Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and people are thinking about family and community. How can you make your insurance agents thankful for the place where they work? Implement these workplace strategies and you’ll make sure that your employees enjoy and value their insurance agent career this Thanksgiving.
1. Give Them Perks
It’s time to think about giving. If you give a little, your employees will be thankful. Whether it’s an employee health benefits package or free sweet treats in the lunchroom, if you’re a giving employer, your employees will give back in long-term employee retention. Consider giving your employees:
- Generous sick leave and vacation packages
- Retirement savings opportunities
- Telecommuting and flex time
- Health care benefits
- Financial incentives and contests
- Workplace programs such as treats on Fridays or grocery delivery
2. Let Them Rest
You want to have hard-working, dedicated employees, but often the best investment in your workforce is to let them rest. Implement flexible schedules that allow employees to take time for dentist’s appointments or to see their child’s school play. Recognize that they can’t be in meetings all day and get all of their desk work accomplished. Give your employees strategies to be more productive, but give them some compassion when they’re human and need a sick day as well.
3. Educate Your Employees
Give your employees the benefit of workplace education. Whether it’s on the job training, a short course, or an online class, help your employees increase their understanding of the insurance field and its requisite skills. Give them the challenge of new software to master or allow them to develop new web content for your business. Give your employees the opportunity to grow in their work, and you’ll find that they’re much happier.
4. Create Flex Time Within the Work Day
Do your employees have time to play with their work? Encourage your employees to take some time to innovate or work on projects that are difficult to complete. Intentionally bring on another staff person so that your employees can have time for innovation. You’ll find that your employees are happier and that their innovative experiments often benefit your workplace in the long run.
5. Create a Feedback Culture
Are you a scary boss? You may not try to be scary, but if you don’t invite your employees to talk with you and follow through on that invitation, it can be difficult for them to bring up the challenges they’re having and the opportunities that they’d like to pursue. Conduct regular interviews with employees and talk with them about their job and how it’s working for them. If you’re the boss, be open and approachable and encourage employees to talk with you about their needs.
Are you trying to grow and improve your insurance agency? If you’re an independent insurance agent, American Agents Alliance is here to help. From strategies to enhance your agency to educational opportunities to enhance your career, we offer a wealth of Membership benefits. Learn more – contact us today.
