In the Beginning

Faced with ongoing profitability challenges across the auto insurance industry, a leading insurer took bold action to reduce operating costs—including a nearly 10% workforce reduction, resulting in over 4,000 layoffs.

This significant downsizing triggered widespread stress and anxiety among remaining employees, many of whom were also burdened with additional responsibilities while fearing further layoffs. 

Recognizing the risk to morale and performance, leadership wanted to directly engage employees about workplace culture and environment. This feedback would become the foundation for a new talent management roadmap, shaping future decisions and investments in employee experience and organizational culture.

How We Drove Change

Leadership faced a dilemma, as existing employee engagement surveys showed high satisfaction, yet mounting anecdotal evidence pointed to rising stress and disengagement. To bridge this knowledge gap, we recommended focus groups. A group setting with individuals who share commonalities can foster open and honest conversations, often revealing deeper or even unexpected insights. Additionally, having the groups moderated by a neutral third party provides a sense of safety and confidentiality that drives trust and encourages participants to share their candid thoughts and opinions.

We led 40 focus groups carefully designed to represent diverse roles, hierarchical levels, and demographics, including gender, race, and ethnicity. This approach ensured a comprehensive understanding of the workforce's varied experiences and perceptions.

Before crafting the discussion guide, we conducted a thorough analysis of existing engagement and pulse survey data—and led stakeholder interviews with HR leaders, department heads, and senior executives. Based on this groundwork, we narrowed our research focus to three critical areas:

• Decision-Making and Valuing Diverse Perspectives: Exploring how employees perceive decision-making processes and whether diverse viewpoints are truly considered.

• Culture of Trust and Respect: Assessing whether mutual trust and respect are fostered throughout the organization.

• Opportunities for Growth and Advancement: Identifying gaps in career development and advancement pathways.

Despite the challenges, many employees expressed a deep appreciation for the company—highlighting supportive peers, engaged managers, robust benefits, and career opportunities as compelling reasons to stay. This loyalty, however, was overshadowed by mounting uncertainty and burnout, which threatened to erode the organizational culture and hinder performance.

Managers emerged as the most affected group. They faced the dual challenge of rebuilding team trust while simultaneously navigating numerous other obstacles.The emotional toll of leading anxious teams, coupled with unclear guidance from above, left many managers feeling overwhelmed and unsupported.

The stark disconnect between executives and frontline employees was most alarming to senior leadership. Team members described interactions with senior leaders as limited, scripted, and impersonal, fueling perceptions that leadership lacked empathy and viewed employees as disposable. Workloads were widely seen as unsustainable, and the blame was placed squarely on senior leadership.

From Insights to Impact

Armed with these insights, leadership now has a clear mandate: rebuild trust, prioritize employee well-being, and create a culture that values every voice. 

These findings are driving meaningful changes in talent management strategies, leadership engagement, and workplace culture—ensuring the organization is poised for sustainable growth and long-term success.