Yahoo Finance Lloyd’s of London bans people who are drunk or on drugs
Lloyd’s of London has shared a new code of conduct with staff that bars people from entering the building if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The new code, aimed at tackling sexual harassment and bad behaviour at the 331-year-old insurance market, includes turning the on-site pub into a coffee shop, an insider told the Sunday Telegraph.
An anti-bullying and sexual harassment helpline will also be established.
The news comes just weeks after Bloomberg reported that 18 women said they had been subjected to “near-persistent harassment” at the insurance market, ranging from inappropriate comments to unwanted touching and sexual assault.
One woman said she was attacked by a senior manager in a nearby pub.
Lloyd’s CEO, John Neal, said in a statement last month that the market would be introducing measures to address sexual harassment, as well as create a safe and inclusive working environment.
“It has been distressing to hear about the experiences of women in the Lloyd’s market. No one should be subjected to this sort of behaviour, and if it does happen, everyone has the right to be heard and for those responsible to be held to account,” Neal said.
“I am pleased that the market has given its full support for a strong set of actions, and I am determined that Lloyd’s offers a safe and inclusive working environment for everyone.”
The new code also laid out potential lifetime bans for anyone found to be responsible for inappropriate behaviour.
Lloyd’s, a historically male-dominated institution, welcomed its first female underwriter, Countess Inchcape, into the market in 1970. However, she wasn’t allowed to conduct business personally and could only communicate with clients through a male agent.
Liliana Archibald became the first female allowed to conduct business in the Lloyd’s underwriting room three years later.
In 2014, then-chairman John Nelson hired Lloyd’s first female CEO, Inga Beale, and in 2015 Lloyd’s launched the Dive In festival, which celebrates diversity and inclusion around the world.
