DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
“ They have futureproofed their business and made sure that they are ready to welcome the workplace of tomorrow ”
STEVE RAFFERTY RINGCENTRAL
of business decisions ( which can be made ) in an open office environment .
“ During the time we were working from home we trialled a lot of different techniques to allow this to continue . For example , open 1:1 meetings with the CEO and the senior leadership team which anyone could join and listen to the decisions being made .”
Is remote working sustainable long term ? Probably not , say Jeana Muñoz , MD of Insurance consulting , and Jim Bramblet , MD Insurance Lead , North America , for Accenture , co-authors of the recent study . They believe their findings reflect the general opinion that although insurtechs can function remotely , and effectively , it ’ s not a sustainable solution long-term .
Bramblet and Muñoz write , “ Participants agreed that they are able to work remotely now , but they questioned whether they are positioned to work well remotely . Further , although productivity and / or efficiency seem to be increasing in the new environment , emerging human capital trends indicate these gains may be coming at a cost .”
They conclude , “ If you asked us today if remote work is sustainable , we would have to say , “ No .” Now is not the time to be complacent . Insurers wanting to boost workforce morale and build a competitive advantage to ensure future success have work to do .”
Steve Rafferty , Country Manager , UK & Ireland at RingCentral , believes the hybrid working environment is here to stay because insurance companies have embraced a new and adaptive approach to work . “ When I ' ve spoken with our customers in the insurance industry , such as The Ardonagh Group for example , it ' s clear that they have managed to navigate the challenges of remote working to the extent that they are fully operational for both employees and clients .
He says intelligent communication and workflow tools can power seamless and effective collaboration experiences across businesses . With the right tools , workforces no longer need to exist in one place .
Digital cloud based communication systems unify remote and onsite teams and employees , wherever they ’ re based recent research around insurance agencies for example , found that nearly two-thirds of agency employees would like a mix of at-home and office working going forward .
“ It ’ s not really that surprising when you consider how the insurance industry has adapted and the technology innovations that are currently available which enable a hybrid approach to work and maintain human connections ,” Rafferty says .
124 November 2021