If you ask anyone working in insurance how they got into the field, they'll tell you two things: that they didn't grow up wanting to be in insurance and that they "fell into it."
I promise, ask any one of them.
This universal truth can be attributed to the fact that insurance has been deemed "boring" by younger generations, an industry with men in suits and piles of paperwork. While they're not wrong about the paperwork, this misconception makes the industry undesirable to young professionals, preventing them from entering the world of insurance– an industry abundant with opportunity for lots of different career paths, from tech to marketing to data science.
On top of being 'boring,' many young people don't and won't understand what insurance is until they need it. Once they reach a point of understanding, those lucky few are introduced to the abundance of exciting career opportunities within the industry.
AAIS, however, is spicing up the industry, with its modern flair adding flavor to the "boringness" of insurance. It starts with the company culture. We have a casual dress code, remote workforce, contemporary policies, and fun company culture that rejects long-standing misconceptions about the insurance industry and creating a new, more exciting reputation.
AAIS rejects the ‘suit and tie’ stereotype of insurance, implementing a casual dress code that allows employees to dress comfortably when in the physical office. AAIS's workforce is predominantly remote, but employees can optionally work at one of AAIS's two physical locations in Chicago, IL, and Boulder, CO. Most often, employees work from the comfort of their homes, located throughout the United States, in whatever they want– pants required. Work hours are flexible, allowing staff to balance professional demands with out-of-the-office responsibilities and interests. AAIS employees are athletes, artists, beer brewers, volunteers, parents, musicians and more – all possible, given the relaxed, employee-first culture the company promotes.
AAIS's remote workforce follows an Agile methodology, which implements a collaborative workspace where employees are cross-trained in various areas. Agile also creates cross-company transparency and allows employees to stay up to date with everything going on in each department. This culture of collaboration and teamwork means the job gets done, no matter who is working on it, and the team is all focused on a common goal. It’s a far cry from the stifled, useless meeting-filled reputation insurance organizations can get.
AAIS's collaborative culture is perfectly exemplified by the modern workspaces at AAIS's physical locations. There are no cubicles here! All employees sit wherever they want in an ample open space with dozens of workstations. Each employee receives their own moveable storage cube for their work supplies, allowing them to sit wherever, whenever. This makes collaboration easy and breaks down the barriers created by cubicle-style offices.
AAIS is working to create innovative, modern policies that break the industry mold. For one, we write coverage for cannabis, something no insurer would have dreamed of doing decades ago. Our program, CannaBOP, provides property and liability coverages for qualifying cannabis dispensaries, storage facilities, distributors, processors, manufacturers, and private cannabis testing facilities and laboratories. CannaBOP also includes more than 80 endorsements, including some specific to the unique risks associated with the cannabis industry, cannabis activity tracking, and more. We’re focused on the future, continually monitoring the insurance and business space for new trends and emerging exposures to help our Members respond to a quickly changing world.
AAIS has a close-knit, fun culture. With less than 100 employees on staff, AAIS's small size allows for everyone to know everyone. People stay up to date with each other and care about their peers. At AAIS, you don't leave your relationships at the end of the workweek. Despite being predominantly remote, employees travel from all over the country to attend annual events, including corporate events, holiday parties, summer picnics, and more. Work doesn't seem like work here.
This small peek into work life at AAIS shows that insurance ecosystem isn't dull, but an industry with great potential and great relationships.
