Asteron Life launches pilot to support claims managers

6 December 2022

Life insurer, Asteron Life has launched a pilot programme to support the emotional needs those in its workforce facing the most challenging interactions with customers.

The programme offers some of the life insurer’s case managers and customer support employees supportive workplace practices such as resilience workshops, mentoring, individual training and monitoring to help them in their emotionally challenging roles.

Seema Bangera, Asteron Life’s Executive Manager Claims and Customer Solutions says in the same way the insurer’s customers are often in need of emotional support, employees who interact with customers can benefit from additional skills, tools and support to assist them with their own mental and physical wellbeing.

Seema Bangera

The pilot is also designed to give customer claims handlers the opportunity to reflect on their case management and continuously improve their approach to help manage work-related stress and alert the insurer to risks that may otherwise go unnoticed.

“The work our teams do daily to support customers is work recognised as having challenging impacts on their physical and emotional health. Vicarious, or secondary trauma, can occur as a result of their work helping others cope with traumatic events, reviewing distressing information and learning of serious injuries or in some cases death.” 

Bangera says, with this work recognised as being intrinsically difficult to cope with, the additional support, skill building and professional development the insurer is offering should be beneficial to the wellbeing of its people. 

“This kind of secondary trauma can impact very negatively on our people, and we hope the professional practices, skills and support delivered through this pilot programme will go some way towards mitigating these impacts,” Bangera says. 

In addition to better supporting the psychological health and wellbeing of its people managing customer claims, in offering its people the additional support the insurer is also enhancing the employees’ ability to support customers through their challenges.

Asteron Life’s Claims and Customer Solutions Manager, Jo Unuka has extensive experience assisting customers off work due to a period of sickness or injury and, through interactions with these customers, has experienced the impact this work can have on an employee’s wellbeing.

“This pilot programme aims to help our teams build their resilience to continue being able to be their best, both in and out of work. 

“Having external qualified support to help me work through a tricky situation or cope with an interaction that is confronting has allowed me to learn new strategies to better equip me for the next time I find myself in a similar situation. The sessions have had a significant positive impact on me and make me feel more supported by my employer.” 

The pilot programme is expected to run for 4 months and backs up a suite of other employee support the insurer offers, including online learning programmes, the insurer’s Employee Assistance Programme sessions and existing training modules focused on mitigating the psychosocial risk and building the psychological health and wellbeing of its employee base.

Following a review of the benefits and impact, Bangera says consideration will be given to extending the pilot to other areas of the business.

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