Matt Darden, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Globe Life, shares how the life insurance company responded to challenges stemming from COVID-19 and reflects on the future of the industry.
This Q&A is part of an ongoing series of DRC interviews with representatives from our member organizations about how they are facing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Q: Globe Life’s McKinney headquarters is home to a large number of employees. At the outset of COVID-19, what measures did Globe Life enact to ensure the safety of its staff?
A: When the crisis began, we quickly pivoted to a primarily remote workforce to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and agents. Quickly getting our employees to remote locations and in compliance with the company’s information security protocols was our first priority. We also pivoted to virtual sales and agent recruiting processes to enable our agencies to safely continue activities.
Q: How has the pandemic impacted the life insurance industry broadly, and Globe Life specifically? What, if any, lasting impacts do you think the crisis will have on your industry?
A: Broadly speaking, we expect the general public will have a higher awareness of the need for life insurance and will seek out innovative ways to obtain financial protection for their families in the face of uncertainty. Our improved ability to sell insurance and recruit agents, both virtually and in person, can also lead to more opportunities for employee growth and advancement. With our new accelerated technological capabilities, the company can process business more efficiently, leading to the opportunity for market growth.
We believe the interest in life insurance products will continue to increase even after the crisis subsides. Difficult times tend to highlight the importance of basic protection life insurance. The industry will have to continue to be innovative in order to continue selling in the current environment. Insurers have to learn how to quickly adapt to this new landscape, and have the ability to respond quickly and appropriately to changes in order to stay well positioned for growth.
Q: How is Globe Life preparing for the return to the workplace? Do you anticipate any permanent changes to your operations as a result of this experience?
The safety and wellbeing of our Globe Life family is our top priority. We have teams in place that are currently working on our reentry plans, including the extent and timing of them. We will do what is best for the company, employees, agents, and customers, and we will continue to evaluate the company’s performance as we move forward. In the future, we expect we might see a different mix of remote workers than we had before the pandemic began. Ultimately, we need to conduct business as effectively and efficiently as possible. I anticipate seeing both in-person and virtual options for agent sales and recruiting.