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Progressive Insurance

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ADDRESS6300 Wilson Mills Rd.Mayfield, OH 44143

Progressive Insurance

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ADDRESS6300 Wilson Mills Rd.Mayfield, OH 44143

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At Progressive, our diverse group of nearly 60,000 employees come from all walks of life. Unified by our Core Values, we recognize forward-thinking and embrace opportunities to risk, learn and grow.

e-Interview

In conversation with Newsweek, Bill Clawson, chief human resources officer at Progressive, answered the following questions:

1. Can you provide an overview of your company's workplace culture and values, and how they contribute to a positive work environment?

Our culture is revered at Progressive, and that culture doesn't exist without our nearly 60,000 people. We believe how we achieve something is just as important as what we achieve. Our Core Values – Integrity, Golden Rule, Objectives, Excellence, and Profit – are the foundation of our company culture because not only do they guide our business decisions, but they also define how we interact with each other, independent agents, and our customers.

Over the last few years, Progressive has proven that our culture is not defined by our physical spaces. We are reimagining employee onboarding and talent development in a virtual and hybrid workplace. We are using virtual platforms most of the time and leveraging in-person opportunities to connect and grow our sense of belonging other times. Although where we work now may look different than it did before, our passion for creating an inclusive and positive work environment remains the same.

2. How does your company promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace? Are there any specific initiatives or programs in place?

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is woven into the fabric of who we are. From the very beginning, our Core Values, high focus on transparency, and ethical leadership created a solid foundation on which to build. We believe each person has value and deserves respect, and that all individuals—whether Progressive people, customers, agents, or the broader community—should be able to feel this from our interactions with them. We encourage employees to speak up and share their voices and perspectives.

We approach this work holistically and have integrated DEI into our organization through various initiatives. Our HR organization, which has a dedicated team of DEI specialists, partners a great deal with our Ethics and Compliance group on key programs such as Courage at Our Core and Celebrate Disagreement. We also have nine employee resource groups (ERGs), a Multicultural Leadership Development Program (MLDP), Inclusion Quarterly – where employees can attend both virtual and in-person events like panel discussions, group activities and webinars in order to deepen their understanding on DEI – and, most recently, we rolled out Chosen Name – an initiative where employees are able to enter a chosen first name (other than their legal name) into our HR system and have it show up in many of our systems where we collaborate the most. Work like this is so important because it allows people to be recognized for who they are, and we can continue to live out our Golden Rule of treating people how they want to be treated.

DEI here is not a program, an initiative, or a singular goal – it's about how we bring together a vast array of people into an environment where we can learn and grow together, leaning on our differences and our similarities to challenge each other daily, but to do so in ways that appreciate who each of us is as an individual and provide opportunities to be our very best every day.

3. Are there any professional development and growth opportunities available to employees? How does your company support career advancement?

At Progressive, we have a long-standing promote-from-within culture that utilizes career pathing and competency development tools to help employees identify and prepare for their next role. Most openings are posted where employees can see and apply if they choose, providing a large number and variety of roles to explore.

To support this level of internal growth, we offer a significant number of ways to invest in one's career path including on-demand learning, formal development programs, growing technical skills, and leadership development. Our learning solutions are tailored to both individual contributors and leaders and consist of a comprehensive curriculum from technical skills and leadership competencies to business acumen, strategic thinking, and innovation. One such offering was our IT Bootcamp, during which we upskilled current employees who possessed both strong analytical skills and an interest in moving into an IT role. Our IT Bootcamp gave them the education and tools they need to obtain a highly sought-after IT role. Our Multicultural Leadership Development Program has successfully accelerated career growth and development opportunities for high-performing employees.

Additionally, we also have a personal development hub called, "Career Central", which provides the information and resources employees need to take control of their career through assessment, competency-based development, and career-pathing tools.

4. What measures does your company take to support employee mental health and well-being?

With an emphasis on the health and well-being of our people, Progressive provides eight companywide sessions a year on managing your mental well-being. Through the company's employee health insurance, we offer six individual counseling sessions with a professional counselor/therapist, free of charge, for each issue an individual or someone in their household may face. Additionally, Progressive has onsite health clinics providing in-person and virtual care, and a fitness team, which provides virtual work-out sessions, pop-up fitness classes, meditation breaks, "Fitness in the Kitchen" sessions, and more.

5. How does your company ensure transparency and open communication between management and employees, fostering a sense of trust and belonging?

Internally, my team and I think a lot about how to create that sense of belonging for each Progressive person, regardless of where they physically work, or how long they've been with us. Whether you've been with us for 3 months or 30 years, we need your talents and passions, and we want you to bring your whole self to work each day. We have been measuring trust through our Annual Engagement and Culture Survey, and, this year, we began measuring employee sentiment on belonging.

We have a very high engagement in DEI. We know that when people are part of our DEI efforts – especially as shown through our ERGs – they are more likely to stay, be engaged, and develop their careers here. I believe that exemplifies the environment we're always seeking to create – one where people can feel valued, respected, and have a sense of belonging. We expect our leaders to think inclusively about their key objectives and how they run their business. Creating an environment that brings in a variety of different perspectives and ideas fuels our creativity, innovation and ultimately our business growth at every level of the organization.

In regard to open communication between management and employees, we have both an Open Door Policy and an Alertline. The Open Door Policy encourages employees to raise workplace issues or concerns with anyone in management or HR. This policy encourages the open environment we want at Progressive while also allowing our employees to report any inappropriate behavior or work-related issue or concern. The Alertline is Progressive's confidential, toll-free number that employees can also use to report inappropriate behavior or work-related issue, or to report criminal acts or behavior that is inconsistent with our Core Values or Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Callers may remain anonymous if they choose, and the Alertline is available 24 hours a day and operated by an independent firm. Additionally, we have a team of HR professionals tasked with investigating and responding to all concerns raised through the Alertline.

