Learn More
11Human Capital, Diversity & Inclusion
Our strength lies in our people, and we proactively support each employee’s well-being and development.
Our Board receives periodic updates on employee satisfaction and concerns and interacts with employees at all levels of our organization. We have an inclusive, team-oriented culture. All employees are treated with respect. We are committed to the long-term development of our workforce and the cultivation of our next generation of leaders.
Diversity and Inclusion
We value diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and ideas, which we believe fosters more robust discussions, stronger collaboration, and better performance. We therefore seek to attract, retain, develop and advance a diverse talent pool.
White Mountains and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers as outlined in our parent company’s Equal Opportunity Employment Policy. Under the guidelines of our Code of Business Conduct and our Employee Handbook, we are committed to cultivating a culture in which all employees are treated with respect. Our parent company Americans With Disabilities Act Policy affirms our commitment to the support of and non-discrimination against disabled employees. Our parent company Harassment and Discrimination Policy clearly outlines prohibited behaviors, complaint/investigation procedures and our non-retaliation policy. We reinforce our guidelines of professional and respectful behavior through training requirements, including sexual harassment training.
Suzanne Shank joined our Board in October 2021, fulfilling our Board’s commitment to add a racially or ethnically diverse member by the end of 2022.
White Mountains also supports diversity and inclusion through our parent company community engagement. We align a portion of our charitable giving to high-quality organizations focused on these issues. For more information about our community engagement, please click here.
Working at White Mountains
At our parent company, we maintain several policies and programs to support human capital development and employee well-being. Our Board is actively involved in these human capital development efforts.
Below are some of the key ways in which we support our people. Our Employee Handbook serves as a resource to employees as they navigate these resources and others.
- Benefits. White Mountains offers employees a generous benefits package, including a selection of health insurance benefits, dental and vision plans, FSA/HSA, life/AD&D insurance as well as short- and long-term disability insurance. We also provide employees and their household members with free access to our Employee Assistance Program, which can address a wide range of personal, family and workplace concerns.
- Time off and leave. White Mountains generous and flexible policies with respect to maternity, paternity, adoption personal leave and flexible time off.
- Training and skill development. The ongoing training and development of our employees is a key priority for White Mountains. We organize periodic training programs to enhance our team’s hard skills, soft skills and institutional knowledge. Our mentoring program encourages new relationships and additional career support opportunities among our employees. Through our Education Assistance Policy, we offer funding for the professional development of our employees, so that they can maintain and improve job-related skills.
- COVID-19 response. Throughout the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to the health and safety of our employees and their families has been our guiding priority. To support our employees during this time, we expanded and encouraged remote work, introduced protocols and practices that emphasized employee well-being, regularly solicited feedback from our employees and significantly increased senior leadership communication. We have codified our policies in the COVID-19 Addendum to our Employee Handbook.
Compensation
We structure our compensation programs to create close alignment with our shareholders’ interests, while continuing to attract and retain talented employees to execute on our strategy and create long-term value. Our compensation policies are designed with the primary goal of maximizing shareholder value over long periods of time. We believe that this goal is best pursued by utilizing a pay-for-performance program that closely aligns the financial interests of our team with those of our shareholders while rewarding appropriate risk taking. We accomplish this goal by emphasizing variable long-term compensation, the value of which is tied to performance over a number of years, rather than fixed entitlements. Our senior executive and Board compensation practices are detailed in our Proxy Statement. In addition, employees at all levels of our parent company have a significant variable component to their compensation, including equity or equity-like incentives that are tied to long-term performance.