Senior leaders foster a culture of openness and transparency by holding quarterly live sessions with employees at UV Insurance.Supplied
After selling his interest in an IT consulting business headquartered in Ottawa and taking a year off, Jean-Mathieu Sigouin was ready for a fresh challenge. Then he got an opportunity to transform the technology platforms at UV Insurance, which is based in Drummondville, Que.
That was in 2016 and, as it happened, he joined the company just as CEO Christian Mercier launched an ambitious initiative to transform the culture. “His plan was to bring a different approach to managing people and giving them responsibility,” says Sigouin, senior vice-president technology and innovation. “You’re only as good as the people working for you so give them responsibility, care for them and listen to them.”
UV Insurance is a 130-year-old mutual company, meaning that it is effectively owned by its policyholders. It offers a wide range of products, including individual and group life policies, disability and critical illness insurance, as well as investment and retirement income products.
Digital project manager Amélie Caya Houle, who joined UV Insurance five years ago after working at a marketing agency and an engineering company, has embraced the culture. “There is a hierarchy like every other company, but the management team is so close to the employees,” says Caya Houle. “There is not that kind of distance between the leadership and the employees. It’s just one big team.”
Katia Dubois, a human resources advisor, says the closeness between employees and leaders is apparent in different ways. “Our managers want to know what’s happening on our teams,” says Dubois. “Are we happy? Are there problems we can talk about?”
There is also a personal element to that closeness. Mercier makes a point of acknowledging birthdays and other significant personal events such as marriages and the births of children. “It’s little things that make a difference,” says Sigouin. “When you work in a call centre and the CEO wishes you happy birthday, well, how does that make you feel?”
Openness and transparency are two pillars of the company’s transformed culture. Leaders communicate through email and internal memos, but once per quarter senior directors, senior vice-presidents and the CEO address the company in live sessions.
“We share everything with employees about where we’re going, what we’re doing and what we’re working on,” says Sigouin. “We’ve just opened it up and given people a voice. If the senior management keeps all the decisions at their level, then you don’t empower people to evolve.”
Dubois adds that even though UV Insurance is a small company, there is ample opportunity for personal growth and professional development. All employees, even those who are not involved in underwriting or handling claims, can take courses from an organization called LOMA that offers everything from insurance basics up to high-level actuarial courses.
“They’re valuable for an employee in any capacity,” adds Sigouin. “I’ve got people who take the basic course because they want to better understand the line of business.”
Apart from that, the company ensures that its managers are well trained. An outside company provides training sessions, and employees moving through the managerial ranks can take advantage of a series of 12 online courses.
“We’re always trying to evolve,” Sigouin says. “We encourage people to go to school to keep improving their skills.”
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