Perception and reality

We can help you distinguish between perception and reality.

Zurich has launched a report outlining the ‘real risks’ faced by the public and charitable sector in the UK. The report details what Zurich believes to be the top ten risks these organisations need to plan for and manage. To download a copy of the report please click here.

How were the risks researched?

The research was the result of a six month internal risk assessment of four key segments – education, charities, local government and housing. The assessment pulled together claims data, desk research and expert opinion to develop a list of top risks for each segment. These were then aggregated to establish the top ten risks for the UK’s public services.

In addition, these risks were presented to the public to gauge what the wider population perceives to be the major risks. The results make interesting reading for anyone with an interest in public services and charitable bodies.

What were the main findings?

Generally it was found that the public are much more sensitive to the underlying factors affecting the delivery of public services than might be expected. For example, the public saw managing partnerships as the third most significant risk and expert opinion put this first. It is surprising that public opinion was so in tune with the experts considering partnership receives very little media hype compared to other issues like compensation culture.

The major exception to this was the perception of anti-social behaviour where the public ranked this first and expert opinion put the issues at number five. Anti-social behaviour is big issues considering it impacts on all areas of service delivery from managing behaviour within schools through to vandalism of public property.

Why did we research risks?

Rob Allison, Managing Director for Zurich’s public services business, says: ‘We launch this report concerning expert and public view at a time when those who deliver public services are engaging with their communities more and more. To be effectively managed, risk must first be identified. Government policy, assessment funding issues and social mobility concerns are driving new ways of delivering services right across the public sector – and against the backdrop of an increasingly unpredictable risk environment. By addressing the gaps between perception and reality we want to raise risk awareness and encourage a proactive approach to risk for peace of mind that enables our customers to focus on achieving their organisational goals.’

Want to get in touch?

We would appreciate your feedback on the research findings and report. We’ve created a feedback form which can be downloaded by clicking here. You can return this by the postal address or fax number on the form. Alternatively, please feel free to email your comments to our dedicated address realrisk@uk.zurich.com