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Insurance professionals need to be a lot of things—experienced, detail-oriented, team players, patient, problem solvers…empathetic. Since policyholders are nearly always experiencing loss when filing a claim, the individual helping them must provide support beyond financial. And the numbers back this up: in fact, 91 percent of CEOs believe empathy in insurance has a positive effect on financial performance. 

With profitability as the main goal, it can be easy to get caught up in daily tasks, but at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that insurance is about people. Unless you insure robots, policyholders have feelings and it’s important to understand that. Empathy in insurance is essential for that reason. Everyone, from managers to adjusters, needs to have the ability to meet their employees and clients in a space where they feel their concerns are valid. 

How to Be Empathetic 

Insurance is a complicated business. While the ultimate goal is to make money, it is crucial you don’t forget this is a human industry. When you’re speaking with policyholders, it’s usually because they’re having one of the worst days of their lives. Maybe their home was destroyed by fire or natural disaster, or a pipe burst while they were on vacation—flooding their belongings, or maybe a car wreck has totaled the vehicle they need to get to work. Whatever the reason they have to talk to you, it’s imperative that you remain focused on them, and not just the policy. 

There are a lot of ways to express empathy in insurance: 

Listen: When a policyholder calls and is explaining their situation, don’t get caught up in efficiency. While they want to know what their settlement will be, they also need an ear to listen. Listen completely, don’t multitask. If you’re face-to-face, look them in the eye, keep your body language open and don’t interrupt them. 

Be genuine: Ask questions about how they are doing before getting into the nitty-gritty business; it will help you grasp just how they’re feeling so you can proceed in a way that makes the most sense. 

Explain, explain, explain: When it comes time to discuss the policy itself, it’s important to explain the claims process, what their policy states and make sure they understand completely before proceeding. 

Put yourself in their shoes: Remember, this person is facing a crisis. If you were in their situation, what would you want to hear? How would you want to be treated? What kind of support would you need? 

You probably learned about empathy from a young age, except you may have heard it in the form of the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. This is important to remember in the insurance industry. When it comes to hiring new employees, especially management, empathy needs to be—if not the highest priority— one of the first soft skills you look for. 

If you’re in need of individuals who can balance making a profit while taking care of people in a positive way, partner with The James Allen Companies. Our team of recruiters recognize talent and skill, but also recognize if someone has what it takes to treat policyholders and other team members with empathy and value. Don’t let your company’s reputation suffer from a lack of empathy—contact us today to see how we can help your business. 

As a business manager, you will have a point in your career when an employee delivers you their resignation letter. Watching an employee leave your company is hard, especially if they’re a good one. 

Resignations are inevitable and there are a lot of ways to handle the situation: argue with them, express your relief, give a counteroffer, or accept their resignation respectfully.

Obviously, expressing resentment or relief at the candidate’s departure is not your best choice, but maybe you’re considering suggesting a counteroffer. Last week, we advised candidates that accepting a counteroffer was not in their best interest, and this week, we want to tell you why even suggesting a counteroffer in the first place is a bad idea. 

Here are a few things you should consider before offering a counteroffer:

Sets a precedent. If you start proposing counteroffers, you have to think about where the buck stops. How many counteroffers are you willing to offer in a year? What employees are worth keeping? By offering one employee a counteroffer, you risk damaging your employer brand with other employees. When you give an employee a raise, a promotion or another perk as a retention measure, other employees who have worked hard will start questioning the value of their work. They may even think about resigning themselves in an attempt to get the same offer.

It’s a temporary fix. A lot of counteroffers include higher compensation, but it’s likely not enough to satisfy the resignee. There’s a pretty good chance the employee isn’t just leaving because they want higher compensation. Most employees leave because of negative work cultures, issues with management, or the workload, not just because they want more money. If a candidate accepts your counteroffer for extra benefits, there is an 80 percent chance they’ll be gone in less than six months because the issues haven’t been addressed. Since it can cost 33 percent of an employees salary to replace them, now you’ve paid them more to keep them on board, it will cost even more to replace them. Save yourself the effort and money and let them leave. 

Everybody can be replaced. Even the best employees can be replaced. When an employee leaves, you have a plethora of options for replacing them. You can promote another current employee with similar skills, a knowledge of your company and a desire to grow in their career, or you can hire someone new. No matter what you decide, you’ll have a position available and you’ll need help getting it filled as soon as possible. By partnering with The James Allen Companies, you can get that position filled quickly with the best candidate possible. No one is irreplaceable, and we can find the candidates that have the right skills, talent and personality to work well at your organization. 

