Generali UK Employee Benefits’ team restructure brings multiple benefits to employees and customers

The restructure was led by Darren Michel, following his promotion to Head of Claims and Medical Underwriting in March this year. Darren was previously Claims Manager for Generali UK and has been with the organisation for 17 years. Prior to joining Generali UK, Darren was a medical underwriter on individual life cover products for a major bancassurer and several other insurers in that market, including a temporary position with reinsurer Swiss Re.

The restructure involved a transition from a flat structure to a more dynamic setup. This shift involved dividing the team into three smaller groups, each with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. It created a new administration and early intervention team. It also involved dividing the claim assessment team into two. In doing so, three new manager roles were created and direct reports were redistributed.

Darren Michel, Head of Claims and Medical Underwriting at Generali UK, commented: “The fact that the claims team and medical underwriting team worked so closely in partnership, sitting in the same team, was something that attracted me to Generali UK in the first place. I also quickly learned that this was a company that valued its staff and offered good career opportunities.

“17 years later and with evolution of employee and customer needs in mind, I decided it made sense to transition to a less flat structure, to bring numerous benefits from both performance and career progression perspectives.

“Enhanced performance, clear career pathways, skill diversification, empowerment, autonomy, succession planning and leadership development represent the significant advantages that this new structure affords. By embracing these changes, we lay the foundation for a more agile, motivated, and successful team, poised to excel and deal with the challenges of the ever-evolving landscape of insurance claim assessment.”

Here's what the three new managers had to say about the benefit of the restructure to them, as line managers, and to their teams.

Kay Needle, Early Intervention & Claims Admin Manager, said: “The changed structure puts a focus on efficiency and simplification as we break down and reassign existing processes. Simultaneously, giving ownership of parts of the process which best align to the strengths of individual teams will create space for innovation. This in turn will empower our teams to focus on individual developmental goals, alongside the evolution of new ways of working.”

Rory McIvor, Claims Manager, said: “The restructuring has allowed us to grow as a department and will provide more opportunities to existing employees. The changes have made us more aligned. And will empower our teams to think of new ways of working to improve our service with customers’ needs in mind.”

James Howard, Claims Manager, said: "The creation of a leaner and more dynamic team structure will allow greater opportunities for all of us to grow as individuals and as a department. This will further enhance our capacity to be smarter in how we meet our customers specific needs in a constantly evolving market, while staying true to the core values of Generali."

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact eb.enquiries@generali.co.uk