See who's Making it Happen.

⏲️ Total read time: 9 minutes

 

Good morning. Huge news if you picked your March Madness bracket based on obscure bird mascots: both the Florida Atlantic Owls and the Miami Hurricanes (home of Sebastian the Ibis) made the men's Final Four. For the women, the Iowa Hawkeyes reached the Final Four for just the second time in history. Their prey? The South Carolina Gamecocks.

 

Here's to another exciting day of watching basketball (er, we mean work).

MAKING LAUGHS HAPPEN

It's a Funny Story

You might need a pen and paper for this one. Write down each of the following types of words. We'll tell you how to use them later, but you'll just have to trust us for now. And remember, one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is, "I don't need to write that down...I'll remember it."

🏢 EMC term

💯 Number

⏰ Specific time (a.m.)

🥃 Beverage 

👩🏼‍💻 EMC team member

🚴🏾‍♂️ Verb + ing

🎵 Favorite song lyric

🤪 Emotion

 

Season 9 NBC GIF By The Office via Giphy

MAKING SUCCESS HAPPEN

Oh My Gosh! Okay, It's Happening!

Wichita-Dallas cemented its place in EMC history when it took home the highly coveted Hynes-Gunn Challenge Cup in February. To put that into terms Dwight Schrute would understand, it's like him getting the Regional Manager position at Dunder Miffilin (#goals).

 

To get the skinny on how Wichita-Dallas pulled off the win, Circuit watched every relevant sales clip from The Office.

 

Just kidding, we asked Matt Fellers, VP – Branch Manager, avid bird watcher, aspiring bird photographer and most likely to have predicted this year's Final Four, to give us the secrets to how Wichita-Dallas flew to new heights in 2022. He had a lot to say, so no time to dilly-dally up here—let’s get to it.

 

First of all, it requires a bit of luck. Weather-related events are giving some branches a stapler encased in Jell-O and others a golden ticket. Mother nature has been kind to Wichita-Dallas, so luck was on their side.

 

But even without luck, they have their sales culture to rely on. Wichita-Dallas spent the past five years building a culture that prioritized ease of doing business—focusing on increasing responsiveness, only asking the questions that matter, and anticipating future needs to address them proactively. Their product isn’t so much insurance as it is customer service.

 

And they never give up. Like Jim Halpert pranking Dwight Schrute, Wichita-Dallas is relentless. “We aggressively pursue the business we want and diligently follow up on things we have pending,” says Matt. “We even follow up on the business we didn’t get to see if there’s something we could have done differently.”

Roadtrip!

The Hynes-Gunn Challenge Cup is OOO, headed on its inaugural tour to spend a day with team members from the winning branch. You can catch it enjoying tropical scenery, historical cities and up close encounters with a horse named Spider. Tammie Baker, Underwriting Supervisor and barrel racing competitor, helped Hynes-Gunn kick off its tour in style. Thanks for the hospitality, Tammie! 

 

Watch eSource for updates as we follow along and chronicle its epic journey.

Supporting Cast

A One EMC approach was a significant factor in Making the Hynes-Gunn win Happen for Wichita-Dallas. There are many non-branch departments that were critical to their success—so, thank you’s are owed.

Actuary

Actuary played a critical role in identifying the things holding Wichita-Dallas back. Once they stepped into the picture, the branch became a powerhouse in writing profitable business (including huge success with the manufacturing program, a market they hardly played in before EMC's niche focus).

Human Resources

With the labor market being red hot, underwriting experienced their share of turnover. But thanks to the resilience of Talent Acquisition, they’re now completely staffed. And with the highest caliber team they’ve had in … well, ever.

Season 3 Flirting GIF By The Office via Giphy

Agency Development, Claims, Rating, Billing, Risk Improvement … the list goes on. These departments helped with every customer and every account. Success was possible because of their diligence, hard work and commitment to our customers.

Setting the Bar Low is for Limbo

We asked Matt to share a pivotal moment that led to the branch’s success. He gave some advice on how teams can set the bar high regarding profitable growth: “Aggressively attack weak spots in your books. For example, we reviewed $40 million worth of business, account by account, and asked ourselves, ‘Would we write this again today?’ Through that process, Wichita-Dallas ended up non-renewing $10 million in unprofitable business.”

And the Million-Dollar Question

Q: Do you think you’ll win again next year?