Dealing with an employee resignation leaves you with a lot of options, and proposing a counteroffer is not a good one. Accept the resignation with respect, wish the employee the best and use it as an opportunity to better your employer brand. Resignations are inevitable and if you’re needing to recruit professionals to help propel your business, give The James Allen Companies a call today to see how we can help you. 

With a thunderous crack, a blinding light and a whiff of sulfur, it begins. 

If your community is like ours, we’ve been celebrating Independence Day for a week or so already. Nightly fireworks shows put on by neighbors shake the air every evening as kids laugh, dazzled by the colored embers above them. 

Despite the noise, it can be peaceful. There’s a feeling of pride in living in a country that celebrates its Independence in such an elaborate way. There’s a feeling of excitement knowing in a couple of days the celebration gets just that much bigger. There’s an anticipation of family barbecues and community fairs that rises in your chest and you can’t sleep, not because the noise keeps you awake, but because you can’t contain the joy. It’s almost Independence Day and what a beautiful day it is. 

The truth is, there is so much more to love about this holiday than the fireworks and the family barbecues. Independence Day is a time to celebrate the history of The United States of America and the men and women who fight to preserve it. 

Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, our nation has grown from 13 small colonies into a country of 3.79 million square acres of land with expansive deserts, soaring mountains and stunning coastlines. We have become a superpower sitting at the head of global organizations, forming partnerships with countries on nearly every continent. We have become an economic powerhouse with industrial revolutions that changed the course of history. Could our forefathers have imagined such a country all those years ago, we don’t know, but I think they’d be proud.

Independence Day is a time to celebrate how far we’ve come, but even more so, it’s a time to honor those who have fought to preserve the freedom the colonists won two centuries ago. To this day, our military remains the most powerful in the world. Our troops are a dedicated bunch of strong men and women who have given their lives to protecting their families, friends, neighbors and countrymen from forces who want to take away that freedom. They fight for freedom and independence every day and without them, we wouldn’t have the rights we have today. 

We believe honoring our troops is the best way to celebrate the July 4 holiday, so take some time this week to remember them. When you watch your local fireworks show, take the time to recognize those “bombs bursting in air” remind us that freedom isn’t free. Remember that no matter what our nation faces, our flag remains. 

The James Allen Companies would like to say a special thank you to all those who have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation’s freedom. Please have a blessed and safe Independence Day!

God Bless America, 

Sincerely,

The James Allen Companies.

In the hyper-competitive insurance industry, to be on top, you must have a sharp team running your organization and you must have strong leaders guiding them to success. Without the right leadership, your company may suffer from increased turnover and lower profit. Luckily, there are a few qualities of successful leaders that you can identify during the hiring process to help determine the good from the bad.

The Costs of a Bad Leader

Just one poor leader can cost your insurance company more than $125,000 per year; a poor leadership team can result in millions of dollars lost. Poor leadership structure can create a 5 to 10 percent productivity drag, which can be detrimental to the culture of the business, resulting in a lack of vision or strategy, a culture of mediocrity and low employee morale. Dismal managers are not motivators, and that won’t work for your bottom line. In fact, a lack of good leadership can cost your company about seven percent of your annual sales, can decrease customer satisfaction and can cause up to 32 percent of your organization’s turnover.

What Makes a Good Leader

It can be difficult to identify a good leader because leadership styles are as unique as the individuals doing the leading. However, according to the Center for Creative Leadership, good leaders can be defined by a few key characteristics: honesty, the ability to delegate, commitment, confidence, creativity and intuition. Successful leaders also possess key traits such as the ability to self-manage, effective communication, being accountable, a passion for fostering innovation and agile learning abilities that allow them to manage a team fairly and efficiently while maintaining, even improving, company culture.

Leaders have a habit of staying curious, meaning they allow curiosity in their employees. They prioritize wellness and have the ability to listen and ask questions when necessary, valuing the health and well-being of the people they work with.

With nearly two decades in identifying and placing leaders in the insurance industry, the recruiters at The James Allen Companies recognize the qualities of successful leaders. If your company is in need of leadership, we can connect you to the candidates that will get the job done. Our access to passive talent who have proven their success gives your organization the foundation for continued growth.

To find out how we can help your business grow, give The James Allen Companies a call today.

Last week, the Great Insurance Jobs’ 2019 Insurance Industry Employment and Job Outlook report was released, giving us insight into the future of hiring in 2019—and it’s set to be an interesting year. A record-breaking 2.7 million people work in the insurance industry right now and the unemployment rate for the industry is only 2 percent; however, Great Insurance Jobs estimates 400,000 jobs will need to be filled by 2020 due to the high number of people retiring this year.

