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#MyWTW: Growing up at and with Willis Towers Watson: Nichelle Daulby’s 20-year journey of personal and professional growth
Senior Director, Nichelle Daulby, shares her inspiring 20-year career journey and how Willis Towers Watson’s inclusive culture and diverse colleagues have made the company a place that she can call ‘home away from home’.
Can you tell us about your 20-year career journey at Willis Towers Watson?
I joined Willis Towers Watson 20 years ago as an actuarial analyst graduate in London. Almost five years later, in 2006, I was relocated to our expanding office in Atlanta where I joined the Health & Benefits team. Here, I coupled the move to a new country with a change in specialty. This change of scenery, both on a professional and geographical level, led me to quickly realize the value and importance of my analytical and project management skills, as we had to work on a variety of projects with clients from across the globe. Over time, this meant that I ended up frequently stepping outside of the actuarial world and was exposed to other business functions which positively impacted my personal and professional life.
In 2015, a new position was created: associate client relationship director. This is when I decided to embrace the opportunity and venture into the client management world. Six years have passed since then and I am currently a senior director within this business area. Looking back, little did I know that Willis Towers Watson was the company where I would (literally) grow up in and call home almost 20 years later.
What does it mean to be a part of Willis Towers Watson’s Multicultural Inclusion Network (MCIN)?
The MCIN is an incredible colleague-led group that relentlessly works to highlight Willis Towers Watson’s diverse teams and talent. I’m originally from Trinidad and Tobago, so being part of a network that has introduced me to colleagues with similar Caribbean backgrounds has been one of the highlights of my career. I am very proud to be part of this group as it fosters comradery, connection and inclusion which in turn makes us feel comfortable in bringing our true and best selves to work.
Why do you think it is key to have diverse leaders within an organization?
Diversity has always been the status quo for me. Growing up in Trinidad & Tobago and having a diverse ethnic background myself, I’ve been able to witness how diversity in leadership brings diversity in thought and problem solving. This is particularly important for us as a company, as we’re always looking for new ways to innovate in order to provide the best solutions to our clients’ needs.
As a leader I’m always working towards supporting diverse talent and encouraging colleagues to advance their career. That’s why I am also part of the COBALT (Creating Opportunities for Black and LatinX Talent) program and a local co-leader of the Workplace Leadership Group whose mission is to create an inclusive work environment and enhance the overall colleague experience within the company.
How have the Willis Towers Watson culture and values help you adapt to working in different locations and business areas?
Over the past 20 years, I’ve been given the opportunity to work in two different countries and continents. This has enabled me to experience Willis Towers Watson’s unwavering commitment towards delivering excellent work and supporting colleagues’ growth.
When I first moved to the United States and joined the Health & Benefits function, I didn’t have a background in this area, much less in the North America region as I had only worked in Trinidad & Tobago and London before. However, I was incredibly motivated and inspired when my fellow colleagues, managers and leaders shared their knowledge and invested time in my development. This continues to encourage me to keep stepping out of my comfort zone in order to continue growing.
Willis Towers Watson has supported me throughout the various phases of my personal life to date: as a new hire, a newlywed and a new parent working part-time for a period and then returning to full-time. Seeing how the company and my colleagues flexed around my professional growth, ambitions and changing personal circumstances throughout the years, made me realize that this is more than just a company – it is a place where individuals are equipped to become the best, most authentic version of themselves.
What has been your greatest learning or piece of advice that you have received throughout your career journey at Willis Towers Watson?
There are two things that have stayed with me: the first is to ‘be authentic’ which for me is keeping things simple. I am a firm believer that if you can’t say it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. The second is to ‘embrace change’. Embrace the opportunities that present themselves even though you may think they are outside of your comfort zone.
What advice would you give to people (or colleagues), particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, looking to progress their career?
There is a place for you here. We have numerous and incredible Inclusion Networks such as the COBALT group, the Black Colleague Connection club, the Gender Equity Network, the Women’s Leadership Development Program or ‘Out@WTW’ (which is part of our LGBT+ Inclusion Network) that will help you feel comfortable in bringing your true to self to work.
Learn more about our different roles and business areas here.
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Equal Pay, Gender Pay Gap, Fair Pay – what’s behind it?
Human Resources (HR) Services and Recruitment Lead for the Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) region, Kerstin Plag, participated in one of Dive In Festival 2020’s panel discussions: ‘Equal Pay, Gender Pay Gap, Fair Pay – What’s Behind It?’ Discover Kerstin’s insights and takeaways.
You recently participated in a panel event as part of this year’s ‘Dive In Festival’ (the festival for Diversity and Inclusion in Insurance) – what topics did you cover?
