New kid on the block
My first three months at initio
Change is as good as a holiday they say, so after nearly a decade at my previous company, I made the leap, dusted off my CV, stumbled my way through the interviews and signed the contract with initio. But now I had to actually meet new people – ugh. And then there were the considerations around what to wear. Nothing screams that you’re a giant dork like being the only person wearing corporate attire when everyone else is in trendy sneakers & tee’s. The first morning of my new job, after a restless night worrying about everything and nothing probably ranked a solid eight on my anxiety scale. About the same as when I’m not sure whether someone is going for a handshake, high-five, hug, or kiss on the cheek, and I guess wrong. But the good news is that I’ve gotten through the first three months here at initio and I’ve now been here long enough to gather my thoughts about what it’s like to work here and the way it operates. So here are my first impressions;
They have some incredibly smart people working here.
When I say smart, I mean IT smart, which means they’re right at the top of the intelligence pyramid and they keep using words I don’t understand. This is because one of initio’s strengths is digital technology, so we have a very switched-on ‘dev’ (developer) team. They are responsible for keeping our frictionless digital insurance platform in tip-top shape by performing constant updates as well as upgrades. This has meant that I’ve learned I didn’t know quite as much as I thought I did when it comes to the IT realm. To quote a classic movie; ‘You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means’. Yes, that actually happened to me. That experience also ranked pretty highly on my anxiety scale.
Additionally to our talented IT team, our claims and support departments also have smart and savvy team members. Their skills, knowledge and all-around commitment to providing the best service out there are second to none. In fact, I’m surrounded by awesome people who have accepted me into their fold and made me feel right at home.
Positive vibes in spades
I can honestly say that I’ve never worked for a company that’s more committed to creating a healthy company from the inside out. By this, I mean that staff are provided with an incredibly generous and supportive environment which then means that as an employee, we are more willing to go the extra distance for initio. This positive internal culture is nurtured by weekly yoga, a strong social game and rewarding our staff when initio achieves various goals we set for ourselves. This is all great news for our customers who then talk to happy, helpful initio team members.
We’re focused on why we do business
I’ve heard repeatedly since I started working here that initio wants to turn what people think about insurance on its head. Some of the giants in the insurance industry can make their customers jump through hoops when it comes time to pay claims. Initio believes that we should be able to pay (uncomplicated) claims out just as quickly as we get paid for the premium. We’re proud of the fact that we’ve been able to deliver on this for a few simple claims already.
Don’t be suspicious of their affordable pricing.
Talking to my friends and family about my new job would usually lead to us jumping on initio’s website to generate a quick house insurance quote (… which because of those uber-smart people I mentioned, only takes about 5 seconds). They would always ask me ‘why is it cheaper?’ and I initially didn’t actually have a good answer. I’ve since learned that initio is on a mission to offer affordable insurance but with the essential bells and whistles homeowners need. In a nutshell, they save costs by keeping everything online. Customer policies, invoices and all communications are all managed online via the client dash. This in turn means no humans quadruple handling things, not to mention unnecessary printing or postage costs. These efficiency savings are passed on to their customers through their affordable pricing structure.
So there you have it, my first few months in a nutshell. All of the above points are just my humble opinion of course, but I can honestly say that my friends have asked me ‘are you glad you changed jobs?’ and my answer has been an emphatic ‘Yep, so much happier!’.
By Megan Fisher, initio Marketing Manager