I am an agency owner like many of you. I am happily married with two young children. I am a millennial; I have two master's degrees and proudly serve in several volunteer positions, including the Board of Directors for Big "I" of Maryland. I am a proud American. I am also an immigrant.
I came to the U.S. at the age of 21 and I am now living my American dream. I understand the importance of diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry and our workplace on a deeply personal level. I also know first-hand, the struggles we sometimes face to understand unfamiliar cultures, languages, and people that we might have never had the opportunity to interact with before and thus have a challenging time in relating. The ethnic, racial, and religious demographics continue to shift across America. To some, this is frightening because change can be uncomfortable. It is also especially difficult to comprehend these shifts and digest the realities of our changing world when it is forced upon us. The coronavirus pandemic has done this.
However, if we reflect on the history of this great nation, the shift that we are witnessing today is not new. In fact, this has occurred at various times throughout our history. For instance, many of you reading this article have ancestors that first arrived during the great immigration wave between the years 1830 and 1940. More than 40 million immigrants settled in America during this period. Most of those immigrants did not have English language skills but they had grit, ambition, and a desire to provide a better life for their families. Like us, these people were also faced with a pandemic that rattled their world and forced them to reckon with tremendous difficulties, despair, and change.
The new faces we are seeing today are a lot like the immigrants of the past, the immigrants that are your great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents. The culmination of their determination and struggle is you. If we come together as a society, as a business industry, and embrace the changing ethnic, racial and religious demographics we are experiencing today, the impact will be profound and lasting for future generations.
Your agency's workforce and customer base needs to reflect today's America for survival because the current change IS the future.
Consider these statistics: The reality is, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2044, minority communities will make up most of the U.S. population just as the descendents of the Great Wave make up a substantial portion of the demographics we see today. The customer base that you now need to market to is more diverse and reflects the wider shift in demographics that we are witnessing across America. If you are struggling with this, you are not alone. Around 97% of companies fail to have senior leadership teams that reflect the USA's labor force, according to McKinsey and Company.
Ethnically diverse companies are 36% more likely to outperform peer companies and gender diverse companies are 25% more likely to outperform peer companies, McKinsey and Company also reports. Gen Z constitutes more than a quarter of the population and is the most diverse generation in our nation's history, according to Deloitte.
It is a fact that industries across the board, not just ours, are struggling to relate to and attract new, diverse talent and customer bases. It is important for industry and agency leaders to remember that just because someone is different from you in terms of race, religion or ethnicity, does not necessarily mean they are that different. There are shared experiences that we all have on a human level. As leadership and individuals in a sales industry, we need to practice and not just preach inclusion, understanding and respect for others despite our presumed differences.
If you are not sure how to begin to reach out to new communities, consider these tips to start:
Do not make assumptions regarding those that appear different from you.
Practice keeping an open mind by not relying on stereotypes as a tool for judgement.
Research various demographics in your area and learn about their individual cultures. A fantastic way to do this is to visit international grocery stores and restaurants in your area.
Reach out to your Big "I" state association for resources on diversity and inclusion they might have available as well as how you can get involved.
Attend local cultural events and festivals. This can be done using a simple Google search or scrolling through your local newspapers.
A final recommendation is for you to seize the moment in history that we are living in. The pandemic has been an Earth rattling experience for most of us. Much of what we have known and grown comfortable within our lives not just as individuals but also as employers, employees, independent contractors, etc... has been turned upside-down. For many of us, work environments have been dramatically impacted. With most employees working remotely, the bustling office spaces that we once knew are now quiet empty shells with a few people staffing desks.
The emptiness has forced business owners and industries to notice and to reflect. Currently, business owners, entire industries, including the insurance industry, are being forced to face disparities in diversity and inclusion. These quiet offices are providing opportunities for all of us to reflect on our workforce and team members and take notice in terms of who is missing and how we can add value and relevance to our businesses. With this dramatic change and adversity comes a wonderful opportunity for all of us to grow, take notice and adapt our businesses for a prosperous future!
Meet Berker HazarCEO and Founder of Hazar InsuranceAfter earning his undergraduate degree in Geological Engineering, Berker Hazar, moved to Washington, DC from Kocaeli, Turkey in 2002. While working in the mortgage industry, Berker completed his MBA at the University of the District of Colombia. He then continued his education to earn his MS from Georgetown University in 2012.
Berker to open the doors of Hazar Insurance in 2009. Passionate about business and finance, Berker Hazar is currently the owner and president of Hazar Insurance. Using his unique position as a Turkish American immigrant and Millennial, Berker is committed to promoting diversity, education and transparency within the insurance industry.
Because of his dynamic leadership and success as a diverse young agent in the insurance industry, Berker was asked to join the board of the National Big “I" Diversity Task Force in 2014. He remained an active member of the DTF until 2018. Since 2018, Berker has served as a Director for the Big “I" for the state of Maryland.
In 2020, Berker became a board member of the National Agent Advisory Council for Liberty Mutual Insurance. In 2021, Berker was asked to join Selective Insurance's Agent Advisory Board.
Berker is honored to currently hold the position of Co-Chair of the Maryland Sister State program with Kocaeli, Turkey. This program promotes international cooperation in business, education and cultural understanding between the United States and Turkey.
Berker's passion for embracing diversity within the business community has fueled his desire to promote the success of the Turkish American business community within the United States. This ambition led him to join MUSIAD USA. Since 2017, Berker has served as the Washington, DC Chapter President. Berker is also a member of the MUSIAD USA National board.
Berker is a co-founder and board member of Reyets. Reyets is a social justice platform that provides civil rights news, know your rights tools and alternatives to calling police. Reyets turns every cell phone into a tool for accountability, knowledge and safety.
Berker currently resides in Washington, DC with his wife and two children. In his free time, Berker enjoys spending time on the water and actively engaging in his local community.