I was invited to discuss Willis Towers Watson’s approach to Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) in Germany, particularly on the topic of equal and fair pay from the following teams’ perspectives:
- Human Resources
- Leadership
- I&D Council
- International governance, which provide cross-organizational guidelines to embed fair pay best practice
- Works Council, which oversee that fair pay best practice is carried out throughout Willis Towers Watson in Germany
The discussion also focused on the 2017 fair pay law that was introduced in Germany and how the companies that participated in the panel had to adapt in order to comply with the guidelines of this law.
Why was it important to you personally to participate in the panel?
My role as the HR Services and Recruitment Lead for the DACH region requires me to be the liaison between the teams and stakeholders mentioned above, that’s why I’m involved in fair and equal pay conversations on a regular basis. However, this topic is not new for me. Throughout my professional career I’ve fought to close pay gaps that might exist between men and women, so I’ve been able to see the evolution that global companies have had in this area, particularly in Germany. For me, this panel represented an opportunity to share my insights on the evolution of equal and fair pay, especially regarding gender but of course also, race, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.
What makes you proud to work at Willis Towers Watson?
One of the things that makes me a proud Willis Towers Watson colleague is our unwavering commitment to I&D and how teams globally go above and beyond to action this commitment. For example, in Germany we implemented an infrastructure that includes processes and tools that help us focus on embedding fair pay best practice throughout the organization and across all professional levels.
How do you champion Willis Towers Watson’s values?
By always upholding Willis Towers Watson’s I&D commitment in all my HR functions and responsibilities. This has made me live our values to the fullest with a focus on:
- Promoting teamwork
- Being a client-focused colleague; HR and the business have the same overall goals
- Strengthening our reputation as an equitable employer of choice
- Respecting other colleagues’ ideas, contributions and personality
What are your hopes/aspirations regarding the panel topic for the future?
My hope is that we continue to discuss how closing the pay gap is part of creating an inclusive, fair and diverse work culture and environment and take steps to address this. Willis Towers Watson is globally committed to I&D. This also includes raising awareness about any potential pay gaps between men and women and sharing knowledge on how to address this.
Is there anything else you want to share about the panel discussion or topics that were discussed?
The panel discussion was very valuable because we were able to share our experiences and learn from each other. The fact that the panellists were from a very diverse range of disciplines (HR professionals, works council members, consultants, freelancers, authors, etc.) helped to introduce a myriad of insights, perspectives and pain points that otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to identify and discuss.
I believe that the most important takeaways from this panel discussion were:
- Fair pay creates value: while some leaders might think that embedding fair pay best practice may negatively impact an organization’s financial performance, the result is the contrary. Fair pay means that your workforce is motivated and committed towards the growth of the company.
- Sharing knowledge helps to close the pay gap: openly discussing the challenges on the topic of fair pay in events like Dive In create great opportunities for companies and thought leaders to share knowledge on how to close the pay gap globally and throughout the industry.
We must focus on creating more opportunities to exchange ideas, insights and approaches to make fair pay the common practice!
Learn more about our different roles and business areas here.
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#WTWLife: Returning To Work After Parental Leave
Donna O’Riordan, Lead Recruiter, London shares her experience of returning to work after a period of parental leave.
As I walk into Willis Towers Watson reception in London on my first day back at work following over a year on maternity leave, my first thought is wow! The building looks great, I feel happy and excited to be back and genuinely feel proud to work here.
Having spoken with many new parents (both in my personal life and with candidates as part of my role) I know that I am very lucky to have had such an incredibly positive experience. My line manager has been very supportive of my flexible working application, which has been significant in enabling me to effectively manage my job and family life. It can be a daunting experience those first few weeks back. What has changed? Will I remember everything? How will I balance my work with a hectic family life? As well as having the great support of my line manager, I spoke with my mentor at Willis Towers Watson who made themselves available to me within those first couple of weeks. I felt I gained advice and reassurance when I most needed it.
I feel valued at Willis Towers Watson and know, with the support of the company, I can still have a successful career while also leading a fulfilling life as a parent.
Learn more about the Willis Towers Watson values and benefits here or take a look at our current roles here.
Na WTW, acreditamos na igualdade de oportunidades de emprego e assumimos o compromisso de desenvolver uma força de trabalho diversificada e criar um ambiente de trabalho inclusivo, onde todos sejam respeitados, valorizados e apreciados. Nós não toleramos nenhuma forma de discriminação ilegal, nem apoiamos qualquer ação ou iniciativa que viole qualquer direito humano.
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Assumimos um compromisso de igualdade de oportunidades de emprego e oferecemos acomodações razoáveis a todos os candidatos. Para solicitar alguma acomodação especial, desde a inscrição até a entrevista, envie um e-mail para candidate.helpdesk@willistowerswatson.com