Social responsibility and communities

We want to build teams that are as diverse as the customers and communities we serve and create an environment where all our people can thrive.

We are committed to equality of opportunity. We recruit and promote people only on merit, regardless of race, gender, religion, marital status, sexuality, disability, nationality, socio-economic background or age. Hiscox complies with all relevant employment regulations of the countries where we operate.

Our policies differ by country. Here you’ll find our parental leave policies (maternity, paternity, parental leave and adoption leave) across the Group.

For us, diversity is ensuring that we have employees with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. This brings diversity of thought, which is vital at every level of the business including at Board level.

Robert Hiscox saw a need for high-value items to be treated with specialist care and developed the first fine art account at Lloyd’s in 1967. Since then Hiscox has insured, collected and encouraged art around the globe. In 2016, Hiscox led a new US$1 billion capacity consortium to streamline the process of placing large fine art risks within Lloyd’s.

In the 1970s, after a series of high-profile incidents, kidnap became a real danger for public figures and prominent business people, and the demand for insurance grew. Since then, Hiscox has become the world’s leading insurer for corporate protection, Hiscox covers individuals and companies against a wide range of security threats including threats to kill, injure, abduct or to damage property; illegal detention; and hijack – working in partnership with Control Risks, the leading global risk consultancy.

The threat of international terrorism and the potentially devastating consequences of indiscriminate violence present new challenges for businesses worldwide. In response to the diverse nature of military conflicts across the world, Hiscox developed a war, terrorism and political violence (WTPV) policy to protect against losses of physical damage and business interruption directly caused by acts of war, terrorism, sabotage and hostilities of a warlike nature, even if a war has not been declared.

Hiscox launched the first ever catastrophe bond transaction at Lloyd’s, Agatha Re, providing Hiscox Syndicate 33 with a new source of catastrophe reinsurance protection for earthquake events in the USA. This innovation led to many more in the market allowing Lloyd’s to offer more protection to those living in catastrophe prone locations.

As the world wide web boomed, Hiscox launched a standalone product for businesses who had embraced online trading in 1999. Since then, we’ve made it our business to cover the fast moving world of technology risks. Most recently, Hiscox has launched a CyberClear Academy, designed to help customers worldwide mitigate and manage their cyber risks.

Through our participation in the UK’s Flood Re scheme and our US FloodPlus product, we’re now protecting more homeowners at risk of flooding who otherwise would have had no cover or not enough cover.

In 2011, Hiscox was the first insurer to provide cover direct to US small business owners. Focusing on an under-served segment, micro businesses and start-ups, Hiscox offers fast and comprehensive cover online or over the phone.