Against the backdrop of economic crisis:

Union Assurance empowers employees

Against the backdrop of the economic crisis, it is imperative for players in the highly competitive insurance industry to be very resilient and alert whilst also being extremely enterprising and resourceful in order to maintain and increase growth, says the General Manager - Human Resources of Union Assurance PLC (UA) Brigadier Rohan Jayasinghe,a press release from Union Assurance PLC (UA) said.

The release further said: "It goes without saying that getting to the top and staying there is virtually impossible if your people aren't with you and at UA, this certainly isn't a problem since the employees are with the company all the way, thanks to its "great place to work" approach. "We believe that our employees are our most valued asset.

"It goes without saying that the success of the company is directly attributed to them - hence, their importance!", he asserts.

"Fortunately, he adds, UA has a unique culture which has been created, fostered and fine-tuned over a period of time on a regular basis. Jayasinghe explains that as a result of this approach, the company has been able to attract many "top guns" and function in conjunction with its vision and mission statements.

"We believe that the employees have to be provided with a rewarding career. What we provide at UA certainly isn't a job opportunity; it is a total career," says Jayasinghe.

"To reinforce this, UA provides structured training, development and necessary exposure from the very inception". Jayasinghe elaborates: "We strive to maintain the philosophy of UA being a great place to work. We believe that creating a great place to work is simply the right thing to do.

"We put people at the centre of the operating model and allow them to progress." Another crucial aspect in the HR realm at UA is the performance appraisal system.

The company strictly follows a performance-based assessment system and the strategy is communicated to all stakeholders, with every member expected to endeavour to achieve their individual goals - and in turn, corporate goals.

Performance alone doesn't quite cut it, though.

As Jayasinghe points out, a positive attitude is "the most vital ingredient - without which an employee becomes a non-value adding commodity, to coin a phrase!" When it comes to staff empowerment, as part of its strategy UA has taken great strides with regard to IT infrastructure and facilities and possesses a fully-equipped in-house training facility with dedicated in-house trainers.

UA also encourages its staff to pursue higher educational programs and assists them via a professional examinations assistance scheme.

Transparency - a hallmark at UA - is ensured in all aspects, especially via communications. According to Asst. General Manager - Training and Development Suranjith Godagama, UA has a sales force that comprises over 3,000 personnel.

"We are committed to moulding practising professionals on the 3Cs - character development, competencies development and culture - to give the best to our customers whilst safeguarding the company's interest and uplifting their personal and professional life," he affirms.

Commenting on character development, Godagama notes that "people first buy people, before they buy products.

The character of the sales person comes first.

To build character, we should first find the right people."

Pointing out that UA has a clear understanding of the profiles that are ideal for the positions of life advisers and leaders who fit in with UA's approach, he asserts that the company has a well-structured and systematic recruitment process, which helps identify and select the best candidates.

In the area of competencies development, UA's Training and Development arm "has a well-accepted, internal competency certification process and proficiency grading system, which grades personnel on performance and competencies," says Godagama.

UA is a member of the Life Insurance Marketing Research Association (LIMRA) of USA and all the training programs are developed based on the world's best practices.

Touching on the UA culture, Godagama asserts that it has become "one of the most attractive features in attracting and retaining people".

He sums up: "Sales people are naturally dynamic; they need to have a winning culture to aspire to high standards.

"Our performance-based career advancement scheme has created a transparent culture and continuous learning is the foundation of our success."