4. Rethink talent-acquisition and retention tactics.

Insurance organizations often neglect to tout their positive traits: stable work environment, life-work balance (as opposed to work-life), and how they are responsible corporate citizens by sponsoring worthwhile causes that impact local and global communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced insurance organizations to enable employees to work remotely, aided by video conferencing. Now that the crisis has passed, firms must convince employees that leaving the comfort of home for a daily commute is worthwhile. Successful companies are redesigning the workplace, enlarging its focus from functionality to a broader perspective: a desirable, accommodating workplace where employees prefer to be. Meeting the needs and desires of onsite, hybrid and remote employees by providing engaging physical and digital environments is just one example of branding from the inside out.
Adapt smart, soft-skill hiring to identify traits that truly align with the needs of the organization. It's like balancing a chemical equation: What are the most important proclivities and skills that the position requires — resiliency, organization, communication ability, teamwork? Discerning these traits requires probing deeper than a candidate's academic coursework and GPA. It means learning about the challenges the person has overcome and how they did it. And it involves revisiting the typical qualifications: Emphasizing the soft skills that are needed will help place the right people in the right seats on the bus to drive the company.
Potential recruits incorrectly assume that career ascension is slower in the insurance industry than in other fields. Correct the misperception. Given the national demographic trends of retiring baby boomers, the insurance industry will experience a more acute exodus over the coming years, paving the way for increased responsibilities and promotions for new entrants.

5. Understand the effect of social media on an organization's brand. It is analogous to a two-way mirror — reflecting the behavior and interaction of employees with customers and projecting it externally, often without context. The brand has taken on more significance in our age of social media, which brings with it a transparency that is not beholden to press releases, advertising or public relations-managed events. The reality is that each customer can share with the world their interactions with a company's brand, which then can be magnified on social media. While not every consumer's characterization is accurate, perhaps due to the insurance coverage they selected, the consumer should always be treated respectfully and with empathy. The consistent application of a company's brand is of paramount importance.

Special Reports /

Why insurance organizations must brand from the inside out

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