We need to talk about the talent pipeline. My office is 90% over 50 and no one under 30 sticks around longer than a year. Insurance isn’t sexy, but it is stable and that should be a selling point. So why can’t we recruit and retain younger people?

From a claims perspective it is because they get worked like dogs. Two weeks away from my last day before I retired, I got a total loss fire assignment. That reinforced my decision to get out as soon as I could. Doing so pissed off a lot of senior management as the little peeps generally don't have the resources to leave at 55. I did...

Semi retired now, spent 30 years at the same carrier, couldn't wait to get out and do my own independent adjusting thing, which I've successfully done for the last 8 years (63 now). One benefit of gray hair is the contractors finally take me seriously, that and I show up in a truck and not a company sedan!

My career started off good in the late 80s, got mediocre when PCs came along in the 90s as we could do more and got way more work, and would up being volcanic stressful Hell by the end in 2017. I hung on for the excellent retirement package which consists of employee level (same monthly contribution as active employees) health benefits from 55 to 65 and a pension, while younger people who weren't grandfathered in on that plan came and went.

Have been collecting my pension for 8 years now. It was worth it, but man, it was rough. Per my calculations, if I did the volume of work as an IA that I did as an employee I would make around 250K a year. The final straw was a total loss fire assignment two weeks ahead of my last day while I was supposedly "winding down" my caseload.

A few anecdotes:

1) I mentored a former gang cop, he lasted less than a year and said at the end he would rather be shot at by gang members than work insurance claims.

2) Right at the end of my tenure, I mentored a former air traffic controller, he assisted on the house fire I mentioned with the Contents loss, I handled the structure. He quit after I left but apparently lasted about a year. He told me the job was too stressful. This from a former air traffic controller.

And that is why the younger folks don't stay in claims, which is the world I know. With no nice benefits at the end of the stressful rainbow, why would they? In the end I can't complain, I would have left too absent the golden handcuffs they had on me.

The excess supply of useless Vice Presidents sure do hang around though. If I was in charge, I'd get rid of half of the VPs and hire more front line staff to make their lives livable and to enhance customer service.

I've been at my job for 12 years, started at 25. The reason so many you ger people leave has NOTHING to do with being "unprepared for the corporate world". It's the room for growth. The only reason I'm still at my company is I've been given several huge pay raises. But how did I get them? Certainly not just show up day in and day out excelling in my work, which is exactly what I've always done. I have resigned twice for better opportunities. Both times I was instantly countered with more money, better benefits etc. However, prior to me resigning, our team was told there were no raises and no promotions several years in a row.

It's a simple fact of life in today's day and age. The only way to get ahead is to find better opportunities. The reason older people stay longer, is that is what they've been groomed to do. It's a lot easier to have loyalty to a company when there is a pension to look forward to. Those days are gone, so why show any loyalty to a company when you can make moves and better your own career?

The bottom line is that most companies impose impossible “best practices” and metrics which are unattainable. People get tired of being told they’re not meeting standards, while working 60 hours a week

The new talent is so unprepared for the corporate work place. It's a good thing AI is going to help the handful excel and the rest fail miserably

Just my 2 cents- I believe pay and benefits compared to work load just makes people not give a 💩 anymore. In most cases you only get any kind of significant pay bump as a result of moving to a different company. I've been in insurance for about 10 years now, mid 30s, veteran, and have worked since I was 14. I have tenacity and will go through a lot of bs before I will call it quits with companies. In my experience, I become the "oh she can do this task too" person and become the unofficial trainer, IT, agency management system tech, and general problem/fire putter outter in addition to my normal job of an account manager and producer. My pay never reflected all of those extra tasks that I took on to be a team player and help my office and co workers out. When it was blatantly not appreciated whether by outright saying "well, you can just take on such and such's job duties too, we dont need to hire a new person to backfill. Heres $1.50 extra/ hr" (sometimes no additional compensation, and keep in mind at this point i was sub $20/hr) or asking me to sign a non-compete that would force me to move if I ever chose to leave that company. When these are the types of companies we work at- youre damn right we aren't going to stay for 20+ years. There's no pension at the end of those 20+ years and frankly, had I stayed at the first office I started at I would still be making less than $30/hr (I know this because another girl who started there before I did is!!) In spite of my production being exceptional, continually furthering my insurance knowledge, etc. I have enough experience now that there are certain boundaries that are absolutely non-negotiable for me now. I will not work through lunch unless there is absolutely something on fire that cannot wait, I am done at exactly close of business unless something is absolutely on fire, and if at any point I believe you aren't valuing me I am up management's a** and let them know that I will be looking for other opportunities if they can't find the money to increase my pay to market standard. I am damn good at my job and know that I am an asset wherever I go, I (and my family) won't suffer financially because a company doesn't want to give me a fair shake for what I bring to the table

