Category Archives: Risk Management

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Tackling Risk Management Contradictions in India

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India is a country of nearly 1.3 billion, and according to the United Nations 2017 World Population Prospects, has one of the most robust working populations of people between 21 and 35 in the world. Should India’s risk management profession grow along with the country’s population (projected to eventually top China as the most populous), it will usher in an industry-wide change that we are only first catching a glimpse of now.

I have been involved with risk management (and related areas) in India for nearly 15 years. As an Indian, I do not believe we as a whole are naturally attuned to formal risk management. And I’m not alone in this belief, as Dr. Viswanathan Ragunathan, CEO and general manager of the Varalakshmi Foundation said during the RIMS Risk Forum India 2018:

“We are obviously a contradiction. We are, at once, eternal optimists and fatalistic. At one level you can relate to what I’m saying in that Indians do not take too much risk in their day-to-day lives. Yet anyone who has taken the Mumbai trains knows…it’s almost as if we have a death wish.”

That contradiction is symbolic of the state of the profession in India. One of the main challenges we will face is the evolution of the profession within a country and culture firmly rooted in tradition. Risk professionals in India need to constantly reinvent themselves to be seen as valuable to their organizations. Here are three tips Indian risk managers should be keeping in mind in order to provide value to their organizations. And while these suggestions might initially be unique to the region, they may also apply to the global risk management community.

Tip 1: Keep Systems Relevant. Apply the risk management system or process relevant to the business, otherwise, there is no motivation to follow it. An effective risk manager will know their organization from the inside out. Play to your strengths and address whatever weaknesses exist. This will require buy-in from the C-Suite, but demonstrating that it was selected with the company in mind will help sell it.

Tip 2: Know The New Philosophy. The broader outlook has changed from “risk management methodology,” (such as frameworks and templates) to a focus on the active driving of modification measures for key risks throughout the organization.

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This means creating “risk-based cultures” inside organizations–a global trend but one that doesn’t happen overnight. There’s no one right way to do it, but at its core, it involves embracing the position of “we” (the company) versus “the risk” (or external factor).

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You might even introduce the risk management system you selected from the prior step, depending on its accessibility.

Tip 3: Demonstrate Humility. There are several instances where a risk manager has acted on early warning signals and quickly mitigated the threat. Despite those successes, the risk manager’s role is not that of a figurehead and probably should not take full credit for all the results.

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Sharing the kudos among the CEO and stakeholders, as well as subordinates (if you’re fortunate enough to lead a team), satisfies the unwritten conditions of both the national and professional cultures.

Risks can arise from anywhere within or outside an organization. CEOs are not always as clued in as risk managers regarding what is emerging. Therefore, it is our job to implement ERM programs that facilitate scenario-based workshops. This will help the CEO and stakeholders identify and mitigate at least the “known unknowns”

Generally, if risk managers do their due diligence, then a situation will have been prevented from the outset. And if something is missed, then the famous Indian term, “Jugaad” helps us. But Jugaad is something for another post.

Four Reasons To Stay The Course With Captives

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As the overall insurance market remains in a “soft” environment with rates generally decreasing, particularly in the workers compensation market, many captive participants might be questioning if now is the time to exit their captives and explore more traditional insurance options.

While this is an understandable response, one of the main reasons for creating your own or joining a group captive is a long-term commitment to a strategy of retaining risk in order to reduce costs over time.

Many companies historically turned to captives when insurance rates were high because they offered:

  • better control over claims handling and loss control efforts,
  • insulation from the cyclical swings and uncertainties of the commercial insurance marketplace, and
  • lower operating costs than conventional insurance models.

Additionally, there is a far greater return on loss-prevention and claim-mitigation investments. Though rates are currently dropping, here are four reasons why most business owners would still benefit from remaining with their captives.

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1. The Privileges Of Membership
Those companies that qualify are afforded benefits, including the possibility of reduced premiums and recouped savings over time. Keep in mind, one of the biggest drivers of value in being part of a captive means being insulated from future negative fluctuations in the market. Try not to lose sight of this, especially when rates drop and seem enticing.

