Recently. weve all been bombarded with stories about The Great Resignation as we experience a once-in-a-generation transformation of the job landscape. Recent surveys show that as many as one in every two workers are considering a job change.

Findings like these are sparking conversations about the challenges this transformation may bring for our industry, which is already experiencing a talent gap.

But in talking with many of our agency customers and industry leaders, Im inspired by how we are embracing this moment to invest in workers, showcase culture, find new ways to attract potential insurance professionals, and to keep the great talent we currently have.

Emphasizing culture

Prospective and current employees have more choice than ever when it comes to where they work. The tangiblessalary, benefits, incentive programsstill matter. But many job seekers and employees are swayed by the intangibles, like a companys mission and purpose, its guiding values and accomplishments, its leadership team, and what past and present employees have to say.

Many of you are using this moment to be more vocal about what makes your company uniquenot just for clients but for employees as well. Whether its how your team gives back to the community, sharing your vision statement, celebrating recent awards, or even teambuilding competitions over the holiday season, its never been more important to thoughtfully emphasize culture.

Embracing a broader talent pool

We all had to scramble to figure out how to create a remote working solution for most of our employees over the past 18 months. Now, Im hearing from many of our customers about an unexpected silver liningwith the barrier to remote work broken, you have a much larger pool of talented professionals to consider. In addition, companies that are more willing to consider remote and hybrid options going forward are finding themselves better positioned to be an employer of choice, both for new recruits as well as current employees.

Ive also heard many agencies are investing time and resources in programs to attract diverse job seekers. As an industry, were doubling down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to hire more women and younger talent from diverse backgrounds, including communities of color and LGBTQ.

Planning for the future

Now more than ever, many agency owners and principals are prioritizing succession planning across the organization. And some agencies are leveraging those plans as a retention tool by sharing them with employees to see how they fit into the future of the company. Succession plans are also creating roadmaps to create training and mentoring programs, ensuring there are back-ups for essential skills and that employees have opportunities to grow.

One of the reasons I love this industry is because of the ways we embrace challenges and come together as a community. These initiatives will not only better the industry, but theyll also go a long way toward making a career in insurance more top of the mind with more job seekers.