The reason the younger employees might not stay could be due to the 90% over 50 majority. If I were in the 10% and everyone had 20 + years on me I'd feel like promotions wouldn't get to for a decade or two.

It might also be tiring explaining how to attach a PDF to an email. (Joking, kind of)

Funny that you should say that "insurance isn't sexy". I once had the Head of HR tell me that we needed to make insurance sexy! The strategy at that company was to work with the local colleges and provide internships. That have the students exposure to insurance in all areas. You don't know what you don't know and I thought this was a fabulous idea and I wish more insurance companies would reach out to college kids and implement a similar strategy. It helps everyone out.

From what I’ve seen, that 90% is ”close” to retirement and just sticking it out. If there have been changes over the 10- 20 years since they started, the changes are not appealing for the long haul for that 10%.

The younger generation does not want to answer the phone and they hate getting yelled at by claimants.

I work at progressive and most of the time I feel like the old guy and I'm in my early 40s. Don't think we are having that problem at all.

Good book I read on this called Claims Burnout, Recharge Strategies for Adjusters, talks about burnout and how the younger folks are not staying, veterans are leaving without being able to transfer knowledge.

So why not focus on hiring more Generation X and Baby Boomers?

I left because it became an ethical issue. State ethics code demands we handle each equally and promptly. However when you are handed a massive amount of work and work 50-70 hours a week (only paid for 40) not able to keep up. And the company starts firing adjusters for not meeting output expectations, you figure out it’s probably going to you next. They actually had me meet with the regional manager during the exit interview. He was not happy to hear my opinion that the company was placing adjusters in near violation of their licenses and that I knew other adjusters in other offices went home at 4 pm every day, while we worked frequently till 6. It ended up not being worth the stress. Appears they made some changes after I left, but they were kinda short lived.

I grew up very close to the insurance company I ended up working for. In college, my mom would suggest that I apply there. “They always have good jobs available!” “Oh mom, I can’t think of anything more boring.” Mama is always right! Lol. When I started working here is when I discovered how interesting the insurance industry could be! Not sure how to convey that to new graduates. Maybe talk up some of the cool applications of AI to claims processing, home protection, etc.?

We have a lot of young people where I work. Most are Gen X or younger. There are a few adjusters in their 60s and several in their 50s.

One thing I’ve noticed is that some of the younger ones who are relatively new don’t have the tenacity. They can be quick to find out they don’t like the job, don’t understand the reasons for things and then just push back and don’t make the effort to wrap their heads around it. Then they just sort of check out, give the absolute minimum effort and wait for the other shoe to drop. I’m not saying this is all of them, just some. When I was that age there were plenty of people in my peer group who had similar behavior and attitudes. There are some in every generation and workplace.

I see what you’re saying about burnout and too much work. I think that’s coupled with just the amount they get paid versus where they can transfer to get paid similarly.

Also, I hate when people use the term sexy in an unsexual way. I mean, just say attractive.

My office (Large Company side) is mostly talented people from early 20s to early 30s. There are only a handful of us industry veterans in the 40-60 year old range. We've recently picked up some solid hires from the broker side, but keep in mind that the younger generation are more likely to seek advancement and salary jumps by moving around a lot, whereas people in my generation fell for the "loyalty" trap.

The younger generation is definitely in the industry, and as the job market tightens, I'd anticipate seeing more of them in our ranks...just don't expect them to put down roots.

Looking for advice on next steps in my career. I’m in my early 20s and have about 2 years of experience working under an insurance agent, mainly focused sales and customer service for personal lines. I’m considering moving into commercial underwriting to broaden my knowledge and strengthen my overall profile. Does anyone suggest this path or if you suggest any alternatives?

The company that I work with allows me to make the money that I want and have the lifestyle that I want. We have people of all ages and backgrounds. It takes a lot of work and in the beginning they don't want to work. It's worth it but requires hard work.