Assurex E&O Plus | Having Staff Meetings Can Be Positive
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Having Staff Meetings Can Be Positive

Home > Pearsall’s Perspective – E&O Plus Tip of the Week  > Having Staff Meetings Can Be Positive

10 Nov Having Staff Meetings Can Be Positive

Posted at 09:00h in Pearsall’s Perspective – E&O Plus Tip of the Week by

Whether agency staff are working in the office or remotely, there is no doubt that they are as busy as ever. Some agency personnel I speak with indicate that they are more productive working remotely, while others indicate the opposite. Either way, finding a way to get your work done in a timely fashion continues to be a challenge. 

So, you may then be wondering why holding staff meetings is being heavily suggested. You may be thinking the last thing you need is another meeting, and I understand that. The issue probably isn’t that there are too many meetings. The issue is that some meetings don’t accomplish much of anything. During my days in corporate America, I remember when the CEO openly stated that if that we went to a meeting and there was no agenda, we were free to leave. Also, if the meeting was scheduled to go for maximum of an hour, the meeting was officially over when it hit that one-hour mark. It definitely made for more productive meetings. 

From an E&O perspective, meetings can be very beneficial if they are handled properly. Some issues to consider: 

  • Have an education component to the meeting. Consider rotating this responsibility among the staff. The topic can be a coverage or exposure issue. It may also involve a new carrier or a change in the underwriting guidelines of one of your carriers. The goal is to ensure that the staff are knowledgeable and up–to–speed on the specific topics. Actually, the insurance industry is fortunate to have many quality periodicals that have great content. Possibly use an article from one of these periodicals.

 

  • Consistency is a key buzz word when it comes to E&O. Consider introducing a topic or requesting that staff bring forth an issue or recent question from a client. Discuss the issue or question and the appropriate response. There might be some differences of opinion on the proper response, which is okay provided you reach a common response at the end.

 

  • Every agency is going to have staff that are super proficient on the various agency systems. Look for these folks to identify a procedure or process that will allow all staff to be more efficient. 

 

  • Discuss one of more of the E&O Plus blogs and look for the staff’s perspective. This will help to keep E&O at the forefront.       

 

  • I have been asked to attend meetings at many of the E&O Plus agencies I am honored to work with. The overall goal is to discuss issues and help the agency staff better understand the “why” behind E&O initiatives. If this would be beneficial for your agency, just ask your reviewer. 

 

  • From time to time, there may be a statement made such as, “Since we are all here, I have an issue I want to bring up.” Would they have brought it up if there was not a meeting? Probably not – so this helps to get the issues up in the open.  

 

With everyone so busy, there may very well be a need to enhance the level of communication. Staff meetings can be a great way to accomplish this and ensure everyone is hearing the same message.