“There is this misconception that the only way to grow or advance is to move into leadership. Some people just don't want that or aren’t sure”, says Andrea.
“We want to give people an experience who aren't sure if they want to. We'll find opportunities to allow them to try their hand in things like the mentorship program, where they have an unofficial way of helping to grow talent.”
On the Insurance Coffee House Podcast this week, Andrea shares her career journey in HR.
“It all started with a knack for numbers and data. I was drawn into the world of compensation because it beautifully combined my analytical side with that human aspect.
In compensation, you have to know the business inside and out, you have to know how your sales people are motivated, how the company earns money.
I always found myself really closely connected to our leaders in the business and working on programs to incentivize and drive performance in the organization.”
Andrea discusses what she learned from being part of staffing business, TrueBlue, where she rose from Director of Compensation & Benefits to Chief People Officer over 12.5 years.
She joined AssuredPartners as Chief Human Resources Officer in June 2023 and highlights the transition from staffing to insurance.
“One of the things that I was drawn to at AssuredPartners was their unwavering dedication to people.
There's such a strong connection to fostering a culture of learning and development and that's something that really resonated with me.
Believe it or not, there’s a lot of similarities. Whether it's on the staffing side or on the insurance side, you really need to know your customer, what impacts them.
In insurance, the thing that is really compelling is there's such an incredible tie to protecting people's livelihoods. Whether it's their business, their health, their employees.
There's something really heartwarming about helping people protect the things that are most important to them.”
Based in the US, UK and Ireland, with just over 10,000 employees, Andrea shares her passion for nurturing and advancing talent at AssuredPartners.
“I am incredibly passionate about ensuring there's a clear path and trajectory for their growth and the importance of our employees feeling valued, recognized and knowing their company envisions a future alongside them.
Discussing the initiatives to foster growth and development, Andrea says,
“Our mentorship programs are game changers. There's something truly magical about pairing up employees with seasoned pros.
And we're cooking up something extra special this year, which like a Master's degree in AssuredPartners leadership. It's almost like a VIP experience, tailored just for them and their success.
We also recognize there's another piece of the puzzle, which is heavily focused on building content and experiences for our individual contributors. It makes our employees fiercely loyal.”
Andrea highlights that developing in your career doesn’t always equate to going in to a leadership role.
“When it comes to fostering growth and development, there's more to it than just your typical learning programs. First off, there's the structural piece around job or role architecture.
These give employees that framework for career paths and for development. A road map that helps show them exactly what they need to do to move up that ladder.
For those who really do want to help us grow to the next level, it’s really helping them to learn how to be a leader.”
Andrea showcases the outcomes the business has seen as a result of learning and development initiatives.
“In 2023 we promoted over 550 people in our organization with 77% of those being women.
Our employees are highly engaged and we have very low voluntary turnover...
