American International Group CEO Brian Duperreault said his company has recently taken some important steps to make its job environment more amenable to younger, tech-savvy employees.
Among the changes: a pilot program called EQ for Leaders. The term stands for Emotional Quotient, and is used to describe someone’s emotional intelligence.
Duperreault, who became AIG president and CEO in May, makes his case in a recent LinkedIn posting that doubles as a recruiting manifesto for millennials.
Duperreault argues that AIG has improved communications within the company and made the relationship between managers and employees a stronger thing—something that younger employees typically say they prefer. Keeping in mind that millennials want leaders with more empathy, Duperreault also noted that AIG launched its EQ for Leaders program, which teaches its management “ways to better empathize and communicate with their teams.”
Duperreault also cited AIG’s Early Career Learning Experience initiative as a positive change. He described it as “a two-year program that gives our younger employees the opportunity to develop both hard and soft skills to help them set the foundation for a successful career.”
Duperreault has long been involved in efforts boost the amount of younger adults working in insurance and also embrace the use of technology in the industry. While he was CEO of Hamilton Insurance Group in 2016, Duperreault took part in a joint industry initiative known as Insurance Careers Month. The effort included video testimonials from Duperreault and other executives posted on YouTube.
Duperreault said that the industry and AIG stand to benefit by finding younger employees who grew up with technology and are comfortable with it. (The insurer is focused on hiring 2,000 new analysts over the coming weeks.)
“We’re redefining what it means to be a modern-day insurance professional, and I encourage today’s young people to keep an open mind about what a career in insurance has to offer,” Duperreault said.
For the full LinkedIn posting, click here.