Viral Work Trends: Insurance Agencies Will See More in 2025

Doesn't it seem like every week there's a new article, hashtag, or viral video about workplace trends? It can be confusing to keep them all straight.

Here are the trends that seem to be generating the most interest and engagement among insurance professionals.

ëPrepare the other PTO shafts

Employees who have had PTO requests denied have given new meaning to this acronym. Yahoo's latest article: “Give me a break!” You deserve a break. So why won't your boss let you do it?

How this impacts insurance agencies: CSRs and account managers constantly tell my team that they want to leave their employer because the agency is constantly understaffed. The pressure of working at more than one desk is exhausting and not only creates a work-life imbalance, but also leads to more PTO requests being rejected.

As this trend continues, we expect to see a continued increase in insurance professional cancellations, particularly during times of the year when PTO requests peak.

#PayTransparency

Also known as #SalaryTransparency, there is a large TikTok account called @SalaryTransparentStreet dedicated to surveying people on the street to ask them about their job title, salary, and location.

Even newer is the #PaydayRoutine trend, where people share their salaries and living expenses (rent, student loans, groceries, etc.).

How does this impact insurance agencies: What would you do if one of your employees shared their compensation on social media? If you are a baby boomer or generation

Quiet Exit/Silent Fire

Silently quitting (for employees) and silently firing (for managers) is essentially psychological withdrawal. The May 2023 Gallupis survey, “Is Quitting Quitting Real?” states, “Quiet Quitters make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce, probably more.” Their additional research found, “If employees report meaningful quitting at least weekly When they receive feedback, they are almost half as likely to quietly give up and look for a new job” (Quiet Firing, Gallup, November 2022).

How This Affects Insurance Agencies:

In my opinion, for many insurance agencies, these issues are two sides of the same dysfunctional coin. If you notice an increase in absenteeism, it's a sign that your employee is quietly quitting. If a manager lacks interest or motivation to develop or mentor an employee, he or she may be quiet firing.

Long story short, insurance professionals are among the over 50% of U.S. employees who quietly quit. It's closer to your front door than you think.

Dry promotions

When employees are given a larger title and more responsibility without a raise, they are easily promoted.

How This Affects Insurance Agencies: This happens to account managers all the time. As senior leaders at the top of the customer service pyramid, it is up to them to ensure that agencies add management/team leadership roles as a matter of course, often without a raise. The combination of enormous workload and constant income leads to burnout and resignation.

If you have given one of your employees a permanent promotion, I advise you to do the following immediately: Schedule a meeting. Acknowledge and apologize. The way you got to this place probably happened over time and was unintentional, but with your awareness today comes the need to remedy the situation.

Ask your employees if they like the workload. If so, a raise will help. If this is not the case, reduce the reward and perhaps consider an additional short-term bonus based on previous successes. Remember, it's always cheaper to give this money to a current employee as a retention strategy than to lose them through a much more costly hiring and recruiting process.

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