Impellam director defends Blue Arrow’s accident insurance
30 September 2013
A director of Impellam, parent company of blue collar recruiter Blue Arrow, has defended its personal accident insurance policy for workers, after such schemes were last week said to be unnecessary and “a rip off”.
Mon, 30 Sep 2013A director of Impellam, parent company of blue collar recruiter Blue Arrow, has defended its personal accident insurance policy for workers, after such schemes were last week alleged to be unnecessary and “a rip off”.
Recruiter.co.uk contacted Impellam, among a number of other recruitment agencies, following an investigation by Radio 4’s Today programme, which claimed that selling this insurance was “widespread in the industry”. However, the programme failed to name any recruitment agencies.
In response, Joscelin Conrad, marketing and business improvement director at Impellam, tells recruiter.co.uk: “Many [employees] are employed in industrial situations where accidents can happen. We therefore believe that employees should be offered the opportunity to take out personal accident insurance. It is important to stress that this insurance is offered, not sold.
“Our consultants are fully trained and regulated in line with the Financial Conduct Authority’s [FCA’s] guidelines and are not paid commission as personal accident insurance is not a sales initiative.”
He concludes: “We do not believe that any of our employees take out personal accident insurance without fully understanding the benefits and cost.”
During the Today programme, the head of insurance at the FCA, Simon Green, said that it would be looking at whether or not recruitment agencies should be authorised by the organisation.
In addition, a spokesperson for the FCA tells recruiter.co.uk: “Generally speaking only those firms authorised by the FCA can sell or arrange insurance.”
Recruiter.co.uk contacted Impellam, among a number of other recruitment agencies, following an investigation by Radio 4’s Today programme, which claimed that selling this insurance was “widespread in the industry”. However, the programme failed to name any recruitment agencies.
In response, Joscelin Conrad, marketing and business improvement director at Impellam, tells recruiter.co.uk: “Many [employees] are employed in industrial situations where accidents can happen. We therefore believe that employees should be offered the opportunity to take out personal accident insurance. It is important to stress that this insurance is offered, not sold.
“Our consultants are fully trained and regulated in line with the Financial Conduct Authority’s [FCA’s] guidelines and are not paid commission as personal accident insurance is not a sales initiative.”
He concludes: “We do not believe that any of our employees take out personal accident insurance without fully understanding the benefits and cost.”
During the Today programme, the head of insurance at the FCA, Simon Green, said that it would be looking at whether or not recruitment agencies should be authorised by the organisation.
In addition, a spokesperson for the FCA tells recruiter.co.uk: “Generally speaking only those firms authorised by the FCA can sell or arrange insurance.”
