Remote work: pros and cons for insurers

But the insurance industry has done its best. By enabling employees to work from home and using new collaboration tools and technologies to continue business as close to “normal” as possible, we are addressing the rather complex “people challenges” of COVID-19. ” has been resolved.

At the RIMS Canada conference in Halifax, four Canadian insurance industry leaders shared their experiences working remotely during the pandemic. Aon Canada president Stéphane Lespérance said the first months of the pandemic “shocked the workplace”, but as employees picked up their pace, remote work and now hybrid Work is actually creating a “tremendous opportunity” for brokerage firms. Giant.

“We were able to tap into a variety of sources of talent,” he said during a panel discussion on “Turning Tides – The Great Reset.” “Hybrid work has created a tremendous way to provide flexibility to employees, especially highly talented employees. [juggle] their family obligations and other professional responsibilities. “

For Aon Canada, like all companies, the shift to remote work due to COVID has been a big experiment. If you could turn back time, there are some things Lespérance would do differently. He said, “There is really good profit in getting people together as soon as possible, so it will bring people back sooner. [company] culture”, and in terms of talent development, “colleagues can learn from others”.

Read the following: AGCS Canada Leader on Lessons Learned in ‘Tough Times’

Marsh Canada president and CEO Sarah Robson said she believes the industry has “done very well” in how companies are transitioning to remote work environments.

“The dynamics between employees and employers from a relationship perspective – suddenly there is a need for trust, which is great,” she said. “It leveled the playing field. What we’re looking at now is ‘how do you maintain that credibility?'” […] and the balance [in a way] Will it work for all of our colleagues and clients?”

As a lesson learned, Robson said it’s important for employers to set clear expectations about hybrid work arrangements and consider which environments are best suited for specific types of work.

She explained: [differentiating between] If it’s head down work, or personal work, it’s actually more effective working alone. [versus] Heads-up work requires you to actually engage with others. Head His Together work requires you to think strategically and work your way. [a problem and solution with a team]We meet the need to be able to collaborate as effectively as possible while looking at the work actually being done and thinking about the most effective and efficient ways to get that work done. increase. “

For FM Global, the shift to remote work wasn’t as shocking as it was for other companies, said Ed Greszczuk, vice president of FM Global’s client service manager in Toronto. Before the pandemic, insurers had already started a two-day workweek hybrid work model and built the infrastructure to make it possible. It was able to “turn around quickly” when the pandemic hit.

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Greszczuk said that while the FM Global team was able to “transact very well” from a remote environment, the challenge lies in collaboration and educating the team through the virtual environment.

“Energy, workload and productivity management [a fully remote environment,” he commented. “In the past, you could walk down the hall [in the office], talk to your team to see who is overworked and who needs help. But online, it was very difficult to manage that in the early days of the pandemic. “

Finally, Bernard McNulty, Chief Agent and Head of Claims for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) Americas, said there are “two big pluses” that have emerged from the COVID-19 era of remote work.

“Throughout that period, we became very close to our employees,” he said. “Through all these great one-on-one calls, we get to learn new things about our employees, find out the names of their pets, what sports their kids play, and more. , I think it’s a very worthwhile thing to keep up with, it keeps our employees hooked and it gives us a lot of stickiness.

“At AGCS, we have a great global proposition and a great global network, so it’s a real pleasure for us to leverage our expertise located anywhere in the world and bring it to Canada, our clients and our broker partners. is a big plus that could not have been realized. Please take advantage of it as much as you did before the pandemic.”