2. No “Take Backs”
Leaving a captive can be costly, and reentry is not guaranteed. Companies considering the idea of leapfrogging from their captives while rates are low and then jumping back in when the rates increase may face hefty repercussions. This is particularly true for companies that are members of group captives, when it’s possible that other members of the captive may not accept them back, particularly if they were saddled with absorbing the exiting member’s share of losses.

3. Preparing For That Rainy Day
If you jump ship from your captive, you will most likely have lingering financial obligations if losses deteriorate for the whole group, and you could be on the hook for an assessment. By remaining a captive member, even if you are paying more in premium, you are adding money to cover a possible deficiency from prior years. If actual losses turn out to be better than projected, you can recoup—via dividends or reduced future premiums—a greater percentage of those savings than you could from traditional insurers.

4. Control Your Destiny
The market forces that are creating lower rates right now—such as decreasing medical costs or legislative changes that result in lower workers compensation costs—are also positively affecting captives. By staying with your captive, you can enjoy the upside of improvements in claims as your own losses go down, resulting in lower future costs and the possibility of recouping additional profits.

Overall, captives provide more control than traditional insurers through greater return on loss-prevention and claim-mitigation investments and through access to higher savings. Cheaper market rates can create an understandable knee-jerk reaction that may cause you to consider leaving your captive but remember your initial motives for joining. Captives are great alternatives to traditional insurer solutions, and staying the course will most likely work in your favor.

Do You Speak Digital?

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It has been proven time and time again that communication is a pivotal and essential cornerstone of business and individual professional success. Throughout business, whether in presentations to the board or chatting with co-workers around the Nespresso machine, communication can make or break a relationship. Often, the key to building that relationship is making an effort to learn another discipline’s language.

Today, no matter what industry your company may be in, executives are increasingly focusing on the technological advances that can help achieve a competitive advantage. And just as the insurance industry has its own unique language (and a plethora of acronyms—don’t get me started on that), so too does the digital world. If risk managers want to continue rising in the executive ranks, we will need to get on the same page as the technological innovators changing our world. That means learning to speak digital.

You don’t have to be a developer or coder to have a tech-based discussion. But, you do need to make the effort to understand some key terms and concepts in order to successfully communicate, particularly within your organization.

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You can start simply—find a colleague in your IT group to help bridge the language gap. It can not only help you understand the tech world, but it can also allow others to better understand yours.

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Call it a beneficial opportunity for mutual mentoring.

In my own experience over the past year working with insurtech start-ups, I have found the tech community to be extremely open and receptive, regardless of whether you are speaking with the CEO, co-founder, data scientist or developer.

It can be daunting at first. When I was first asked to review wireframes (website structural plans) or user story mapping (outlines of website visitor behavior) or when they said they’ll “Slack me” (contact me via the popular messaging and file-sharing app Slack), I have to admit, there was a bit of Googling involved. But, what I have found is that they are just as eager to learn about the risk management world as much as they are to impart knowledge and understanding about the technology ecosystem.

If you are still somewhat intimidated about diving into the deep end at the office, get your feet wet by starting small. Read an article on a technology that may resonate with your company’s strategy, current business plan or operational initiative. Attend an industry event that has insurtech or risktech (or whatever-tech) on the agenda. There are events in every geographical jurisdiction from formalized conferences to social meet-ups. If you can’t find one in your backyard, webinars and podcasts are also great resources.

No matter what, it is important to take that first step. It may be scary or uncomfortable, but that’s a good thing.

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You will soon find yourself wading outside of your comfort zone, which means you will be growing professionally and will be on your way to learning that new language.

Tips to Prepare Your Organization For An Older Workforce

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People are living and working longer today than in the agricultural and industrial ages. The growth in the number and percentage of individuals over 60 and 80 years of age is already having a global impact.

From 1980 to 2017, the number of individuals over the age of 60 doubled to roughly 900 million. This segment of the world’s population will double again by 2050 to nearly 2 billion, according to the 2017 World Population Prospects report by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat.

