With COVID-19, Carrier Execs, Employees Working From Home Abandon Regular Office Hours

July 9, 2020

Carrier executives and employees working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic have seen traditional business hours and office-space spontaneity go out the window, according to an exclusive Wells Media industry survey.

Approximately 42 percent of carrier respondents said they’re working off-hours now that they are clocking in at home. About half said they’re working longer hours, the Wells Media 2020 Property/Casualty Insurance Industry Coronavirus Survey determined.

Those results from 521 carrier respondents compare similarly with the survey’s broader industry survey responses. Approximately 40 percent of 1,678 respondents from across the industry said they are working off hours, and 42 percent said they’re working longer hours.

Carrier executives and their teams are also curbing impromptu calls and meetings, according to the survey. Nearly half of respondents said they are doing more scheduled calls and meetings rather than spontaneous ones.

Similarly for the broader survey, 40 percent said they’re doing more scheduled calls and meetings.

One bright note that underscores how the insurance industry is adapting: 42 percent of carrier respondents said working from home during the pandemic has prompted them to learn new apps and technologies. Approximately 40 percent of the broader survey respondents said the same things.

Few carrier respondents expressed frustration at not being able to work in the office. Just 17 percent said there were some things they can’t do outside of their traditional office workplace. For the larger survey, 22 percent felt similarly.

Interested in taking a deeper dive? Visit our Research and Trends page for more industry results or to learn how we can help with custom surveys for your employees based on the same questions.

The Wells Media 2020 Property/Casualty Insurance Industry Coronavirus Survey drew a total of 1,704 individual responses from a cross-section of the industry. Of the total respondents, 54 percent work in agencies and brokerages, 31 percent are with insurers and reinsurers. About 10 percent are industry vendors and 5 percent are based in other insurance-related organizations. This story is based on carrier responses, compared with the overall results. Carrier respondents include CEOs, owners, C-suite executives, managers, underwriters and claims adjusters.