Angela Lee (pictured), senior vice chairman – regional claims director, southeast at Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), can attest to feeling burnout and fatigue throughout her 21 years within the insurance coverage trade.
“I’ve certainly felt it at various points throughout my career,” stated Lee. “One factor that I’ve discovered not too long ago is that prioritizing self-care is important. It’s been difficult at time to search out the time to squeeze in actions.
“I have a rule where if it’s on my calendar, it’s going to happen. So, I found that it’s been helpful for me is to schedule time. I make appointments with myself, whether it’s just to go out to Starbucks, or to meet a friend or a colleague for lunch, just to take a step away from my desk.”
Lee, who is about to talk on a panel on the Women in Insurance Atlanta summit in March, is aware of all too properly how tough it may be to change off whereas working from residence throughout COVID-19. Having joined MMA two years in the past on the top of pandemic, she was additionally decided to show herself in her new function.
“There was never a time to turn off because your computer was always there. I felt like it was probably working longer hours and taking on more work,” the insurance coverage head recalled. “There’s a lot of stress that comes with trying to prove yourself in a new role and get a sense of the company and your responsibilities.”
How can ladies be higher allies to different ladies within the office?
For Lee, inner strain performs a major function in ladies’s burnout ranges. Managing their roles at residence and at work could be immensely taxing for girls, who usually discover themselves the first caretaker of their kids. But ladies additionally must champion one another throughout tough occasions by displaying empathy, she stated.
“I think we often feel like we must do more than our male counterparts to show our worthiness in particular role, especially the higher up we go,” Lee defined. “The inner strain causes us to remain up and work late, work weekends, and generally even carve out time from our households simply to have the ability to show ourselves.
“Because we do hold ourselves to a higher standard, I have often found that women can be tough on each other. We hold each other accountable, which is great. But I think we need to do that in an empathetic way, and to be an ally and support for each other.”
The vicious cycle of inner strain and burnout can take a toll on working ladies. Lee stated this was particularly heightened for her throughout COVID-19, nevertheless it’s additionally helped her develop extra perspective about her work-life stability and psychological well being.
“You get to a point where you’re like, ‘What am I doing this for?’” Lee stated. “It gives you some perspective about what’s important, about valuing your mental health and being at your best so that you can lead your team the right way. It made me think about what I could do better, and the fact that I do need to prioritize.”
How can insurance coverage leaders forestall the burnout amongst workers?
Instituting much-needed adjustments in her every day routine, work prioritization, and self-care habits have made an enormous distinction for Lee. As an insurance coverage chief, she desires to make sure her workers can overcome extreme fatigue. The key, she stated, is communication.
Burnout is contagious. It creates each upstream and downstream implications for everybody concerned.
So, how are you going to forestall burnout?
Set wholesome boundaries. pic.twitter.com/Yw83qfSPig
— Google Cloud Tech (@GoogleCloudTech) December 26, 2022
“I encourage my team to be open and frequent in their communications. I have regular catchups with them to ask, ‘How is your workload? Are there concerns with the volume? Do you have issues with capacity?’ and I want them to be vocal and honest,” Lee defined. “It helps to have significant discussions about managing the workload, particularly if changes have to be made.
“There are many different ways now to take away some tasks that are contributing to fatigue so that claims professionals can focus on more meaningful tasks.”
And opposite to what some could imagine, burnout isn’t cured by merely taking a vacation. Leaders should tackle the underlying causes of stress amongst their workers in the event that they wish to see significant enhancements in morale and keep away from turnover.
“If I take time for some rest and relaxation, certainly that can ease the exhaustion in the moment. But it doesn’t address the root issues of the burnout, which is often your workload, time commitments, and obligations you have with internal and external stakeholders,” Lee stated.
The annual Women in Insurance Atlanta summit goals to highlight ladies and their achievements and contributions to the trade. Register now for the in-person convention, which will likely be held on the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel on March 2, 2023.