Handling the Year-End Crunch

The holidays. That most wonderful time of the year.

Yeah, right.

Wonderful? You have end-of-year reports to create. Calls to customers to make sure their insurance coverage is on track for 2013. Calls coming in from customers, as well as prospects, wanting information on how to protect themselves and their family in the coming year. Meeting with staff members to discuss year-end reviews. End-of-year meetings with your firm’s executives and owners to discuss goals and plans for 2013.

Plus you need to buy gifts for your family. Send out greeting cards to friends – and possibly even customers. Attend holiday parties for both fun and business. And – oh, yes! – lose five pounds before New Year’s.

If this is you, we have some tips to help you get through it all at work.

Call upon a staffing firm such as Insurance Relief™. Why? Because the firm can bring in experienced temporary staff members to help you finish all the projects you need to get done before 11:59 p.m. December 31.

Staffing firms such as ours have a database full of skilled and reliable professionals. Insurance Relief™ in particular can place professionals quickly and for just an afternoon or for several days at the end of the year.

Just some of the types of insurance professionals we can provide for you include (but are not limited to):

• Commercial Lines Account Managers/CSRs
• Commercial Lines Producers
• Commercial Lines Technical Assistants
• Commercial Lines Underwriters
• Workers’ Comp Claims Assistants
• Workers’ Comp Examiners
• Workers’ Comp Medical Only Examiners/Clerks
• Benefits Analysts
• Group Benefits Client Service Assistants
• Group Benefits Client Service Managers

Aside from bringing in additional staff for your end-of-the-year crunch, you could also:

• Plan, plan and plan again. You know December is coming. You know that the end of the year is always crazy. Prioritize all that must be accomplished and ignore anything else. Write down your plan for tackling “that which must be done.”
• Have a policy that employees may not take any vacation time until after December 24.
• Since that can appear draconian to your staff, you could put together a no-vacation rotation plan. Determine how many people you absolutely must have during your crunch time, then have other spots open to vacation and rotate your staff through those vacation days through the years.
• You also could limit the number of days staff members may take off during December, say to three days total. This allows more people to take vacation days during the holidays.
• Keep your sense of humor intact.
• Finally, and most importantly, be sure to exercise regularly, eat well (watch those holiday cookies in the break room), and keep the eye on the prize: January 1, 2013.

As mentioned above, Insurance Relief™ can help you get through the end-of-the-year madness with (relative) ease. Call us today to learn more about our temporary staffing services for the insurance sector.