Also: Sandbox Insurtech Ventures, Vesttoo.

The best ways to leverage relationships to advance in the C-suite aren't always encapsulated by corporate programs.

Nearly three-fourths, 72%, of companies are planning to increase staff in the next 12 months, according to the Q1, 2022 U.S. Insurance Labor Market Study results from The Jacobson Group and Ward Benchmarking at Aon.

Many insurers anticipate an accelerated economic recovery, which can lead to additional digital technology investments in 2022. However, the challenges companies both big and small are facing due to a volatile risk environment continue to be both hurdles and motivators towards technology adoption. One of the pieces to help overcome these hurdles is talent.

Sixty-nine percent of employee caregivers say they took unpaid time off to support loved ones.

Mike Kreidler has adopted a temporary rule banning insurers from using credit information to set auto, homeowner and renters insurance rates. Kreidler initially issued an emergency rule in March 2021 but it was struck down by a court last year. The new rule goes into effect March 4.

In 2020, American Family Insurance launched a partnership with the Creative Destruction Lab and the University of Wisconsin-Madison that provides support and mentorship to start-up founders in their companies’ early stages. A year into the partnership and there are truly inspiring to learn from the startup founders.

In 2020, natural disasters, excluding COVID-19, caused a total of $76 billion in insured losses, as opposed to the $7 billion in man-made insured losses. Companies must prepare to meet the demands of an increased customer base, including facilitating an easy claims process and expanding digital access.

In other news: Online embedded insurance, Bubble launches; Obie partners with Munich Re company; Nintex, Insuresoft team up on digital transformation.

Ben Simmons, VP of insurance at Gravie, delves into how his company provides users with health insurance plans that have neither deductibles or copays.

More than 100 women gathered in San Diego to discuss their experiences, network and learn during Digital Insurance's Women in Insurance Leadership conference on Dec. 8. Sessions focused on how to negotiate pay, gender parity, setting boundaries at work and accelerating women into leadership roles.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. is sticking with a hybrid work model as the best way to attract staff in the post-pandemic era, having just opened a major office overlooking Boston Harbor.

With many employees choosing to work remotely, the insurance giant will sell its offices in Northbrook, Illinois, according to an emailed statement Friday. The complex in a Chicago suburb has several buildings that total 1.9 million square feet on a 186-acre (75 hectares), Allstate has said in regulatory filings.

Vethelpline offers insurance members and now subscribers, 24/7 access to veterinary experts and veterinarians who can answer care questions through an app with a chat feature or through a phone consultation.

Despite BLM, #MeToo and other movements for equality and justice, employers don't understand enough about the impact of neglecting DEI on company health.

Recent EY research confirms how the pandemic fundamentally changed consumer needs, how they plan to increase their financial security, and what insurers can do to seize the opportunity.

The past 18 months have uncovered a vulnerability in the insurance industry, as companies have struggled to maintain consistency in their processes in the face of remote working. Communication processes, in particular, have suffered and as a result, traditional insurers now face the real risk of losing customers to insurtechs and other more technologically advanced companies.

Results published Monday show that 46% of White people are working with professionals to plan their finances, while 38% of African Americans, 36% of Asian respondents and 44% of Hispanic people are doing the same.

In other news: Hippo launches Builders Program; handdii wins the 2021 ACORD Insurtech Innovation Challenge New York; Blockchain-backed title insurance launches in five states.

Lloyd’s of London, the world’s largest insurance exchange, is pushing the industry to do better on diversity recruitment with tougher new hiring and disclosure targets for its members.