers

Making the first move

In the current market, the best insurance companies to work for in the UK are those that are thinking several moves ahead of their people, not reacting when it’s already too late.

That’s the clear message from Gary Nation, group business development director at specialist recruiter NRG, who spends his days speaking to UK insurance talent about what really makes a top employer in 2026.

“For candidates, company reputation still matters hugely,” he says. “If they’ve heard of the company and it has a good reputation, it makes it easier for us to sell the role.”

But brand alone is no longer enough. Ambitious professionals want to feel they’re “not just necessarily a number” in a business that’s “small enough to care, but big enough to cope” and, ideally, one that’s on a growth journey they can grow with as well.

Stability and flexibility are now hygiene factors. With many CEOs “just trying to ride through 2026 and then work on the growth for 2027,” financial resilience is under close scrutiny. Hybrid working has gone from novelty to non-negotiable. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Nation says, it has been “the biggest change for any sector, especially insurance,” and top employers are now far more comfortable offering real flexibility rather than token policies.

The strongest performers are also leveraging benefits. External investment is enabling richer packages that go beyond salary to long-term value: share options, LTIPs and genuinely meaningful bonus schemes. These give employers powerful retention tools and employees “the opportunity to earn a great nice little pension or nest egg in the future”. Guaranteed commission and even “golden handshakes” are emerging as differentiators for producers who are stuck behind restrictive covenants.

Yet, many insurers are still losing the war for talent for a simple, avoidable reason: they recognise value too late. Nation sees a recurring pattern where employers only match market pay when a competitor has already made an offer. By then, trust has frayed. “They should be recognising that before it gets to this stage,” he warns.

Finally, diversity, equity and inclusion is now a frontline test of employer quality. The organisations that stand out treat DEI as “a core business priority, not just a tick-box exercise,” backing it up with blind recruitment, diverse panels, transparent pay reporting and structured mentoring for underrepresented groups.

In a cooler market, the best UK insurance employers aren’t easing off, they’re using this moment to sharpen their reputation, their rewards and their culture.

Insurance Business UK invited organisations to participate by filling out an employer form, then employees from the nominated companies completed an anonymous form, and the winners were crowned Top Insurance Employers 2026.

Insights from IBUK’s data


For much of the past five years, the UK insurance market has told a familiar story about talent: hybrid working, wellbeing and culture were the headline attractions. But a closer reading of the Top Insurance Employers' benefits data from 2021 to 2026 shows the narrative evolving. Flexibility still matters significantly, but in 2026, the real contest for top performers is being fought on financial ground.

Across 2021–26, the scores show three clear tiers of benefits in the UK insurance market:

  • Top tier (around 4.4–4.7): bonus/incentive programs, retirement plans and flexible work options
     

  • Solid core tier (roughly 3.9–4.3): medical and life cover, paid leave, recognition schemes, performance reviews, wellness, long-term care and team building
     

  • Emerging/purpose-led tier (mid-3s): DEI, green programs, volunteering, sabbaticals and community support 
     

1. Financial security is king, but satisfaction is softening.


Bonus/incentive programs and retirement plans stay at the top of the table in every year, but each dips slightly from 2025 to 2026 (bonuses -0.03, pensions -0.08). This result suggests UK insurance employees still see these benefits as critical but are a little less satisfied with what they’re getting.

2. Flexible working has gone from differentiator to hygiene factor.


Flexible work options remain very highly rated (around 4.5 across the period) but ease back slightly between 2024 and 2026. This finding suggests hybrid is still valued but no longer a novelty that boosts satisfaction every year.

3. Core protection and leave benefits are steady, not standout.


Medical cover, life insurance, generous paid leave and wellness programs all sit in the low-to-mid-4s and are remarkably stable from 2021 to 2026 (changes mostly within ±0.1). This pattern suggests:

  • Most UK insurers now offer competitive “core” packages in line with the broader financial services market.
     

  • These benefits are no longer doing much to differentiate employers – they are expected. 
     

Financial benefits: high scores, gentle slide


Bonuses and pensions are consistently the most valued offerings on the table, yet they edge downwards from 2025 to 2026: bonus programs fall by 0.03, retirement plans by 0.08. Flexible work options also dip slightly, despite remaining one of the most highly rated factors.

Those are small shifts, but they are telling. They point to a workforce that still prizes financial security and flexibility above all else but is slightly less satisfied with what’s on the table.

