009: Job Share Opportunities with Emma Smith

How do you navigate negotiations with your employer to change your role, the nature or base of your employment? How can we shift the optics around job share opportunities and other flexible work solutions within the insurance industry? In this episode, we are very pleased to be speaking with Emma Smith, a Senior Property Underwriter at Atrium Underwriters! In conversation with InsurSocial’s Sandra Lewin, Emma explains why insurance was always her chosen career, her experience working in Singapore for 7 years, and the origins, flexibility and functionality of her current job share role. She highlights the importance of approaching negotiations with management armed with solutions rather than problems, with a lens on how any shift to your current position could ultimately prove beneficial to the business.   Quote of the Episode “You continue to develop [and] expand your knowledge. I think you need to be reading the newspapers, seeing what's going on at a global level in different countries, because it all comes back to you; it can have an effect on the risks that you'll seen on your desk the next day. That’s what I love about it: you get to do a little bit of everything within an underwriting role.” Emma crystallises that at any given point in your insurance career, you can never know anything about the industry. There is always more to learn, particularly given the extent to which our market is interwoven with external events. A key means by which we can highlight the exciting nature of an insurance career to those external to the industry is the vital socioeconomic function that insurance plays on a national and global scale.   Key Takeaways A recurring theme for many guests on the podcast thus far is that in any insurance role, every day is a school day. One of the most exciting aspects of an insurance career, the emphasis of which could alter external perceptions of our industry, is the mutable nature of every role in the industry; no day will ever be the same. For example, Emma notes that, as an underwriter, she has to be a marketer, to analyse and price risks, to contemplate risk exposure, and much more. There is no standing still in this role, and as a people-based industry, every day is new and exciting. Yet, talent retention within insurance typically takes a huge hit amongst women in their thirties and forties. Both Emma and Sandra suggest that insurance should be exploring and investing in new flexible working opportunities to retain this talent and knowledge, and to ensure business continuity. Emma works in a job share; she and another underwriter share the role evenly and work for three days each week. This setup is rare in the industry, but it has proven extremely beneficial to both women, and to Atrium Underwriters. Both women come into work motivated, energised and committed, and their collective years of experience and understanding bolster their team’s productive output. Emma was initially concerned about how misconceptions about working in a job share might affect her reputation within her business and the industry. She feared that people would perceive her as ‘just’ working part-time or ‘only’ in a job share, and that as a result of this discourse she would be taken less seriously. Yet, she hasn’t found this to be the case. As both women are highly ambitious, their careers have grown. They always go the extra mile, and due to their shared trust and collaborative communication, they productively challenge and bounce off one another’s ideas. If you are intrigued by a flexible work solution of this nature and would like to raise the topic with your employer, how should you approach this conversation? For Emma, it is key to come with the solution if you want the change. Do your research beforehand, and come up with a plan for how your proposition could work for the business. Examine examples in other industries, particularly at a senior level, to demonstrate how your proposal could ultimately be beneficial rather than obstructive. You shouldn’t necessarily expect immediate acceptance: alternatively, approach the conversation with the question – ‘here is my situation, how can we make this work?’. If you want to find out more about job shares or alternative work solutions, reach out to Emma – her contact details are linked below!   Best Moments/Key Quotes “[In] a job share, we essentially have two people doing one role. We do three days each, and have a crossover day on a Wednesday. I work first part of the week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and my job share works Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.” “Do your research, come up with a plan of how you think it will work; what you need to make it work. Just think through, look at examples. There are some great examples in other industries where job shares have worked. At a very senior level, I think there's two ladies who hold one of the most senior positions in GCHQ as a job share. Do your research, find examples of how you can make it work, and how it has worked in either similar positions, or similar industries.” “For many at the beginning, [a job share] will be a solution to a problem. But actually, it could just be another offering that a company has to retain the staff.” “The power of a network is so strong. That’s not just from a business perspective, but from a personal perspective as well… Sometimes we take our network for granted, and actually it is worth assessing, and reaching out to more people. The greater your network, the more knowledge you gain.”   Resources Atrium Underwriters Ltd: https://www.atrium-uw.com/   About the Guest Emma Smith is a senior property underwriter at Atrium syndicate and is Chair of the recently established Women at Atrium network.  Emma has worked in the Insurance market for over 20 years and been with Atrium for the last 10 years, having studied Insurance at University.  Emma is a Chartered Insurer and ACII qualified and has spent time working in Singapore as well as in London and more recently is part of a job share flexible working arrangement.   She was instrumental in setting up the Women at Atrium network and is passionate about inspiring and empowering women through education and knowledge sharing.  To ensure that they are equipped with the right tools to succeed.  Emma’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-smith-5b666a1/   About the Host Sandra Lewin started her career in insurance as a broker and has since taken on many different roles. Alongside being a host of this podcast "100 Women in Insurance", she also specializes in helping insurance businesses and professionals establish a social media presence, delivers change programs, and provides one-on-one coaching for women looking to take control of their careers and lives. Connect with Sandra on LinkedIn and find out more: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sandralewin