Latest Talent Headlines

All the headlines from our Talent Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Social Recruiting: Branding Your Company as an Employer of Choice

Mar 5 2012 // Seventy-nine percent of companies are already using or planning to use social media in their business strategy. The No. 1 benefit organizations attribute to social media is increased awareness among target customers. Yet...

6 Things I Learned from Reading Steve Jobs Authorized Biography

Feb 24 2012 // The first lesson learned from Walter Issacson’s best-selling biography, Steve Jobs (Simon and Schuster), is that you should have started your agency in a garage with a guy called “Woz.” If you did, stop...

One-Armed Man Sues Starbucks For Not Hiring Him

Feb 23 2012 // A man who was born with half a left arm is suing Starbucks for failing to hire him as a barista. Eli Pierre sued the company in San Diego, Calif. two weeks ago for unspecified damages. Pierre says that during a Feb. 1...

Workers’ Compensation Cost Hike Sought in South Carolina

Feb 21 2012 // South Carolina employers could see their workers’ compensation premiums increase next year if state regulators go along with a proposed 7.3 percent increase in the state’s loss cost rates. The National Council...

Agency Compensation Expected to Rise in 2012: Ward Group

Feb 20 2012 // Contingent commission payouts to insurance agencies are estimated to be 12 percent higher in 2012 than 2011, a new study said. The study by the Ward Group also found that carriers are continuing to increase their volume...

Agency Compensation: A General Guideline With Common Sense

Feb 20 2012 // Personnel expenses remain the largest expense for any independent insurance agency today. Typically, personnel expenses account for about 50 percent to 70 percent of revenue. Therefore, smart agency owners should think...

The Compensation Connection: Aligning Rewards with Results

Feb 20 2012 // The state of the labor market is changing. Unemployment rates are dropping and companies are opening up hiring budgets. Organizations that believe employees are lucky to simply have a job in this economy are headed for...

Compensation Freeze Comes to an End?

Feb 20 2012 // Agencies Report Salaries and Compensation on the Rise, Slightly It looks like the freeze may be over. For the first time since 2008, independent agency salaries rose in 2011, albeit only slightly. According to Insurance...

General Tips for Compensation

Feb 20 2012 // Be creative with compensation and perquisites. Remember, most people are not motivated by additional money. Respect, recognition, challenge and non-monetary benefits mean more to most people than a few dollars for a new...

Insurance Employment Grew by 5,300 Jobs, Latest Data Show

Feb 20 2012 // The insurance industry had 5,300 net job gains in December 2011 compared to November 2011, according to the latest industry-specific data published by the federal government this month. The U.S. Labor Department’s...

Beyond Golf: P-U-T-T-E-R’s the Name of the Game in E&S World

Feb 16 2012 // Bill Reynolds, Atlantic Casualty Insurance Golf could be called the go-to sport of the insurance industry, so it’s safe to assume that most insurance professionals know what a putter is – a tool for cursing and...

Illinois Governor Defends State after Caterpillar CEO Blasts Jobs Climate

Feb 14 2012 // Gov. Pat Quinn defended the state’s business climate on Feb. 12 after the head of Caterpillar Inc. blasted state political leaders in a published column for not doing enough to grow business and jobs in Illinois. The...

Alabama Insurance Agent Enjoys New Acting Career

Feb 10 2012 // Stan Houston has felt the power of Kenny Powers. Houston, an Enterprise insurance agent based in Dothan, Ala., filmed a scene in July for an upcoming episode of the HBO comedy series “Eastbound and Down.” The...

American Specialty Introduces Workers’ Compensation Program

Feb 8 2012 // American Specialty Insurance & Risk Services has launched a workers’ compensation program that provides guaranteed cost coverage for the sports and entertainment industries. The company will target classes...

AIG Reviewing Succession as Chairman Takes New Job

Feb 7 2012 // Bailed-out insurer American International Group will review its succession plans after its chairman accepted a job as the chief executive of an airplane maker, the company said on Tuesday. AIG CEO Bob Benmosche has been in...

Nonprofits Show Job Growth Despite Decade of Turmoil

Feb 6 2012 // Defying two recessions, the nonprofit sector posted a remarkable 10-year record of job growth, achieving an average annual growth rate of 2.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, while for-profit jobs declined by an average of minus...

How to Maximize Producer Talent

Feb 6 2012 // With many challenges facing the insurance industry — such as competition from banks and other brokerages, as well as direct marketing to consumers — it takes a flexible and engaged producer to adapt and understand what...

Japan Reported Ready to Join Compensation Pact for Nuclear Victims

Feb 3 2012 // Japan will join at least four other nations in a pact to help compensate victims of nuclear accidents in member countries, a newspaper reported on Friday, as it continues to grapple with the aftermath of the world’s...

Workers’ Compensation on Legislative Agenda for Oklahoma State Chamber

Feb 1 2012 // Taxation, workers’ compensation insurance and health care coverage top the State Chamber of Oklahoma’s agenda for the 2012 legislative session that kicks off on Feb. 6. The State Chamber’s business agenda...

Willis Appoints Trigg as Managing Director for Global Solutions Unit

Jan 31 2012 // Willis Group Holdings announced that Bruce Trigg will join its Global Solutions team as Managing Director, effective April 1st. he is based in London and will report to Alistair Lester, CEO of Global Solutions...