That makes sense in the current macro environment. The UK’s cost-of-living squeeze, higher mortgage costs and ongoing tax changes have pushed insurance professionals to scrutinise total reward more closely. Base salary alone is no longer enough; employees are asking if bonus schemes truly reward performance, whether pension contributions will genuinely support retirement and how resilient those packages are if trading conditions worsen.

At the same time, insurers are facing significant pressures of their own. Capital requirements, elevated reinsurance costs and a more volatile claims environment have tightened margins. Boards have to protect profitability while still competing for scarce underwriting, broking and data science talent. The easiest lever is often to hold benefits broadly steady rather than upgrade them year after year, which is exactly what the scores reflect.

The result is a delicate paradox: financial benefits remain king, but expectations are rising faster than employers’ room for manoeuvre.

Hybrid working: from USP to “must have”


The data also tracks the life cycle of hybrid work as an employee value proposition. In the immediate post-pandemic period, flexible arrangements shot up the priority list. By 2024, flexible work options were among the highest-rated benefits on the table.

But from that point on, the line flattens and then nudges down. The message is clear: flexibility is now baked into the operating model of most UK insurance organisations. For many roles, particularly in broking, claims and central functions, two or three days a week at home is standard. Employees still value it enormously, but they no longer see it as a differentiator. It’s an expectation.

For employers, that raises the bar. What matters now is less “Do you offer hybrid?” and more “How does hybrid actually work?” in terms of workload, collaboration, training and career progression. In a people business like insurance, where relationships and tacit knowledge matter so much, the firms that will stand out in the next phase are those that blend flexibility with deliberate investment in mentoring, team cohesion and client engagement.

Core protection: strong but commoditised


Medical coverage, life insurance, generous paid leave, performance reviews and wellness programs all sit solidly in the low-to-mid-4s across the five-year period, with only modest variation. That stability suggests most UK insurance employers have reached a competitive equilibrium on traditional benefits.

In practice, this means two things. First, insurers have largely delivered on the basics: staff expect decent health and risk cover and, by and large, they get it. Second, these benefits are no longer doing the heavy lifting when it comes to attraction and retention. It is difficult for a carrier or broker to distinguish itself simply by offering another fraction of cover or an extra day off when the market standard is already strong.

These conditions are pushing more sophisticated employers to look at how these core benefits can be packaged and communicated as part of a broader financial wellbeing story – for example, integrating medical, income protection and retirement planning so that employees see a joined-up safety net rather than a list of disconnected policies.

DEI, ESG and community: important, but still mid-tier


The lower part of the table tracks the rise – and recent plateau – of purpose-driven benefits.

From 2021 to 2024, scores for diversity and inclusion initiatives, green and sustainable business programs, company support for charities, volunteering time and even sabbaticals all climb steadily. That improvement reflects the UK market’s concerted push on culture and ESG, under pressure from regulators, investors and employees alike.

By 2026, though, many of these measures level off or tick slightly down. The most plausible explanation is not that DEI and sustainability have fallen out of favour, but that they have moved from high-profile change projects into the business-as-usual background. Employees notice when these areas are ignored; they are less likely to award ever-higher scores simply for maintenance.

The scores also show that, when forced to prioritise, insurance professionals still rank pay, pensions, healthcare and flexibility above more altruistic perks. Purpose matters – particularly for younger and underrepresented talent – but in a sector that trades on risk and return, financial fairness and security remain the first tests of a “good” employer.

Best Insurance Companies to work for

in the UK 

 


In a fiercely competitive specialty market, Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM) is leaning hard into one simple idea: if you look after your people, they’ll look after your clients. The result is a benefits and culture package that feels more like a long-term partnership than a paycheque.

Standout benefits: from extra holiday to fully paid health cover


LSM starts with time – and plenty of it. Annual leave begins at 25 days and increases by one day a year up to a maximum of 30, giving long-tenured staff a clear signal that loyalty is rewarded.

Wellbeing is treated as a serious investment. Employees receive a company-paid health screening every two years and access to a dedicated wellbeing fund worth £660 per full-time employee, alongside financial education, a mental health app and an employee assistance program.

On healthcare, LSM goes further than many peers by paying 100% of the medical and dental premium for employees and their immediate families. That’s a significant differentiator in a UK insurance market where benefit costs have been rising sharply.
 