Matt: Wichita and Dallas now operate as two separate branches, but I hope one of them can hold on to the cup! If we don't, I hope it’s because Wichita and Dallas had an incredible year, but another branch had an even better year.

 

MAKING WELLNESS HAPPEN

Well, Well, Well...

Choosing how to invest in personal wellness is like picking your first tattoo. The stakes are high and all the options can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, just like we wouldn’t let you get your ex’s name on your arm, we won’t leave you hanging when it comes to taking care of your well-being.

What Even is “Wellness”? 

It’s one of those terms you’ve heard thrown around a lot. But wellness is about more than just hitting the gym. Rather, it’s a general state of well-being, encompassing everything from mental health to healthy eating to fitness and “feel-good” activities like community involvement.

 

Circuit sat down with EMC Wellness Specialists, Kiley Huber and Ceyda Nazli, to round up a few actionable tips you can use when the well(ness) runs dry. Pour yourself a tall glass of celery juice and let's dive in.

💵 Mind on Your Money, Money on Your Mind

Financial health advice from Kiley: Grabbing that daily oat milk latte is an easy habit—after all, what’s a mere $4.35 in the moment? But small, routine purchases add up. Instead of daily indulgences, view treats from Starbucks or lunch at Jimmy Johns as rewards to enjoy occasionally and plan to bring your coffee or lunch from home (most days).

💬 Break the Ice

Social health advice from Ceyda: Creating a work culture where team members can develop supportive relationships with their colleagues is important for worker well-being. Fostering a sense of belonging can be as simple as delegating someone to kick off your team meetings with a fun question, then asking everyone to share their answer.

🧠 Vibe Check: Are You OK?

Mental health advice from Kiley: As humans, we face a range of emotions—frustration, joy, excitement, sadness—and sometimes, they impact us more than we care to admit. Verbal processing of your emotions can be a big help. When you say, “I see you, stress,” it moves from a reactive, scared place to a more centered spot of deliberation. So, next time you have big feels, talk to someone—a coworker, friend, your dog—or write it down in a journal.

🏋️‍♀️ Get Up, Stand Up, Come on Put Your Hands Up

Physical health advice from Ceyda: Whether at an office desk or on your couch (wait, you’re not still sitting on a couch, are you?!), sitting for long periods has been tied to poor health outcomes. Set a reminder on your phone, watch or computer for a quick 2–5-minute break to stretch, walk or do jumping jacks. If you can fit two breaks in your 9-to-5 workday, you’re golden.

✈️ Takeaway: While this is all good information (good job, us), it’s only the beginning. Learning about wellness is a lifelong endeavor that continues to morph as we age and our priorities shift. If you remember one thing from this article, remember this: Attention to wellness on a daily, small scale can help boost performance, curtail burnout and reduce stress levels (which, let’s face it, makes everyone from your boss to your significant other a happy camper).

 

PLEASE HOLD...

Call Me, Maybe?

If you’re looking for *checks notes* a telephone hotline for *checks notes* fun facts about CoreConnect, then, boy, does Joe Riesberg have a treat for you.

 

Like a Velveeta martini, it’s a bit unconventional, but you have to try it at least once. Call the CoreConnect hotline at 515-345-2221 for [begin robot voice] updates on CoreConnect training, a hoorah for a recent technology award, a check-in with our legacy Mapper systems and more. Dial in using any touchtone phone or 8x8 on your work computer [end robot voice].

 

Seriously. Give it a try before it’s gone. Unlike a sealed block of processed cheese product, this hotline and all its cheesy glory will expire on April 14.

 

MAKING SAFETY HAPPEN

That's a Bit Fishy

Scrubs - My Butterfly (S03E16) via Yarn

Operating a business without a safety evaluation is a bit like buying gas station sushi. Sure, that spicy crunchy salmon roll looks good now, but you never know what kinds of problems it’ll cause down the road.

The Story 

While the term “gas station sushi” has become synonymous with “things you shouldn’t trust,”—EMC is quite the opposite. We partner with policyholders to provide on-site loss control services that proactively identify potential hazards in the workplace and recommend solutions to eliminate them.

Go on...  

A service request typically comes from an underwriter, agent or directly from the insured. Depending on who initiated the request, the motivation behind it could be anything from improving the loss experience for a struggling account, or an insured's management team following through on their commitment to reducing risk on the property, among other reasons.

To learn more about EMC’s on-site safety walkthrough process, we sat down with Katie Thoren, Risk Improvement Engineer and committed safety expert (like, drive-14-hours-to-perform-one-on-site-safety-survey-level committed). She broke it down into five simple steps.

