The insurance market in our state consists of many different products designed to serve a wide range of needs for Washingtonians. If insurance is too costly, unfair or discriminatory, it affects nearly every person living in the state. To ensure all Washington insurance consumers get the coverage they need at a fair price, we are committed to hiring a diverse group of regulators that mirrors the population they serve.
We serve and employ all, fostering an inclusive environment that supports:
- Gender identity or expression
- Race
- Sex
- Religion
- Age
- Marital status
- National origin
- Veteran status: disabled, Vietnam-era, recently separated or other protected veteran status
- Disability: physical, speech, visual, auditory, cognitive or neurological
At the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, inclusion and equal opportunity.
Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at the OIC
A state agency that actively promotes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) among its workforce is both more reflective of the population it serves and better equipped to meet its needs. At the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, we’ve adopted these as reinforcing principles of our organization. Here are some of the OIC’s past DEI successes and a few of the ways we build greater diversity, equity and inclusion every day.
Our employees built an internal DEI council
At the OIC, we recognized that hiring a diverse workforce and serving a diverse population simply aren’t enough. There’s more to it than that, so we created an internal DEI council to determine better ways to steer our agency’s efforts. Our DEI council meets regularly to discuss how to turn differences into strengths, ensure the policies we promote are equitable and learn better ways to honor all the different walks of life our employees, and those we serve, come from.
Our staff is well-represented in the state’s business resource groups
Many important DEI conversations happen in the state government’s business resource groups. Business resource groups are state employees who meet to network, share their ideas and discuss common interests. Our staff enthusiastically lend their voices, perspectives and experiences to groups such as:
- ANHPI (Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander)
- RAIN (Rainbow Alliance Inclusion Network for LGBTQ+)
- VERG (Veterans Employee Resource Group)
- DIN (Disability Inclusion Network)
- BUILD (Blacks United in Leadership and Diversity)
- ICSEW (Interagency Committee of State Employed Women)
- LLN (Latino Leadership Network)
- WIN (Washington Immigrant Network)
The OIC is an award-winning DEI leader among state agencies
A diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce is fostered by the environment an agency’s leadership creates. In 2020, Commissioner Kreidler accepted one of three “Outstanding Agency” awards from the business resource group Rainbow Alliance Inclusion Network (RAIN). The OIC was recognized for “creating a safe, diverse, and inclusive workplace for LGBTQ+ employees, allies, and customers in Washington state.”
We’re always learning more about DEI
Whether it’s training our staff how to better serve people with disabilities, updating our legal orders to be gender neutral, or thinking about how some communities may be disproportionately affected by insurance laws, we’re strengthening our agency’s diversity, equity and inclusion every day. However, despite the strides we’ve made, we also know the importance of listening and always trying to learn more.
The OIC’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is ongoing, and it’s how we continually help shape Washington’s insurance market to be more accessible and fair to all.