 
“Culture remains a standing agenda item at board level, with bi‑annual reporting on cultural health and progress against High-Performance Culture objectives. This governance ensures accountability at every level and keeps the colleague experience firmly in focus”
Luke StevensonLiberty Specialty Group


The support extends into everyday life with:

  • employer-funded emergency childcare and eldercare
     

  • retail discounts
     

  • specialist apps such as Peppy, which offers fertility, menopause, early parenthood and men’s health support 
     

  • ability of staff to add voluntary benefits, ranging from green cars and cycle schemes to critical illness cover and workplace ISAs

Reward isn’t just about pay. All permanent staff are eligible for the company bonus plan, with metrics balancing individual and organisational performance. Day-to-day recognition is reinforced through Shine, a peer-nomination platform where colleagues award “Shine Points” redeemable for vouchers and gifts – a simple way to celebrate wins in real time.

A deliberate push for inclusion and social mobility


The firm’s High‑Performance Culture (HPC) is fundamentally anchored in an Integrated Business Unit (IBU) model. Within this structure, colleagues from underwriting, claims, operations, actuarial and portfolio management come together as one cohesive team. By design, the IBU model breaks down silos and fosters a deeply collaborative environment where diverse expertise is leveraged to drive stronger, more sustainable business outcomes.   

As part of the IBU, no single individual or function is viewed as superior to another. Instead, each perspective is valued equally, and success is defined by a collective ability to make informed decisions, share accountability and challenge one another constructively. 

LSM is also working to change who sees insurance as a viable career. The company has introduced a minimum shortlist requirement for female talent on all middle management roles, helping to hardwire gender balance into succession pipelines. It also partners with the Thomas Pocklington Trust to actively recruit candidates with disabilities, bringing more lived experience into the organisation.

Internally, a dedicated women’s development program, Springboard, is designed to “develop people and transform lives,” taking a holistic, women-created approach to progression.

Beyond gender, LSM has built out seven “Inclusion Matters” networks covering gender, health and wellbeing, cultural awareness, pride, family and caring, disability and veterans. These networks run year-round events and create communities across offices. The company has also seen organically formed support groups emerge for menopause, carers, returners and new parents, giving colleagues safe spaces for candid conversations.

On social mobility, Liberty partners with organisations, such as The Brokerage and the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, to open the market to young people who might never have considered insurance. Staff volunteer at events including “We Can Be,” bootcamps and masterclasses, as well as mentoring and work experience programs.

Career development: structured learning for specialists and leaders


For a sector where expertise is everything, LSM’s learning offering is notably comprehensive. All employees receive LinkedIn Learning licences, with curated learning pathways focused on core skills such as communication, time management and change leadership.

“We use a range of listening channels to understand how colleagues feel about the workplace, including our regular employee experience survey, the Lloyd’s Culture Survey, and targeted listening sessions,” says Luke Stevenson, head of HR – UK, MENA and Europe. “Leaders also hold regular check‑ins, including growth conversations to gather deeper qualitative insights on employee perspectives.” 

There is a mentoring platform open to everyone, coaching for leaders, and a full annual training schedule aligned to the firm’s talent priorities. Underwriters benefit from a dedicated Underwriting Learning Centre, while professional qualifications are actively supported and high-potential staff can access bespoke development programs. 

In 2025, Liberty launched its Sponsorship & Development Program following in‑depth conversations with ethnic minority colleagues about their career experiences. The six‑month pilot combines leadership development, personalised coaching and structured sponsorship. With seven participants and seven senior leader sponsors, early feedback has been highly positive. Following the full evaluation in May, the firm plans to expand the program in late 2026 to strengthen equitable access to development and build a more diverse future leadership pipeline. 

CSR and hybrid working: living the values


Liberty’s corporate social responsibility agenda is anchored in a clear goal: “Improving Lives and Communities,” built around themes such as advancing security, furthering opportunity, improving health and wellbeing, and building strong communities. The program blends volunteering, donations and fundraising, with a focus on charities that deliver long-term, sustainable impact.

On working patterns, LSM’s “Best of Both” initiative aims to balance performance and flexibility by combining the benefits of remote and office work. There are no rigid mandated office days; instead, teams agree on what works best within values-led principles such as “be open,” “act responsibly” and “put people first”. In practice, many teams have settled around two to three days a week in the office, giving staff meaningful flexibility without losing the collaboration that specialty business relies on.