6. What steps does your company take to ensure equal opportunities for employees of different backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, and age?

Our commitment to equal opportunity begins at the application process. We want our hiring managers to have exceptional pools of candidates to choose from, so we work hard to attract, retain, and develop a broad array of external and internal talent. This work includes creative candidate marketing, programs like our Multicultural Leadership Development Program, and our Employee Resource Groups, among many others. We believe that if our efforts are successful, we'll naturally find individuals with many different backgrounds—including demographic—both in our candidate pools and at every level of our workforce. With that in mind, we set an aspirational goal in 2020 to double the representation of people of color in our senior leadership by the end of 2025; we use this as a benchmark to measure whether our DEI efforts are working as we expect over time, and we're currently more than halfway to our aspirational goal. Of course, there's far more to diversity than demographics, and we believe that our holistic focus on all aspects of DEI in the workplace will help us continue to innovate and consider how best to serve our more than 29 million policyholders.

We've also implemented a voluntary self-ID program, whereby people can tell us, if they choose, whether they identify as somebody with a disability or as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. We invite employees to provide this information because we believe it helps give us a better picture of our employee population, provides insight into how well we reflect the customers we serve, and help us ensure that we're maintaining a fair and inclusive work environment. We also make all appropriate reasonable accommodations to allow any qualified person with a disability to contribute equally to Progressive's business.

Additionally, the Progressive Insurance Foundation recently switched from a traditional matched giving program to a guided giving program. We call it Name Your Cause. The new program allows every employee to designate a 501(c)(3) charity that they want the Foundation to support. Now, regardless of income level, employees can participate in the financial advancement of their favorite charity. We sent over $5M into the communities in which our people live and to the causes that they most passionately support.

We're also committed to pay equity. We are proud to report that for Progressive employees with similar performance, experience, and job responsibilities, women earn one dollar for every dollar earned by men, and people of color earn one dollar for every dollar earned by their white co-workers. More information can be found on our DEI page, which can be found on www.progressive.com.

7. Can you share any success stories or examples of how your company has fostered an inclusive and diverse workforce?

We encourage our employees to bring their whole selves to work by creating a welcoming environment. By fostering this in our culture, we have heard countless success stories like Michael, who went from serving lattes behind the coffee bar at a Progressive campus café, to a systems analyst with the company. After mentioning to a café customer that he was getting a degree in information technology, she told him Progressive was hiring summer interns and encouraged Michael to apply. Now he's building a new data center with project teams, validating applications and servers, and meeting with subject matter experts across the company.

Another example is Warren, who found that his coworkers are some of his biggest supporters, both on and off the stage. Warren, who performs as Aurora Thunder, said he first started doing drag when he played dress-up as a kid. Now he performs in the Cleveland area, creating intricate and inspiring performances, often with his coworkers supporting him in the audience.

By creating an inclusive and diverse workforce, Progressive also helped Eliani, who was born in the Dominican Republic, feel right at home. When it came to taking her American citizen exam, her coworkers were her greatest cheerleaders. Now, in her role in Progressive's Photo Estimation Group, Eliani helps customers get back on the road after an accident.

You can access these stories and more here on our DEI site.

8. How does your company encourage and support employee engagement and empowerment?

Progressive's former CEO Peter Lewis often preached three words: "Risk. Learn. Grow." Each year, our employees provide us valuable feedback as to what they need and desire through our Engagement & Culture Survey, as well as discussions with their managers and HR Consultants through the year. By listening to our employees, it not only shows them that their voices matter, but it also drives meaningful change at Progressive when it comes to our culture.

Our Annual Engagement & Culture Survey is one of the many ways we empower our employees to share their thoughts. Results from our most recent survey (2023) show a high level of engagement (74%), placing Progressive in the position of being one of the country's most engaged companies and at the 98th percentile for all surveyed U.S. companies. Employees cited their faith in and appreciation for great leadership, the ability to have flexible work locations, and feeling included and supported by leadership, as key differentiators.

9. What types of employee benefits and perks does your company offer? How do these contribute to overall job satisfaction?

We've always been proud of the competitive pay and benefits we offer, and by offering flexibility with remote and hybrid work opportunities, we are continuing to attract incredible talent around the country. The more people learn about Progressive, the more they recognize what a special place it is to work.

Some callout programs and benefits include:

10. In what ways does your company prioritize the well-being and work-life balance of its employees?

Progressive has proven over the last few years that our culture is not defined by our physical spaces. Having a workplace-inclusive environment allows us to seek out talent in new geographical locations. We recognize that top talent can reside anywhere, beyond what's in driving distance of a Progressive location. Hybrid and remote work options have allowed us to eliminate geographic restrictions from so many of our roles, which allows us to seek out the best talent for these positions no matter where they are located and alleviates any concern about the disruption a move to a new location could have. Remote and hybrid work offerings allow our employees the flexibility to more easily fit work and life into their ever-changing daily routines while still meeting the needs of our customers versus the rigidity of only in-office work and the old approach of fitting life into work.

For those who want to work together and collaborate in office, we've consolidated workspaces to foster a vibrant, in-person environment when employees need or choose to be in the office. This also enables people from different business areas to be more closely located, which helps to drive our innovation engine and provides our employees an opportunity to interact with our incredible culture.

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