A Fresh Perspective on Millennials

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Written by: Becky Abel, Allstate SIU

My experience with the millennial generation:

Little did I know when I elected to attend a session at one of the fraud conferences in 2017, that I would have had a very different perspective than my industry partners.

I took my seat in the front row, ready to listen to the panel discussion and found myself compelled to speak voicing a different perspective. The general feeling of the audience seemed to be one of perplexed on how to optimize the skills of Millennials.  I, on the other hand thought the skill sets of Millennials could be of great value to the fraud investigations environment.

At Allstate, like many other companies, we have a summer intern program.
Who better to develop the foundation of a Social Media team, but a Millennial. I knew we had only a few months before our intern returned to school for his senior year at Virginia Tech and I wanted it to be meaningful for him and Allstate. So upon his arrival, a project plan was developed and he really ran the entire project.

He was on planes going to key points across the country understanding the dynamics of our business, spending time interviewing investigators and identifying vendors for consideration. He developed the proposal for the entire program, presented to several audiences including Officer level and created the test environment. He did all of this in a matter of a few months successfully.

Additionally, our entire SIU Analytics team are all Millennials.
I love their perspective, because it always involves developing solutions.  No excuses to challenges, just the opposite they embrace them.

So when we wonder the capabilities of Millennials, they are vast.

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New Job – New You in 2018!

New Job – New You in 2018! Give Yourself a Promotion and Raise by: Heidy De La Puente

One more year and you’re feeling that you have the potential for more but haven’t taken the plunge yet. What is holding you back? Is it that you feel that you need more skills? Don’t have the right connections? Lack the right kind of motivation? Family and work life might conflict with new responsibilities?  Whichever your reason is you must start with a plan.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years? And what do you see yourself doing? Be realistic. Set your GOALS, write them down and give yourself an attainable timeline and plan of action for each.

Here are some tips to get you on the right track of SUCCESS:

Be assertive. When speaking to your superiors let them know what you really see yourself doing. Highlight your strengths and how you can contribute to other areas of the company.

Be a negotiator. When negotiating your raise or salary be reasonable. Know your job description first and what other companies are paying. Also, what is your happy medium in case that you do not get what you originally asked for. Be fair but do not undermine your worth.

Be competitive. Your personal goal should be to be the BEST! When you push for higher grounds you accomplish more. You don’t want to be average, no one notices average.

Be confident. Have confidence in what you think, say and do. But do not be rude or condescending!

Be a learner. Acquire new skills! If there is something specific that you want to get into, learn about what technology or skills are being used or required in that field. What is “hot” in that industry. What is going to give you that competitive edge? There are many free resources and online groups out there nowadays that you can use to self-teach.

Be a leader. Take initiative! Stand out! Yes, I will attitude.

Get a mentor. Talk to someone trustworthy that may already be in the industry and can give you some insight or help direct you onto the right path. Sometimes it can be your HR representative or a manager. Discuss your roadblocks and try to find solutions. Be open to constructive criticism.

Be Positive. Surround yourself with champions both inside and outside your job.

Be heard. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Let your voice be heard, pitch your ideas wisely.

Find balance. Pick a hobby or find something that you can do daily or at the end of the week that will help you unwind and find balance with your work week. Keep your sanity while trying to get ahead.

Compromise. If your challenges are because you have a family and getting promoted means more responsibility and less time with the family, then bring that up to your employer. There’s got to be a happy medium, they have what you need: stable job, you have what they need: talent, professionalism, commitment. See what other options are available to you perhaps two days of the week you can work longer hours and shorter hours on the other days or maybe on some days leave early but work from home.

Commitment. Never, ever give up. The more darts you throw the better you get at your aim and one is bound to hit the bullseye.

Things to get ready:

  • Resume / Cover Letter
  • Update your Linked In and clean up other social media accounts
  • Network every day and everywhere – you will never know who is listening if you don’t talk
  • Join professional organizations that are in your field of interest
  • Get yourself an A+ Outfit
  • Personality is KEY, but always keep it professional

If you do not take chances, you will never know what you’re capable of.