For UK insurance professionals weighing their next move, this combination of rich benefits, proactive inclusion, serious development and grown-up flexibility makes LSM stand out as an employer that is clearly playing the long game with its people.

Sedgwick: adjusting careers on growth,

not grind

 

Sedgwick takes a deliberate route to standing out: hardwiring learning, recognition and inclusion into the day-to-day experience of its UK colleagues.

“Our culture focuses on every colleague feeling seen, we focus on developing skills, offering clear career pathways and encouraging internal progression,” says Vicki Cowell, head of CR. 

Rather than treating development or DEI as side projects, the firm has built an ecosystem – from Sedgwick University to colleague resource groups and a global recognition platform – that makes career progression and belonging feel tangible, not theoretical.

Sedgwick University: a full-scale learning ecosystem


The anchor is Sedgwick University, the company’s dedicated training platform. It brings together “our comprehensive training and development offerings and forms the foundation of our culture of learning and growth.”

Colleagues get access to thousands of online courses, audiobooks, eBooks, reports and skills benchmarks, plus leadership development tracks and even AI tools to practise difficult conversations in a safe space.

That learning culture is reinforced through an annual Growth Week, a company-wide festival of keynotes, skills sessions and tech-focused workshops. The most recent edition zeroed in on “leadership, skills and technology,” with UK-specific sessions on psychological safety, GenAI and leadership empowerment attracting more than 200 local colleagues.
 

Vicki Cowell
“Our managers are encouraged to maintain real connection, creating space for honest, day‑to‑day conversations”
Vicki CowellSedgwick International



Beyond the flagship week, Sedgwick offers over 800 unique courses aimed at both technical and personal skills, backed by a Leadership Academy and “leadership circles” where frontline leaders swap real-world experiences in small groups.

The commitment runs deep into professional accreditation. The firm fully sponsors membership of recognised institutes and exam fees, and has relaunched CILA study groups, with 98 colleagues currently taking part.

Early career talent is brought through structured apprenticeship and graduate schemes, rotational placements and exam support – part of a “multi-tiered approach” designed to develop people from trainees to experts in major and complex loss handling. A company-wide career framework shows colleagues exactly “where they are currently levelled and how they can progress internally,” contributing to 160 UK promotions in the last year and a 3.6% reduction in turnover. On average, 250 colleagues secure internal promotion opportunities, showcasing the facility to build long-term careers.

In a sector where many firms still rely on informal sponsorship, that level of structure and transparency is a clear differentiator.

CRGs and DEI: belonging with real infrastructure


Sedgwick’s inclusion agenda is built around a growing network of colleague resource groups (CRGs) – “global colleague-led business groups that raise awareness of DEI, foster engagement and build a sense of belonging”.

The program began with a Women’s CRG and has expanded to early careers, Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, veteran and military, and disability and neurodiversity communities across 2023 and 2024. These groups don’t just run awareness days – they drive mentoring initiatives, coffee catch-ups, thought leadership sessions and sponsored events that colleagues can plug into throughout the year.

CRGs also shape the firm’s corporate giving, selecting causes and campaigns that align with their principles and providing development opportunities for members who step into leadership roles.

On the training side, Sedgwick has made two global DEI courses mandatory for all colleagues – a core overview and unconscious bias module – and complements these in the UK with an “Equality for All” course, vulnerable customer training and neurodiversity awareness for colleagues and leaders. A global DEI council and advisory board, linked into a UK ESG board, keeps the strategy moving.

For an industry still working to broaden its talent pool, that infrastructure sends a strong message about who Sedgwick wants at the table – and how it plans to keep them there.

Team members are encouraged to use an annual volunteering day to support causes that matter to them, and for the past seven years, the firm’s UK charity partnership has been with Alzheimer’s Society. Through fundraising events, office activities and colleague‑led initiatives, Sedgwick's teams have collectively raised awareness and support for the charity, strengthening both community impact and colleague connection. 

Recognition, incentives and the “Flexible First” mindset


On reward, Sedgwick combines structured incentives with everyday appreciation. Eligible colleagues are in either a productivity-based scheme for fee producers or a Structured Incentive Performance Productivity plan that links payouts to personal and business performance, introduced to create “more transparent opportunities”.

