By Isha Marathe

May 22 - (The Insurer) - Axis sent its employees an internal memo reinforcing that they need to be in the office at least three days a week, subject to off-site broker meetings and relevant events, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Insurer.

The company's policy has been in effect since May 2023, with this week's email merely restating the commitment to in-office requirements.

Axis tracks employee attendance via badge swipes, the sources said.

The company declined to comment.

Much of the industry has moved away from the COVID-era's fully remote work options.

Last week, The Insurer reported that Allied World had become the latest carrier to mandate its employees go back to a five-day in-office work week, with the action taking effect from September 29, based on an internal memo the company sent to its U.S. and Canada employees.

Some mandate a five-day in-office requirement, like Allied World, while others push for a hybrid or flexible work policy like Axis.

Overall, the industry seems to be resisting a "one size fits all" approach concerning the number of days required on-site, with many businesses encouraging more in-person engagement, but allowing specific team leads and offices some leeway on what works best for them.

MINIMUM DAY REQUIREMENT

Among U.S. companies, Marsh expects colleagues to be in the office or working onsite with clients at least three days a week, said Sally Roberts, U.S. media relations manager at the company.

Everest and Aspen have each required three days in office since at least 2021, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Both companies declined to comment.

CRC Group's chief marketing officer, Jessica Marshall, said the company does not have a mandate, but is "encouraging three days per week in-office or visiting clients."

"Ultimately, the lines of business and local office (or) team will make the decision on what is best for their teams. Many teams, offices and individuals have transitioned to fully remote, and those arrangements will not change," Marshall said.

QBE U.S. colleagues are expected to be in the office two to three days per week, said Lou Casale, lead communications partner at the company.

Reinsurer Scor last clarified its policy on remote work in April 2023, and it has not changed since, said Alexandre Garcia, head of communications and public affairs at the company.

"In an email sent to all employees worldwide in April 2023, Scor stated the following principle: attendance at the office for a minimum of three days per week (i.e. working from home limited to two days per week)," Garcia said.

Some companies confirmed that they have required four or five days back on-site for a few years now.

The Fidelis Insurance Group mandates four days in the office, while the Fidelis Partnership mandates five days in the office and has done so since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We perform at our best when we’re in the office—making swift, informed decisions and remaining highly available to our clients and partners. This approach ensures we consistently provide superior service and solutions for complex and specialty risks," said Richard Coulson, deputy group chief underwriting officer and CEO of Insurance at Fidelis.

USAA also mandates four days in-office per week for employees who live within commuting distance, said Colleen McAdams, senior communications manager at the company.

Certain staff members at Gallagher and its company Woodruff Sawyer, Beazley, CNA, Willis, Munich Re and PHLY, said they have been mandated back to the office two to three days a week, according to information submitted and posted on the Instagram account 'InsuranceWomen.'

The same account posted that vice presidents at Sompo are required to be in the office for five days, while other staff are required to be back three days.

The account posted that Ascot and Arch have mandated two days back in the office, and Ascot UK has mandated four days back to the office.

Lockton, Swiss Re, USI, Westfield UK, Hamilton and ESIS staff are mandated three days back to the office, and Berkley is mandated four to five days back into the office, the account posted.

Westfield U.S. and BHSI have mandated back four days into the office, the account posted.

It has not been confirmed whether the information posted to 'InsuranceWomen' relates to specific company offices or companywide actions.

Gallagher declined to comment.

The other companies did not respond to a request for comment.

BESPOKE POLICIES

Liberty Mutual employees have averaged two days a week in the office and three days virtually, with many adjusting their commuting times or in-office days, said a spokesperson from the company.

"In addition to hybrid, we also provide a range of work arrangements, including compressed workweeks, flex time, part-time and virtual-first weeks for our hybrid employees throughout the year," the spokesperson said.

"Different offices globally may have slight variations based on business needs.”

Zurich North America mandates three days a week in a Zurich office or in the market, meeting with brokers and/or customers. There are some employees who are fully remote, and in those cases, their role is clearly defined as such, said Al Crook, chief human resources officer for Zurich North America.

"Flexibility was part of our culture at Zurich even pre-pandemic, when about 60% of our workforce had some form of flexible work arrangement in place with their manager," Crook said.

"Flexible work arrangements are made in conversation between the individual and their manager, and these arrangements sometimes differ and evolve based on business needs, roles and teams... Next week, as a matter of fact, we launch summer Fridays, when our workday on Fridays ends two hours early through Labor Day."

Ultimately, Zurich prefers that employees are intentional about the days they are in office, and offer leeway to managers who might ask their entire teams to be in the office the same day once a week to allow for team meetings, one-on-one meetings, training and mentoring that is best suited to be in-person, he said.

The Tokio Marine-owned Pure Insurance has even more of a mix depending on roles.

Approximately 51% of employees who work fully remotely, "allowing them to be closer to the members we serve," said Kristin Piccini, vice president of marketing at the company. Remaining Pure employees follow a hybrid schedule, coming into the office two to three days per week, based on the role of the department they are in, she said.

The Canadian Northbridge Insurance has even more of a mix of options for their in-office policy.

Employees follow a rotating schedule, working remotely two days one week and three days the next. To offer additional flexibility, they also have 10 extra remote workdays available throughout the year, said a Northbridge Financial Corporation spokesperson.

"Those who opt out of the hybrid program are provided a permanent workspace in the office," they said.

"This approach ensures a balance between remote work and in-office collaboration, fostering opportunities for employees to connect with colleagues and leaders in person and engage in meaningful discussions."

The insurer first launched its hybrid work-from-home model in 2018 as a pilot for a small group of employees. After assessing its success, they began rolling it out across the organization in 2019, the spokesperson said.

Allianz senior communications strategist Anja Rechenberg told the Insurer that "there is no one-size-fits-all" solution for the company, which operates in 70 markets and through various business models.

"We recognize the business benefits of having a flexible working model, and we will continue to work in this way," Rechenberg said.

"On a global level, our flexible work framework consists of empowerment and trust on the one hand and a minimum standard of 40% mobile working. On a local level, more can be offered depending on the needs of the business."

HDI Global, which operates in 175 countries, follows a decentralized model, said Talanx Group corporate communications human resources contact Josefine Zucker.

"(The decentralization) also applies to our rules for home office (and) mobile working," but the policies differ in specific countries and offices, Zucker said.

"$(O)$ur primary insurance companies in Germany have a rule that allows mobile working for up to 60 percent on a quarterly basis.

NO MANDATES

A smaller number of companies are either fully-remote or simply encourage employees to come in, but do not mandate a specific number of days.

Convex, for instance, said it had no mandate.

"Convex has not mandated a compulsory return to the office, but encourages everyone to be in the office as much as possible, because they believe it creates a better company culture, encourages collaboration and helps learning and development for junior members of the team," said Olivia Thomson, chief marketing officer at Haggie Partners and a media representative for Convex.

"They remain a flexible employer."

A Canopius spokesperson said: "There is no requirement or (mandate) of days in the office at Canopius, and it operates a fully flexible working policy."

Cyber insurtech Coalition remains a "remote-first" company, and does not have an in-office mandate, a company spokesperson said.

Arcadian, similarly, does not have any specific instructions on in-office days, but operates on a hybrid basis, the company spokesperson said.