Why Flexibility Wins in Today’s Insurance Workforce
I place a lot of account managers and the overwhelming majority of them are female.
One trend I continue to see that's not going anywhere is that people want balance and flexibility. TRUE flexibility.
Honestly, (and maybe an unpopular opinion here with those clinging to full time in-office presence and rigid 9-5 workdays)…with technology nowadays, there's really no reason that we can't make that happen for people.
In the past, the chase was for title, money, prestige.
But today, I increasingly see people (women especially) prioritizing flexibility of time.
They want the ability to go on the class field trip, to work from home when kids are sick without being made to feel guilty, to get kids on and off the bus, to do school pick up/drop off.
Laptops, cell phones, Wi-Fi…it’s all created an environment where we’re constantly tethered to our jobs. I would ask the question: why, then, can we not leverage the positives that this technology has afforded us?
If you're working on a manufacturing line being paid hourly to operate a press or make widgets, I understand that you are paid to physically be there for x amount of hours. But with many professional/office type positions (i.e. – INSURANCE!), you’re given an ‘ongoing’ job to do, period. How efficient you are, where you work, and how the job gets done matters a whole lot less than HOW WELL the job is done and how happy the clients are in my opinion.
Is customer service high?
Are clients happy?
Is the response time to calls/emails reasonable?
If the answer is yes, why does it matter where and exactly which hours someone sits?
The happiest people I talk to in their roles are those with flexibility. Flexibility to have a life outside of work. And the funny thing is - when the employer makes it easy for those two things to live in harmony, that person is a far better employee to the company for it.
The companies that micromanage people and make it impossible to balance work and life outside the office are the ones that end up with the lowest caliber teams. Whereas the ones that value people and treat them like adults and give them flexibility are in a much better position to attract top talent.
With high quality childcare increasingly difficult to find, never mind how ridiculously expensive it is, this dilemma isn't going anywhere.
So what’s an employer to do? The way I see it, they have two choices:
Miss out on half the workforce (working moms) which for insurance account managers is way more than half…. OR
Embrace technology and flexibility and attract people (women) who want, err – are demanding, it all.
If a client emails their account manager at 3:15PM and she’s left for the afternoon to get her kid off the bus, and he gets a response later that night or first thing the next morning, is that client upset? Definitely not.
If a producer has a question for his account manager at 8:30AM but she doesn’t come in until 9:00AM because she gets her kid on the bus so he doesn’t hear back until 10PM, is that a problem? Nope.
If you want the best people on your team (and yes, many of these people are women who are both a mother and career superstar) you need to meet them where they are. I have clients that give a great amount of flexibility to their teams. You might worry that people would take advantage of it and not get the job done. But it's actually the total opposite. These individuals work incredibly hard (harder than average, I’d argue!) because they appreciate the setup that they have so much and want to ensure it doesn't go anywhere.
“Being self-employed I have the ultimate flexibility. But being self-employed isn’t for everyone and I realize that. The truth is that I live a life of great freedom but largely work placing candidates in an industry that is notoriously old school. It feels misaligned to me at times. It’s my mission to help change the narrative and the work environment for those out there.”
Not sure where to start?
➡️ Salaried roles with a “job to do” vs “hours worked” approach is a good start.
➡️ Measure OUTPUT, not hours worked. For account managers – are the producers getting what they need? Are clients happy? OK – mission accomplished.
➡️ Is remote work in some capacity an option? How about 4 ten hour day option? Half day Fridays? Option to get work from home beginning and end of day to get kids on and off the bus?
Good people know good people. You might just find that your increased flexibility fosters a happier more balanced work environment and results in your peak performers referring their friends.
Trust me, this works. How do I know? Because I see it with my clients everyday. The more they embrace this attitude, the more I’m only recruiting for GROWTH on their teams - rarely backfilling for folks who leave.
Start small and branch out from there – and see where this approach takes you!