Recognition runs through Props, the firm’s global rewards platform. Colleagues and leaders can give “instant recognition” to anyone living Sedgwick’s values, earning points to redeem on merchandise or retail vouchers. Service anniversaries trigger extra points and milestone cash awards at 10-year intervals.

This sits alongside quarterly “values in action” awards and a year-end celebration for winners, plus a recruitment bounty scheme that rewards existing colleagues for bringing in new talent.

Culture is reinforced through a “Flexible First” network in the offices, championed by colleagues and focused on helping teams stay connected, collaborate and volunteer together. Managers are encouraged to run teambuilding and social activities, often tied to ESG initiatives, and everyone gets one paid volunteering day a year.

“Our 'Flexible First' approach combines office connection with the flexibility of balancing colleagues' personal demands. These changes have helped colleagues feel valued, supported and able to balance performance with wellbeing by making work more sustainable and rewarding,” comments Cowell. 

Psychological safety is another recurring theme, with awareness sessions aimed at creating an environment where colleagues “feel respected, valued and heard” and are comfortable speaking up.  

From onboarding to industry awards


Sedgwick’s approach begins on day one. New starters follow a tailored induction path via Workday, complete mandatory regulatory training and join virtual coffee mornings with senior leaders. Onboarding pulse surveys at day one, week one, month one, 90 days and year one feed continuous improvements.

The model is getting noticed. Development programs have picked up a Gold Award for Excellence in Professional Development – Service Provider at the 2024 Insurance Times Awards and a Best Employer title at the 2024 British Claims Awards. More than 300 colleagues are enrolled in development programs this year alone.

For UK insurance professionals, particularly in loss adjusting and claims, the message is clear: Sedgwick isn’t just offering a job. It is offering a structured, supported career – with the learning infrastructure, inclusive networks and recognition culture to back that promise up.


DUAL UK stands out for making serious long-term investments in people, backed by tangible benefits and a strong inclusion agenda rather than slogans.

“We are constantly striving to maintain a workplace where expertise is celebrated, learning is encouraged and colleagues are supported to grow with confidence,” says head of HR, Rebecca Bramley. 

Long-term financial security with real skin in the game


DUAL’s retirement offering goes beyond the statutory minimum. Employees are auto-enrolled with a 3% contribution that the company doubles with 6%; those who choose to pay 5% receive a 10% employer contribution. That’s a powerful signal in an environment where many insurance professionals are re-evaluating their long-term financial security.

Support doesn’t stop at the payslip. DUAL offers retirement planning coaching through its outplacement provider, helping colleagues think practically about life after work and how to make the most of the generous scheme.

Loyalty is rewarded in a similarly concrete way. Every five years, colleagues can access a package of shares, experience vouchers, extra annual leave or – at the 10-year mark – a fully paid one-month sabbatical, with the value increasing at each subsequent milestone. This is backed by the groupwide Howden Awards and a new DUAL UK specific awards program to spotlight outstanding people.
 

Rebecca Bramley
“We place strong emphasis on ongoing, informal feedback. Line managers play a key role through regular team conversations, while senior leaders engage directly with colleagues at networking events and ensure they are visible and accessible to colleagues across the business”
Rebecca BramleyDUAL UK

 

Family-friendly policies that match the rhetoric


Parental support is a genuine standout. DUAL UK offers 26 weeks’ maternity leave on full pay, plus four weeks’ paternity leave on full pay before statutory pay kicks in. This is coupled with BetterUp coaching for parents returning from maternity and paternity leave, recognising the transition back to work as a career moment that deserves structured support rather than improvisation.

Parental policies are explicitly flagged as one of the company’s top programs, blending financial backing with coaching so new parents don’t feel they have to choose between progression and family life.

Health, wellbeing and modern flexibility


On wellbeing, DUAL offers a broad suite: private healthcare, fitness benefits, an employee assistance program, a cycle-to-work scheme, the Thrive mental health app and digital GP services.

Volunteering is also baked in. Colleagues receive two days’ paid leave each year to support local communities, with an enhanced “group giving” initiative where the company matches contributions.

Flexibility is handled in a grown-up way. Rather than hardcoding strict office rules, managers are “empowered … to determine their own ways of working” with their teams and clients while using agreed anchor days to maintain in-person connection.

