Worcester Business Journal

30 Worcester Business Journal | January 6, 2020 | wbjournal.com In today's automated systems and services, it's a breath of fresh air to be able to reach to someone and talk to them about what you are looking for. After all, personalized services is something a lot of people still look in the insurance industry. 10) Find an agent you are comfortable with and who understands your needs. If there is ever a claim, they will do a whole lot more hand holding and walk you through the process. 9) Shop all your lines together. Do not have your auto policy with one carrier and the home policy with another. Call your agent to make sure they bundle all the policies together. 8) Pay attention to your coverages. Although we all enjoy saving money, when it comes to a claim, the most important thing is having the right coverages. 7) Switching carriers every year will have a negative impact in your premiums. Carriers can see your retention and when they see you are a jumper, they will not offer you their best rate. Instead, look to switch every 4-5 years. 6) Having low limits of liability has a negative impact on your rates. Carriers like to see responsible drivers, and drivers who value the importance of having good limits of liability. 5) Ask your agent for an umbrella policy. This policy is sadly too often overlooked. Umbrella policy is an extra layer of liability going beyond the limits of someone's auto or home insurance policy. This comes into play when your underlying liability limits on your auto or home insurance have been reached. This policy will further protect you from a potentially devastating liability claim or judgment. 4) If you are a real estate investor, try to include on the lease agreements to have your tenants carry renters insurance on their own. This benefits the landlord just as much as the tenant. If someone is injured in the tenant's unit, the tenant does not carry renters insurance, and the individual who was injured has inadequate health insurance, they can file a claim against the landlord. 3) Every small business needs General Liability Insurance. This will help cover the costs of claims made against your business for bodily injury or property damage. 2) When adding a young driver to your auto policy, ask your agent for qualifying discounts such as good student discount and driver's education. See if your insurer company offers a telematics device program, which will help to collect driving habits and allow you can discuss the results with your teen. 1) Life insurance is very important. Think of what financial burden you will be leaving behind for your loved ones. Mortgage, car loans, credit cards, college tuition and even your funeral expenses. All this can have a dramatic impact on your family and their lifestyle. K N O W H O W Nice guys finish first: So skills key to success 10 1: C R E A T I N G S W I M L A N E S Y ou've heard the phrase, "Stay in your lane." In many business processes, those lanes need to overlap for maximum productivity, and a swimlane diagram – sometimes called a cross-functional diagram, functional band or multicolumn chart – can be the answer. It just might be your business' handy new tool for the new year. Containing columns with what responsibilities fall to who and how they all come together shows how all contributors pitch in at each stage. Accuracy is key. For maximum value, your swimlane diagram should be created by either interviewing the people performing the tasks or observing them. According to AllAboutLean. com, your goal is not to get an idea of how the process should be performed, but rather, how it really is performed. "Do some digging for things that do not go as planned, where the information was incomplete," advises the website, interviewing those who perform the work. "Try to incorporate this in your value stream map as much as possible." Explore templates. ere are many online templates for swimlane diagrams out there, and as Jill Duffy at PC Magazine states, "You might just find a diagram you didn't even know you needed, such as a business decision- making diagram for responding to emergencies. Need to post a first-aid chart in your office break room?" Fully investigating all options better positions companies to realize full swimlane value. Analysis leads to continuous improvement, especially from a personnel standpoint, according to BusinessPort.net. By visually representing what everyone is responsible for – documents, data and approvals, or those who receive output such as vendors – companies can be proactive. "In-depth swimlane diagrams will reveal steps where additional help or skills are called for, or even team members that are not required, or who are being overworked or underused." 1 0 T H I NG S I know about . . . ...Insurance BY KATHY RENTSCH Special to the Worcester Business Journal S o skills are competencies uniquely human and fast becoming more valuable in today's technology-driven world. We hear a lot from businesses asking us for so-skills training, which opens up a dialog on why they are important in our global marketplace. So why do so skills matter so much to businesses? With the rapid growth of technology, training your employees in one discipline may not last very long; however, training in so skills will have a much longer shelf life. Companies hiring employees with strong so skills ensure a productive, collaborative, healthy and effective work environment. So skills can include adaptability, communication, creative thinking, decision-making, positivity, time management, motivation, and conflict resolution. According to data from LinkedIn, the leading so skills companies are looking for in 2019 are creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and time management. LinkedIn's survey took these findings a step further, noting of the 4,000 senior leaders surveyed, 57% valued so skills more than hard skills. LinkedIn's 2019 Global Talent Trends, which surveyed 5,165 talent and managers, found so skills were what employers wanted. A total of 80% of those surveyed said they were struggling to find better so skills in the marketplace. Cultivating so skills prepares people for successful careers, whether they are just entering the workforce or are a seasoned veteran. Companies oen have existing employees who need a refresher course in so skills, or even a crash course to take their employees to the next level within their company. For those companies, there are a multitude of available training programs statewide. Community colleges are a great place for employers to go and find training programs tailored to teach these critical workplace skills. At Quinsigamond Community College, businesses in the region have expressed an overwhelming need for assistance in this area, which spurred our Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education to offer so skills training. For those businesses looking for quality employees, identifying strong so skills is a key sign to a good employee. While a great resume is certainly a favorable tool for a job candidate to have in his/her toolbox, assessing that candidate for so skills is imperative in a company's hiring process. Professionalism, body language, and composure are all ways a potential employee can begin to make an impression when in an interview, and a way in which a company can begin to gain an insight into a candidate's so skills aptitude. When an interviewer asks a job candidate a problem-solving question and/or a question about past collaborations with others who had a different perspective, additional insight about the candidate is gained. While this is not a guarantee of finding the ideal employee, it is a good indicator in assessing so skills. Additionally, leadership plays a key role in company success, which is intimately tied to robust so skills. Do you ever wonder why those in leadership positions are oen the most charismatic? While they may not have all the technical acumen of those under them, they are oen great leaders who can pull teams together with their strong interpersonal, so skills. Team success, project outcome and overall company-wide success are tied to having employees with strong so skills, and companies investing in improving their employees' so skills will reap the benefits today and for years to come. Kathy Rentsch is the assistant vice president for workforce readiness and innovation at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester. BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal W W W By Orieta Kristo Orieta Kristo is the principal of Horizon Insurance, Inc. in Worcester.

• Cover