Here's How it Goes 

1.

Pull a loss run to identify what accidents are occurring and where.

 

2.

Determine what type of service to provide based on the loss run (i.e., slip, trip and fall assessment, security assessment, hazard control assessment).

 

3.

Walk the premises with the policyholder and take photos of our observations while recommending solutions in real-time; this allows the policyholder to provide any background on things they’ve already tried.

Katie in action. This is a dramatization.

 

4.

Email the full report of observations and recommendations to the policyholder.

 

5.

Follow up on any serious observations to ensure they’ve been addressed.

Bottom line: The benefits of an on-site safety walkthrough are obvious for a policyholder (more obvious than avoiding gas station sushi)—they get a fresh set of eyes on potential hazards and an assortment of solutions to help keep their employees safe and operations running smoothly.  

For EMC, reducing risks for our policyholders helps prevent claims, which leads to a more profitable book of business, which helps us on our Journey to 2025, which benefits us all through the One EMC bonus (whew—that was a lot). But perhaps most importantly, by offering this service, EMC has an opportunity to strengthen a relationship and enhance loyalty. Everyone wins (except gas station sushi).

 

MAKING GOOD HAPPEN 

Who Wore It Best?

JULIANA DREYER,

Event Coordinator

FLOYD PERRINE, 

Talent Acquisition Specialist II

AMY FERGUSON, 

Des Moines Branch Marketing Coordinator

Quick, before we all go back to work:

One outfit, three team members… Who wore it best?

Trick question—they all wore it best. Because when you rep your EMC volunteer t-shirt, you take one small fashionable step in the direction of “look good, do good.” At EMC, community is more than just another buzzword. We strive to create lasting change within the communities where we work and live. And it starts with the dedication of our team members, who are leveraging their volunteer time off (VTO) hours to make a real impact.

Dang, You Look Helpful  

Wearing your volunteer t-shirt makes a statement that says, “I’m a well-rounded and compassionate person, and I’m here to help.” In 2022, team members used 2,920 hours of VTO. If you’re looking for some new ideas on how to use your VTO this year, we have a few thoughts…including at least one you may not have heard of:

 

  • When you have extra time—Use it. From delivering meals to writing letters to the elderly, there are lots of ways to give back. Search AmeriCorps, United Way and VolunteerMatch, to name a few, for ways to help.
  • When you’ve got mad skills—Use them. You can do good by doing whatever you’re good at. Think tutoring, bookkeeping and graphic design. Tap into resources like Taproot Foundation and Catchafire for pro bono opportunities.
  • When you want to change a life—Do it. Donating hair, blood or plasma could make a difference for someone. And even save a life. Ask your doctor or use the American Red Cross’s search tool to find a blood drive near you.

 

At EMC, we’re more than just an insurance company. But if you need further convincing, read EMC's ESG Report to learn about how we’re making a measurable impact on the environment and in our communities. And remember, caring looks good on everyone.

 

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Thursday To-Do List

✅ Spoiler alert: The new Thrive platform launches on April 3; watch your email for more information tomorrow

✅ The perfect Annual Report doesn't exist ... actually, it's right here

✅ Appreciate diversity: Close out Women’s History Month with a featured course in Learning Central

✅ Deep dive: Watch Innovation Unplugged for the full story behind Wichita-Dallas' Hynes-Gunn win

✅ Remember to wish Scott Jean a happy birthday on Friday, March 31!

 

MAKING LAUGHS HAPPEN

This MadLib is [ADJECTIVE]

Grab that piece of paper you wrote your words on and insert them into the blanks below. There are no winners or losers, only laughter.

If you produce any funny ones, submit them here so we can laugh along with you. Scott Jean, President and CEO, will pick a few of his favorites and read them during the next episode of The Jean Report.

This year, we’re Making [EMC TERM] Happen, and I hereby promise to give [NUMBER]% toward achieving our goals. I’ll start each day at [MORNING HOUR] a.m. with a cup of lukewarm [BEVERAGE] while I catch up on the latest eSource news. [EMC TEAM MEMBER] says [VERB+ING] is key to our success, so I spend two hours per day practicing. And when I need a mental break, I reflect on my favorite inspirational quote, “[FAVORITE SONG LYRIC].” Dang, I’m so [EMOTION] working at EMC!

 
 

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