A credible inclusion story – from the Lloyd’s market outward


DUAL’s inclusion credentials are not window dressing. The business is a founding member of the Lloyd’s Inclusive Futures Coalition and a sponsor of the Dive In Festival, signalling a commitment to systemic change across the market.

Internally, job descriptions use gender-neutral language, head-office facilities include gender-neutral toilets, and the firm partners with The Prince’s Trust on a “Get Into Insurance” program to attract young people from less traditional backgrounds.

A network of RESPECT employee resource groups underpins the culture, covering health and wellbeing, parents at work, LGBTQ+ and allies, multiculturalism, disability, women’s health, gender balance and behaviours. These groups are more than internal clubs: one member recently reached the finals of the Women in Insurance Awards (Contribution to Inclusion) for her work with the Parents at Work ERG, underlining the external impact of the program.

The firm is also piloting the Howden Pioneer Program, an early careers route designed to bring school leavers, graduates and “second jobbers” from different industries into DUAL, broadening the pipeline for specialist underwriting and support roles.

DUAL also holds annual group-wide people surveys and, in addition, ran a pulse survey last year to give colleagues a timely, anonymous way to share honest feedback as the business feels the need to adapt and listen more regularly. The pulse survey enabled a real-time snapshot of engagement, wellbeing and sentiment, and to identify areas where things were working well, as well as where further focus or improvement was needed 

Learning, mobility and professional backing


For technical business-like underwriting, DUAL’s investment in skills is another key differentiator. Colleagues can access mentoring, Workday Learning, management essentials workshops and LinkedIn Learning, along with global mobility options across the wider Howden Group. A new Mentorloop pilot is enhancing the mentoring program by making matching and tracking more structured.

Professional study is actively supported: financial backing is available for membership, exams, course fees and study materials for institutes such as the CII, ACCA and CIPD, plus up to eight fully paid study days and an extra half day to sit exams.

For ambitious UK insurance professionals, that combination of robust pensions, family-friendly policies, modern flexibility and serious inclusion work makes DUAL UK stand out. 

AI adoption is currently being rolled out across the business, with the aim of improving efficiency and productivity. One of the key challenges is demystifying the technology and building confidence in how it can be used day to day. To support this, one of the firm's early career underwriters has been given the freedom and encouragement to experiment with AI and share his learnings with the wider business. Bramley adds, “This demonstrates that when a colleague shows curiosity or initiative, we actively support where possible and embrace the wider benefits that a fresh perspective can bring.”  

Data breakdown


Employees from across the UK insurance industry anonymously shared their preferences on benefits with IBUK on the Top Insurance Employers 2026.

Below, the results are analysed by age and tenure.

🩺Health and protection benefits climb steadily with age.
Medical, dental, vision, long-term care, life and disability coverage all show clear upward trends from the 18–29 group into the 40s and 50s, with the 60+ cohort typically giving the highest or close to highest scores. This suggests older insurance staff place increasing value on risk transfer and health security as responsibilities and health needs grow.

🧓Retirement plans matter more the closer people get to retirement.
Ratings for retirement plans rise sharply from the 20s into the 50–59 band (the peak), before easing back slightly at 60+. The data implies that saving for retirement becomes progressively more important through mid-career, especially for employees in their 40s and 50s who are most focused on adequacy of pension provision.

💰Bonuses and incentives peak mid-career, then lose relative importance.
Scores are highest for the 30–49 cohorts and start to drop in the 50s and 60s. Younger and mid-career professionals are more driven by variable reward and earnings growth, while older staff appear to weight stability and core benefits more heavily.

🎒Younger staff value “experience” benefits more than older employees do.
Sabbaticals, generous paid leave, team building and social activities all score highest with the 18–29 group and decline with age. Early career employees are more attracted to time-rich and social perks, whereas older groups appear more focused on financial and health-related offerings.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-friendly benefits resonate most with 30–49-year-olds.
Ratings for parental leave and childcare-related support are clearly strongest in the 30–39 and 40–49 brackets, aligning with typical life-stage pressures around young families. The 18–29 and 60+ groups place noticeably less emphasis here.

🌟Recognition and performance management are especially valued earlier in the career journey.
Employee recognition programs and performance reviews are rated highest by 18–29-year-olds and gradually decline into later age bands. Younger professionals appear more reliant on structured feedback and visible recognition to validate progress and build their careers.

