Author: ACT News Team
Remote workers are becoming much more common in the insurance industry as technology advances. Remote working reduces the distance between employer and employee to the speed of an Internet connection. The innovations in digital communications are allowing the widespread use of highly trained experts who, under traditional, on-premises work regimes would be unavailable to companies outside certain geographic boundaries. These innovations are also providing the opportunity for employers to offer flexible work arrangements to keep talent.
Work at Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE) is a contract staffing firm that captures the industry's retiring talent and sets them up to work from home to assist agencies, brokerages, wholesalers and others in the insurance industry on long-term assignments. Secure, remote connectivity combined with collaborative software permits these out-of-office and extraregional employees to interface as if they are in the same workspace. Through video conferencing and sharing desktop software or even desktop viewing, teams that are based thousands of miles apart can work seamlessly together. Done right, an agency can expand its access to talent extensively by using remote workers.
If you have decided you want the benefits of employing specialized workers based out of their own homes, you might be struggling with the next step—institutionalizing the practice.
Sharon Emek, CEO of WAHVE, has provided the Agents Council for Technology a comprehensive Remote Work Best Practices Guide that details the elements of a successful remote-work program. Basically, there are three types of remote-work arrangements: (1) as-needed remote work—someone who needs to work from home due to an emergency; (2) flexible work arrangements—someone who is scheduled to work from home on a regular basis; and (3) fully remote working—someone who works from home 100% of the time.
"The most important thing today is to obtain and keep talent," Sharon says. "Technology has enabled people to work from anywhere, and when people can work from home they are happier, healthier and more loyal. Agencies need to begin offering some kind of flexible work arrangements to keep access to talent.
"This model might not be suitable for young workers, but those with 10 years' experience—they can certainly work from home at least some of the time. These arrangements can also be used for people who become disabled and cannot work at the office."
Experienced employees hold a body of knowledge that we as an industry don't want to lose through attrition—whether because of disability, geographic moves, having to care for a family member, or age, she notes.
A Successful Model
"Statistics are pretty clear," Sharon says. "Employees who work from home part of the time or full time feel they are 77% more productive. They are actually working more hours—no interruptions, no office politics, no commuting. And employers report a 30% increase in productivity. Remote workers are more engaged in their jobs as well. They have less stress than traditional, in-office employees, and their families have less stress, as well, studies show."
The best practices guide spotlights eight steps management should take in crafting a remote-work program. Those include evaluating what positions could be done remotely; determining if employees have the institutional knowledge, expertise or professionalism to handle remote working; installing or identifying the right tools to make remote working viable; and managing and monitoring the program so tweaks can be made to make it run smoothly.
Writing and disseminating a set of guidelines for remote working is a must. Some of the points the WAHVE guide covers are setting corporate policies and procedures, mandating home office security, and detailing leave, wage and hour policies. The guide also offers tips on constructing a home office environment that works—including the type of workspace; hardware; digital and communications connections; and cyber-security protocols.
Remember that guidelines are not singularly about the remote worker. On-premises employees and management need to be on board, following guidelines, as well. Some of those best practices include not micromanaging; remembering to include the remote worker in staff meetings, planning and decisions; and making goals and expectations clear from the beginning.
"Agency management may also need to let go of the prevailing belief that employees need to be in the office in order to be managed and productive," Sharon says.
Done right, offering remote-work flex arrangements and hiring remote workers can cut company costs, expand business hours and geographic reach, and bring in expertise that would otherwise be unavailable. The key is to follow a set of institutionalized, codified best practices. Check out WAHVE's recommendations on the ACT webpage and see if offering different remote work arrangements is a model that could benefit your agency or insurance business.