Here at The James Allen Companies, we are prepared to take this hiring challenge head-on. Based on this year’s findings, we identified 5 of the most pressing hiring issues facing this insurance industry and their resolutions.

1. Too many unqualified candidates. We know the insurance industry is a great one to be a part of, and more people are starting to catch on. One problem facing the industry is the number of applicants who want to join the party but aren’t qualified for the position, or who lack insurance industry experience. When using common search methods like job boards to find talent, you’re only targeting active candidates. That means you will spend the majority of your time sifting through hundreds of unqualified candidates trying to join the game but not understanding how to play.
2. Finding qualified people in my area for the right price. Depending on the area you’re in, your options for local talent looking for positions may seem limited. When it comes to compensation, salary grades and relocation costs, finding the proper candidate can seem like a losing battle.
3. A lack of talent for technology-based careers. Technology-based careers in insurance are growing exponentially. These careers are expected to be one of the top five most in-demand insurance positions in 2019. It can be difficult to find this talent if your company has never had to find it before—and to make things more difficult, every industry needs the same talent. Technology professionals are in high demand in every field, making these positions incredibly competitive.
4. Inadequate recruitment budgets. Open positions at your company take time and money. Many companies are faced with recruitment budgets that are too low to be effective. Much of those budgets are used determining which talent acquisition and software are worth using since there are so many available. Those who participated in this study also said they had a difficult time convincing high-up management staff to increase the budget to find the right candidate.
5. Starting pay for sales positions. In the insurance industry, 20 percent of careers are in sales. Much like technology-based positions, other industries are fighting for the best sales professionals out there, leading to aggressive competition. Compensation for these positions have to be compared not just to insurance industry standards, but other industries as well.
   

No matter the hiring issue, the recruiting team at The James Allen Companies has the solutions. When it comes to investing in new talent, you want to make sure you get the best return, and partnering with our team ensures the best ROI. We face hiring challenges head-on and use our tried and true search methods to find the best candidates for you every time. We keep up with industry standards and know exactly where to find the candidates you need. We stay aware of market trends for pay and compensation to help you make an informed decision when it comes to picking the type of candidate who will work best for you.

By partnering with the recruitment experts at The James Allen Companies, you will have access to the best network of qualified, passive candidates in the market. With access to the best recruiting technology out there, we can find the right qualified candidate for you to keep your business ahead of the game.

Give us a call to discuss the recruitment solutions we can offer you and your business today.

We’ve talked a lot in the past few blogs about the importance of selling candidates on opportunities at your company, but that’s often easier said than done if you don’t know what candidates want. As markets change and new generations take their places in the workforce, expectations for employers change—and it can be hard to keep up. To help you out, we’ve broken down many benefits and perks today’s candidates are looking for when seeking new opportunities.

How important are benefits?

Recent studies show that benefits are among the top factors candidates consider when looking for new opportunities, but also that employers aren’t offering the incentives employees really want.

While only 10 percent of employees said benefits are the most important factor when accepting or rejecting job offers, 80 percent said they would take a job with good benefits over one with more money and 55 percent said they would accept a job with lower pay if there were better benefits. Benefits are vital for recruitment and retention, and by keeping track of the benefits candidates are interested in, you can set your business above the rest.

The benefits candidates want

Candidates value many things in the workplace. Competitive pay immediately comes to mind, but these days, the additional benefits and perks are even more important than financial gain.

Regarding traditional benefits, 88 percent of workers say health benefits are important to them. These benefits can include medical, dental, vision or any other health-based benefit or perk. However, only 44 percent of employers actually offer these benefits. That number is even lower when it comes to mental health benefits. Only 15 percent of employers offer these benefits to their employees.

Paid time off and paid parental leave are also cited as key factors to employees looking for opportunities. We all know how important it can be to take a few days off to take care of personal or family business or just get away from the office, but unfortunately, only 36 percent of employers offer paid time off and only 13 percent offer paid parental leave. These benefits, including the opportunity for flexible schedules, are especially beneficial for those with children or other personal responsibilities.

Additional benefits candidates look for are bonuses. Just over 40 percent of employers ranked bonuses (especially holiday bonuses) as a preferred perk. Sign-on and retention bonuses can also encourage candidates to accept your offer and continue to perform above expectations for years to come.

Recruiting and keeping employees can be hard when you don’t understand what they want. At The James Allen Companies, we stay up-to-date on market trends so we always know what candidates need. By partnering with The James Allen Companies, we will help you identify the right candidates for your business and help you identify the benefits you need to get those candidates on board. Give us a call today to talk with a recruiter about attracting and retaining the candidates you need to help your business grow.