When in Doubt Deploy Empathy
Men and women are constantly battling to achieve a work/life balance. And the problem with this ongoing battle is that it is often defined differently by the organization and each of its employees. I am not saying that you have to redefine how your agency views its work/life balance, but you must investigate and ultimately acknowledge that difference. More importantly, you need to always be sure that you accommodate these differences whenever possible. This challenge becomes even more daunting when organizations also have to factor in generational differences amongst employees. It is no secret that baby boomers, Gen Xers, and millennials are driven by different things, and agency owners would be foolish to ignore these differences. As a result, the only effective next step is to learn more about what is workable and motivating for each employee. And you’d be wise to do it as early as possible in your employee’s tenure – onboarding, perhaps? To better illustrate this, let’s play out a scenario: Becky was just hired on at the agency after taking three years off to raise her infant son. By all accounts, she appears to be an excellent employee and it looks as if the agency will benefit from her extensive experience, as well as her ability to be a team player. During orientation, she beams with pride when talking about her young son and the importance of being a good mother to him. She knows that now is the right time to be back in the workforce and looks forward to the years ahead at your agency. She didn’t explicitly ask for special treatment or accommodations for doctor’s appointments or flexibility in work hours, and she didn’t need too. As an agency owner who grew up with a mother that took you to every event, doctor’s appointments, and play dates, you recognize the value in that time spent with mom. You also recognize that your own mom could afford to stay home and raise you and your siblings, while this new employee cannot. You rationalize the situation to yourself and think that she could always move to a less expensive state, or one where she could afford to be a stay at home mom. But that is not your decision to make and she is now a member of your team! What actions could you take to support this employee’s relationship with her child and still ensure a cohesive work environment? Let’s start with what won’t work. You could insist that she use vacation time to go to an afternoon event with her son, or that she schedule all appointments for the end of the day. You might even insist that she even conform to that overly stuffy dress code of yourss so that everyone looks like they belong on the set of “Mad Men.” Or. You could inquire about her favorite activities with her son, encourage her to take him to doctor’s appointments at the best time for his nap schedule, and even allow her to spend more time with little Johnny in the morning, instead of prepping to sit behind a desk all day. You could get really crazy and offer her an extra half hour in the morning, so that she could read him his favorite book and then be the one to drop him off to daycare. It’s all up to you and what you stand for as an agency. Which response will generate the most desired outcome for your agency? Which response would accommodate your employees best. And which response would be most in line with the work/life balance you hold so dear in your own life? Some people will take advantage of your generosity, but most will flourish. There is nothing in the HR manual that states that you cannot ask an existing employee about what is most important to them, and if possible, what the agency could do to best support that. Even if you cannot accommodate the request, the employee will be more motivated to work hard for you because they know you care.
About the Author
Justin Goodman has spent the past 20 years in insurance. He is the co-founder and CEO of Total CSR and co-founder and Managing Director of Project 55. By the age of 29, he was recognized as one of the top five construction insurance experts nationwide by Risk and Insurance Magazine. He also was named to Insurance Business Magazine’s Hot 100 and most recently the 2024 Insurance Journal Agent of the Year. Justin has trained over 50,000 CSR’s, account managers and producers through his work at Total CSR. He has a passion for developing the next generation of insurance professionals. When not with his family, he devotes his free time to speaking engagements and advising agency owners across the country.
