Workers across New South Wales (NSW) are currently required to work from home – unless it is not reasonably practicable to do so – after new restrictions were announced for all of regional NSW over the weekend. With the entire Australian state now under stay-at-home orders, what does this mean for affected insurance brokers?
“From a management perspective, my biggest concern is the mental health of my team – trying to maintain connection during these lockdowns is vital to keep morale and culture,” ARMA Insurance Brokers managing director Amanda Morris (pictured immediately below) told Insurance Business. “Each person has their own battles with working from home; they just differ in magnitude.
“One of my team members’ entire family recently moved to WA (Western Australia), and with the announcements coming from that state regarding access for NSW residents, it’s mentally hard for her to accept she may not see her family for months – or years, who knows. This is a flow-on effect from COVID and the decisions of our government, which I still feel is lacking attention or weight within the community.”
Morris, whose business is based in Maitland, also cited the “special place” held by insurance brokers in the lives of many clients who have become their friends.
“You find you are a sounding board at times and clients just want to be heard,” she said. “It’s more than insurance for us; it’s relationships, it’s support, and it’s about doing what we can to maintain that for them and for our team.
“I feel for the brokers that specialised in certain industries like pubs and restaurants. It must be a very difficult time for them right now and their clients. We have a book that is diverse not just in risk but clientele, so we are relatively sheltered. Our mining industry here in the Hunter Valley also shields us from economic downturn heavily.”
In Morris’s view, the top concern for many business owners at this point relates to uncertainty.
The MD, who is also a business coach, asserted: “Extended lockdowns week after week with no real plan is difficult to navigate for any business owner. I understand it’s a hard situation, but the community needs a tad more certainty about the direction, as at present it’s like a hot potato we just keep throwing around, and that is not financially or mentally viable, I’m afraid, from a business point of view.
“I encourage communities to keep using your local small businesses, especially those doing takeaways and working within the rules to keep their doors open. We need these businesses here after this storm clears, and I fear they won’t be if we don’t support them as best we can now.”
Morris, meanwhile, highlighted that ARMA Insurance Brokers has become “very nimble” and adaptive to change following the 2020 lockdowns. This has allowed them to continue to trade and offer the same level of service to clients.
“Our industry is lucky we have the ability to adapt and change,” she stated. “Insurance is a product that many Australians still need and want, so I think we should be extremely grateful for that as many fellow business owners have a lot less than this right now. Remain positive, spread connection and respect that we are all suffering in different ways, sprinkle kindness like glitter and be an advocate for humanity as a whole, is my advice.”
For Caringbah-based Dean Bowen (pictured immediately above), managing director at both DLB Insurance & Risk Solutions and Hardline Insurance Brokers, high on the agenda is supporting his employees.
“As we enter another week of lockdown in NSW with much innuendo around when life will go back to normal and what the new normal will look like, I think it’s important to focus on exactly what you can control,” Bowen told Insurance Business.
“My focus has been on my staff and making sure they are supported enough. I think work-life balance is as important as it’s ever been right now, as is making sure you keep morale up. Thank your staff for their efforts at the end of the day, celebrate the small wins, keep the banter going, and make the time they spend working each day a positive experience where they are valued.”
Aviso Group chief executive Craig Robson (pictured immediately below), meanwhile, said there is no denying that the new state-wide restrictions are tough.
Robson noted: “We’re continuing to support our staff to adhere to the government directives by working from home and servicing our clients remotely. It’s business as usual, but we’re certainly encouraging our businesses and managers to be flexible in their approach to rostering, to keep tabs on staff well-being, and make sure they have the right equipment and support to work from home.”
In NSW, Aviso Group has businesses in Chatswood, Port Macquarie, Byron Bay, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, Charlestown, Inverell, and St Leonards. More broadly, the broking group is also present in Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria.
The CEO stressed that the above measures aren’t short-term fixes. According to Robson, workplace flexibility, connectedness, and staff wellness are going to be an ongoing focus for Aviso Group.
“We’re in the process of rolling out a new CRM (customer relationship management) across the group that will no doubt help with online connectivity,” he told Insurance Business. “We support a local, personal approach to broking with hubs in regional centres and an authorised representative programme.
“We’re extremely lucky to have dedicated and hardworking staff in a variety of locations across greater Sydney, and in regional locations right up to Queensland. From a group level, we’re sending out gifts this week to our Sydney-based staff who have been in lockdown for nearly two months, and we will also be supporting staff to take time off during work hours to get vaccinated.”
NSW’s capital Sydney is scheduled to end its nine-week lockdown on August 28. It remains to be seen whether the current restrictions will be extended further.
