Working to Support Partners and Colleagues
Elise & Pedro, of Vesuvio Labs, took the opportunity to virtually e-meet Hannah and Colin in May 2020 to talk about working from home routines and ARAG’s business experience throughout COVID-19.
Hannah Fraser is Communication & Events Manager and Colin Fennelly is City Account Manager, both at ARAG, Germany’s largest family-owned insurance business.
Hannah started by explaining “We are busier than normal, especially communicating with our business partners letting them know what we are doing and how projects are evolving, as well as the increased internal communications with our staff all working remotely.”
Colin emphatically agreed, “This is meeting number seven today, and it’s not my last.” Going on to say “Right from the beginning we were having plenty of enquiries and focused on addressing people’s needs on a personal basis. For example, the experience of our legal advice lines gave us insights about how to update the website help section, which really benefits our customers accessing information without them having to wait to speak with us.”
Turning to WFH with colleagues, they both recognised that the lock-down made it impossible to have a face-to-face experience and described how it had been replaced by organised internal communication sessions on a weekly basis. “It is a great way to get everyone engaged; to maintain a continued sense of community and support. This is a positive change, we have started to chat more frequently as friends not just talk about work, it means we get to know our colleagues much more personally. This motivates us and encourages us all.” they said.
Hannah added “We do morning team calls every day, sometimes there are things to discuss but sometimes it is just nice to catch up and to provide an update on how we are all doing. Because there are a lot of unknowns, we all recognise the importance of keeping morale high. Whatever the news, our teams and partners must know, accurately, what is going on.”
Colin agreed saying, “That is why we have introduced more regular and informative updates from the management team, currently we have a weekly Monday Morning Update to all staff from our MD using Microsoft Teams. In doing so, it is nice to see all the positive changes happening in our business as well and a great way to start the week by coming together on the call.”
Pedro asked about the preparations made for the lockdown itself and the anticipated impact of WFH. Colin replied, “The Sunday before the lockdown was imposed, extensive tests were made to ensure people could WFH and that the VPNs were working. They were, tech-wise, and everything was ready. At ARAG, we are quite used to working remotely with our many partners, so the challenges were not so much about remote working but more about being flexible over people’s schedules, knowing that many were looking after children, house care etc.”
He went on to observe “To work from home, you need to develop a routine; getting up, getting ready, having a list of things to do in the day, just like when you commuted to work, because you do actually go to work just the same! It is also important, I find, to keep a separation between home and work. I change rooms; at the end of the day I lock it off mentally and physically too, I just walk away. Family and social time is an important aspect that must be considered, so one routine naturally balances the other.”
Hannah commented, “Yes, I do agree, having a separate set up for an office area, if it is possible, is incredibly positive. I try to do some exercise too, taking lots of little breaks. As we said earlier, even though it’s virtual, it is important to interact with colleagues socially. For example, we have a quiz arranged, in a couple weeks, and will continue to run virtual social events for staff, in the same way that we have regular staff socials outside of the office.”
Hannah broadened Elise & Pedro’s question saying, “Managing recruitment and training from home is one of the challenges we do have in common with other companies. We had 3 new starters at the beginning of lockdown. We have inducted them, through video calls of course and it will be nice to meet them in person, soon I hope.”
“However,” said Hannah, “because of the enforced CV19 experience, I will remember that the interpersonal quality of contact with people has been even better now. We have learned the value of talking about other things, beyond work, with our colleagues. Our people will be remembered by the support they provided to business partners; this will strengthen and enrich our relationships with them, building further on our reputation as a trustworthy advisory firm in a post COVID-19 era and in all scenarios.”
Responding to this point Colin went on to add, “Obviously, we have partners of all kinds, to support our product fulfilment. We try to support all of them by networking and working collaboratively with colleagues as well. Naturally, they have their own concerns such as management issues, client issues, etc. It is so important to be accessible and to help promptly whenever possible. We have traditionally had this ethic, underpinning our relationships. It was always strong but now, people need the extra support as well.”
In conclusion, Pedro and Elise asked them both to reflect on what the future might have in store for ARAG. Hannah was clear about this, “As a company, we certainly have to consider how the market might change and how customers mindsets might be modified in response; in other words what this may mean for product design and service delivery.” Hannah felt that the question might really be “How can we power and lead the market by adding even more value and relevance to the products we offer.”
Colin, who was in complete agreement, picked up on this theme and added, “In the emerging GIG economy post COVID-19, there are certain new types of covers that are really pertinent. That is a fascinating area. Because the working environment is changing, products must address these new needs accordingly. We are innovative by nature here at ARAG and we can do this, effectively, by rethinking our business lines and inventing tomorrow.”
Disclaimer: the interview represents the interviewees’ point of view, not the employer.
Pedro & Elise, of Vesuvio Labs, would like to thank Hannah Fraser and Colin Fennelly for freely and generously giving their time for this interview.
ARAG provides an innovative and comprehensive range of legal expense insurance and assistance products to brokers, underwriting agents and insurers. Hannah is based in Bristol where ARAG UK has its headquarters and Colin works from the company’s London office.
ARAG products offer legal protection to businesses, families, motorists, and landlords, as well as a range of assistance products including Home Emergency, Landlord Emergency and Motor Breakdown.
Vesuvio Labs is a Venture builder based in London helping entrepreneurs by accelerating the process of turning ideas into a scalable business.
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Article written by the Vesuvio Labs’ team, by adviser Graham Ripley.