 

 

 

 

 

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Everyday Heroes E.03

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This week we are sharing the story of Alex Clay, who shows us how a little empathy goes a long way. He truly embodies the traits of a leader and is an example to follow. Serving your community is the greatest service of all.

During Hurricane Sandy I rolled up to a house that looked like all the others before. I rang the doorbell and there stood a woman in her early 30’s holding a baby. I conducted the inspection and afterwards sat down to explain my findings. When she told me that her husband had passed away unexpectedly the month before and she was going through this all by herself. I provided her my personal phone and took the time to help her through the whole claim process for several months. We still communicate to this day.

Treating people with empathy can make all the difference in their lives and you never know how much it could mean at the time. We’re in an industry where we deal with people during a crisis. Thank you Alex for showing up the right way!

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How to Get Things Done: Webinar Highlight

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Last Friday, Jane Bolin taught us How to Get Things Done.  While we had over 50 people tuned in, if you missed it, here are some of our top takeaways.

In a world when 98% of employees are impacted by stress and 97% of employees struggle with work-life balance, changing how we manage our time is the best way to help ourselves .

What are we dealing with now?

  • 90% responded with having 150+ emails in their inbox.
  • 75% responded to checking email always or often throughout the day, even when working on other things.
  • 25% responded that they rarely schedule times for working on the things they have to do that day.
  • 75% believe they simply have too much to do and not enough time to do it in.
  • 75% multi-task, try to work on several things at once.
  • 75% write new things to do on available scraps of paper or just try and remember.
  • 80% accept promises from other they are sure they won’t keep.

 

 

hab•it (habit) n.

  • A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition. An established disposition of the mind or character.

Jane’s Top 3 Productivity Hacks

  1.  Capture Everything
  • Pick one capture tool.
  • Take it with you everywhere.
  • Capture the thoughts that come to mind.
  • Capture everything you want to keep.

Studies show on average that any new, intuitive thought will fade away in 37 seconds. In 7 minutes, it’s gone forever.

2.  Schedule what you said you would do

  • Empty the capture tool every day.
  • Calendar everything. If there is an occasion to do it, it is more likely you will do it.
  • Create this as an absolute habit.

3.  Create in Future Based Language

  • How you feel + as if what you are saying you are going to do is accomplished = Intention statement.
  • What are you going to accomplish?
    • Draft Motion OR I am crushing this case and meeting my billables. Hawaii!
    • Bill Time OR Making money and doing what I do best!
    • Gym OR I am strong and healthy in my size 6!

 

Thank you Jane for this engaging webinar! You can reach Jane Bolin, Esq. at Jane@peytonbolin.com or @janefbolin on Twitter.

 

Tune in Friday, February 16th at noon EST for our next webinar on Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders Through Effective Mentoring

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Everyday Heroes E.02

Being in Claims is a noble career. When someone is dealing with an unforeseen and unfortunate situation, insurance companies are there to give them the financial support they may not have had on their own. Claims professionals are one of the first people they talk to when dealing with a difficult situation. In this series, we will highlight stories of claims professionals being an “Everyday Hero.”

In our first installment of “Everyday Heroes” we shine the spotlight on RISE Award Winner Julie Rock-Chatellier, Director of Quality Assurance and Claims Operations for Provencher & Company.

Tell us about a time that you helped an insured through a difficult time.
“I think the times that stand out the most in my career of helping insured’s during difficult times were the months after Hurricane Katrina. It has set the tone for not only myself, but for our company, in how we approach customer service. Being a local person who was also dealing with the aftermath on a personal level helped calm the anxiety of many insureds during that time. Having to deal with damage to our home & my husband’s business and then being able to calmly tell the anxious insured “I understand your frustrations”, and truly meaning it, put many people at ease. I’ve found it to be a source of comfort for other insureds during other catastrophe events throughout the country; to know the people they are talking to truly have lived with their own devastating events too. At Provencher & Company we make it part of our training process for all staff to always go that extra mile in customer services; always striving to put the insured at ease during their claim process.”

Julie, we thank you for being a true hero and an inspiration to us all!

Tune in next Wednesday for more Everyday Heroes

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