⏰Flexible working is universally important but particularly strong in mid to late career.
Scores are high across all ages, with peaks in the 40–49 and 60+ cohorts. Mid-career and older employees, who often juggle senior responsibilities with caring duties or pre-retirement lifestyle choices, seem to derive particular value from flexibility.

🌍DEI, green programs and volunteering skew younger, but have a secondary bump in the 50s.
Diversity and inclusion initiatives, sustainability programs and volunteering time off all have their highest or near highest ratings among 18–29-year-olds, dip through the 30s–40s, then often tick back up for the 50–59 group. Early career staff are highly values-driven; later career colleagues may also look for purpose and “giving back,” while mid-career employees are more focused on pay, family and flexibility.

🥗Wellness and corporate wellness programs are consistently appreciated, with younger employees showing a marginally stronger preference.
Wellness schemes (screenings, fitness, etc.) start strongly with younger workers and remain relatively stable across age bands, indicating broad appeal. The marginally higher scores among under-30s suggest they are particularly responsive to visible, lifestyle-oriented wellbeing offers.

🤲 Community/charity support is mid-tier but rises again with age.
Company support for charitable organisations and community involvement sits in the middle of the pack for all ages but tends to be rated a little higher by the youngest and the 50–59 cohort, hinting that both early career and pre-retirement employees are more engaged with employers’ wider social impact than those in the most pressurised mid-career years.

🎢New joiners (<1 year) are generally positive about most benefits, but scores often dip in the 1–3-year window (e.g., medical, long-term care, team building, charity and volunteering), suggesting a “post-honeymoon” period where expectations meet reality.

💷Core financial security benefits strengthen with tenure. Retirement plans, medical cover and disability benefits all rise from early tenure groups to peak in the 5–10 or 10+ year cohorts, indicating that longer-serving staff place growing value on pensions and protection as they commit to the organisation.

🚀 Bonuses and incentives are most prized by mid-tenure talent. Ratings for bonus/incentive programs climb from new joiners to a high point at 3–5 years, then ease back slightly for 5–10 and 10+ years, implying that mid-career employees are most reward sensitive and later-career staff shift their focus towards stability and benefits.

🔄Flexible working is valued across the board but peaks around 3–5 years. Scores are high in every tenure band, with the strongest ratings from the 3–5 and 5–10-year groups, showing that hybrid/flex options are central to retaining experienced staff, not just attracting new hires.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-friendly benefits are especially important for mid-career employees. Ratings rise from <1 to 3–5 years, then fall noticeably at 5–10 years before recovering in the 10+ group, consistent with caring pressures being most acute in the mid-tenure, mid-career phase.

🌟Recognition and performance management dip in the middle then recover. Employee recognition programs and performance reviews are rated highly by new joiners, fall back in the 1–3 and 3–5-year groups, and improve again for 10+ years, hinting that mid-tenure staff may feel under-recognised compared with both new hires and longstanding colleagues.

🎉“Experience” benefits lose appeal with time in seat. Sabbaticals, generous paid leave, teambuilding, charity support and volunteering days are typically strongest for <1 or 3–5-year staff and weaker for the 5–10 and 10+ cohorts, suggesting that longer-tenure employees are more focused on core pay and security than on experiential or discretionary perks.

🌍DEI and sustainability resonate most with newer colleagues. Diversity and inclusion programs and green/sustainable initiatives score highest among employees with under one year’s service, dip through the middle tenures, and tick up again slightly at 10+ years – pointing to stronger values driven expectations from recent hires, and a slight re-engagement among long-serving staff.


 

Best Insurance Companies to Work for in the UK | Top Insurance Employers

  • Sedgwick
  • Specialist Risk Group
  • Sutcliffe Insurance Brokers

 

Insights

As part of our editorial process, Insurance Business’ researchers interviewed the subject matter expert below for an independent analysis of this report and its findings.

 

Methodology

To find and recognise the best employers in the insurance industry, Insurance Business UK first invited organisations to participate by filling out an employer form, which asked companies to explain their various offerings and practices. Next, employees from nominated companies were asked to fill out an anonymous form evaluating their workplace on a number of metrics, including benefits, compensation, culture, employee development, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

To be considered, each organisation had to reach a minimum number of employee responses based on overall size. Organisations that achieved an 80% or greater average satisfaction rating from employees were named Top Insurance Employers for 2026.

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