Risk professionals can prepare their organizations for the coming changes and opportunities of an older workforce with the following strategies:

  1. Customize a workplace safety program. Organizations can utilize various levels and different methods of training to improve safety awareness.
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    These include new hire training, annual mandatory compliance refreshers, on-the-job training, shadowing and formal mentoring programs, educational programs, and certifications. Training can focus on areas such as safety awareness, new technology, ergonomics and workstation setup, life skills, and other soft knowledge. This will also help with safety in general among the entire staff.

  1. Update the education and onboarding process. An important consideration is how different generations of employees learn, so specific training methods tailored to each generational group can be offered. Where online training modules may work for younger employees, older employees may prefer on-the-job or in-person training. It is up to each company to best identify the methods for training its workforce so the content of the training is effectively delivered and understood by its intended audience.
  2. Review training styles. In addition to receiving ongoing training, older employees may feel more engaged if they are asked to teach newer or less experienced employees. One area often overlooked is training for managers who may have older employees under their supervision. Much has been written about training and approaching millennials, however, the reverse is an emerging risk. Companies should begin focusing efforts on how to relate to and the best way to supervise older workers. This is an area of opportunity to enhance a company’s culture and develop the employee-employer relationship.
  1. Know a role’s physical demands. Employers need to ensure they have a good understanding of the actual physical demands of each job position in addition to the physical limitations of individual employees.
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    Post-offer and pre-employment functional capacity exams are recommended for all age groups in industrial and manufacturing sectors. Job rotation is an important safety tool, and can be used for all age groups in an effort to break up the monotonous nature of the work, avoid fatigue, and ultimately develop a well-rounded staff that can cover gaps as needed.

  1. Consider the intersection of technology, comfort and well-being. There are many low- and no-cost ideas that can make the workload more manageable for older employees. For example, in its Dingolfing, Germany plant, BMW hires older workers on an auto assembly line with accommodations for their age such as larger computer screens, special shoes, and chairs for some operations. And Microsoft offers an online Guide for Individuals with Age-Related Impairments, showing older workers how to create slower-moving pointers or magnified screen displays by adjusting their computer’s settings. Standard workstations can be improved with ergonomics in mind. Features like built-in back support in office chairs, standing desks, lighting created to minimize shadows and dark zones, and desks that are easily adjustable all contribute to employees’ comfort and minimize discomfort. On-site clinics save time and are geared toward prevention as well as early disease detection. Investing in the health of all employees through wellness programs is a timeless and ageless benefit and will contribute to productivity and reduce costs.
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  1. Promote an age-diverse business culture by recognizing and appreciating the skills/values of older workers. There are common misunderstanding and stereotypes with older employees that they are less efficient than their younger co-workers. However, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) in 2016 that the working proficiency (in both literacy and numeracy) of older employees is actually not significantly lower than their younger peers. In countries like the U.S., the proficiency of older workers is even at the same level as younger employees (see below charts). A follow-up study in 2018 by OECD indicated that older employees are more likely to involve in more complex tasks, such as supervise colleagues, have higher task discretion, use planning skills and influence others, which makes them as valuable assets as their younger co-workers. So it is important to promote an age-diverse business culture to appreciate the skills and value of older workers.
  1. Improve training against discrimination and negative attitudes to older workers on hiring, termination, compensation, and promotion. As risk management professionals, it is important to remind your organizations to review and improve the policy against discrimination and negative attitudes to older employees, in order to mitigate the potential legal risk. A 2013 AARP study indicated that “64% of U.S. workers have either experienced or observed age discrimination.” Given this background, in 2016, EEOC received 20,857 charges of age discrimination, which counted for more than 20% of all discrimination charges received by EEOC.

As the global working population continue to grow older, corporations around the world could expect to see more age discrimination litigations to come. Risk managers can play an important role by taking initiatives to help their organizations against discrimination and negative attitudes to older employees.

Several members of the RIMS International Council contributed to this article.