By Mojgan Lefebvre
EVP, Chief Technology & Operations Officer, Travelers

This post is featured as an article on Mojgan Lefebvre’s LinkedIn profile page.

As a talented software engineer or data scientist, when you imagine your dream job, you may envision working in a thriving “startup” culture of innovation. You may look for a place where you can learn and work on a diverse set of technologies, from internet-connected devices and deep learning models to intelligent process automation, blockchain and machine learning.

Maybe insurance doesn’t immediately come to mind. But if you knew the extent of technology’s impact on the industry and the really cool work we do at Travelers in the Analytics and Tech organizations, you wouldn’t look further. I’ll share with you a few reasons why you should seriously consider a career in technology at Travelers, a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business.

As a new computer science graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1990, I couldn’t have predicted a career path leading to my current role. I’ve always been drawn to opportunities that balance the transformative benefits of technology in people’s lives with the practical business outcomes that enable companies to grow. I recognize that same spirit of purpose-driven career choices in many of our Travelers’ technologists today.

I entered the insurance industry in 2010, after working across Asia, Europe and the Americas in the fields of high-tech and health care. I was amazed at the level of investment that the IT organization was making and how heavily the industry relied on data, analytics, risk management and digital capabilities.

In 2018, I was drawn to Travelers’ storied reputation for constant innovation in the world of insurance – especially the way the more than 165-year-old insurer nurtures and supports an openness to change. We’re focused on continuously transforming the way we engage with customers and collaborate with partners while extending our competitive advantage in risk expertise.

This work spans all our major business lines and has made a tangible difference in how well we were able to respond to the pandemic. I am proud of the way our Travelers teams have risen to every challenge over the past year.

Last March, we pivoted to a remote work environment. Our goal was to keep our people safe without compromising the high-quality service we provide to our customers, agents and brokers. To do that, our Tech and Operations teams had to equip 30,000 employees with all the necessary tools. And they did it seamlessly – we didn’t miss a beat.

Our success was the result of sound business continuity planning and the investments we have made in processes, tools and technologies over the years.

For instance, our AI teams quickly spotted unanswered questions related to COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic. Our data science and engineering teams jumped on the opportunity to improve our AI algorithms to quickly recognize COVID-related questions. This ensured that we could improve the customer experience by answering questions more accurately through our chatbot. With the volume of increased queries, the AI models continued to learn and improve over time.

Another example is our expanded Claim Virtual Visit tools, which Travelers’ Claim organization built to help our professionals safely interact with customers, claimants and other third parties and virtually conduct property or auto inspections. We saw the use of these tools multiply during the pandemic. Our cross-functional agile teams also got the opportunity to continually adjust capabilities based on customer feedback.

Across the insurance value chain, Travelers is leveraging advanced technologies, such as geospatial and deep learning models to come swiftly to the aid of customers whose houses are damaged from wildfires or weather disasters. Such solutions not only create a positive experience for our customers but also keep our employees safe as they work with our claimants. These are just a few examples of how our technologists see their work making a difference in people’s lives.

None of the above can happen without the talented technology professionals who recognize the vast career opportunities the insurance industry has to offer. During the pandemic, Travelers hired and virtually onboarded more than 300 employees into our Tech organization, and we remain committed to recruiting great new talent. Our technologists and data experts will continue to play a key role in helping to automate and improve the experiences of our customers, agents and brokers throughout the insurance life cycle.

If what you’ve read sounds like the kind of place where your dream job could flourish, I invite you to discover your career under the umbrella.

Connect with Mojgan Lefebvre and other Travelers technology leaders on LinkedIn.

How does a large company tackle complex business challenges in imaginative ways? One effective method is to tap into the creativity data-driven employees bring to the table, providing them development opportunities and generating outcomes to create the products that best serve our customers.

Bring on the friendly competition.

During the 2020 Virtual Predictive Modeling Competition, 75 companywide data scientists, data engineers and technology-oriented employees formed into 21 teams with one challenge: to develop a new model that helps our Claim organization more swiftly predict the severity of an accident at faster rates and improve payout predictions.

The eight-week competition gave participants the chance to work with new technologies and frameworks that deepened their skillsets and provided opportunities to collaborate across departments. The event was sponsored by Travelers Claim Business Intelligence and Analytics (CBIA) and Enterprise Data and Analytics (ED&A).

Teams relied on their knowledge of AWS cloud technology, graphics processing units, unstructured data sources and machine learning to analyze a range of information to develop and build their models.

According to the competition winners, reviewing data from customer interaction with claim handlers was paramount. “We didn’t reinvent the wheel, but our model predictions were sensible and could predict high severity claims with a high level of confidence,” said Murat Yasar, Analytics & Research, Business Insurance.

“I saw the competition as a great challenge. It was also a great way to network and share knowledge – which is really a precious opportunity, especially during the pandemic,” said Susan Ye, Data & Research, CBIA.

Travelers began these modeling competitions in 2016 with the goal of providing training opportunities around deep learning and image analytics. But the impact of the work goes far beyond training.

“The winning solution from the 2018 competition is still being used at Travelers – it’s like a Swiss army knife for data scientists,” said George Lee, who leads the Data Science team in ED&A’s AI Accelerator. “That’s our hope for this year’s winning solution.”

Our claim professionals are continuing to deliver on the Travelers Promise, to take care of our customers, communities and each other, which has become increasingly important during the upheaval and uncertainty caused by COVID-19.

Just before daybreak on a Monday in mid-April, a severe windstorm swept through Charlotte, North Carolina, damaging properties across the region. After the storm passed, Erin Karaffa packed up her drone and her personal protective gear, ready to start conducting property inspections and helping our customers recover.

Within a few hours, Erin, a Property Claim professional in our Virginia-Carolina Claim Center, had spoken to a customer whose home was damaged by a large falling tree. Because of the extent of damage to the attic, Erin couldn’t conduct a virtual inspection, so she set up an in-person inspection for the following day and arrived on site in protective gear, following social distancing guidelines.

“I like to give customers a heads-up and call from the driveway to say, ‘I’m here. Are you comfortable with me coming in? I have a mask and gloves on,’” Erin explained. “I want to make sure they’re prepared. Even though you see a lot of people wearing masks, it can still be intimidating.”

In addition to inspecting the interior damage, Erin used a drone to assess the damage to the roof and then issued the customer’s claim payment via ePay, Travelers’ secure electronic payment system. “The tree impacted a pipe that came out of her roof,” Erin stated, “and it shattered all the way into the attic and down into the crawlspace, so she needed to get a plumber in there right away. ePay helped her do that.”

The customer was so pleased with Erin’s prompt, professional response despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 that she sent a heartfelt letter of thanks. “You had a caring demeanor and were very thorough, professional, diligent and knowledgeable about what to do,” the customer wrote to Erin. “Travelers is fortunate to have an employee like you, especially during this pandemic that our world is dealing with.”

Members of the Car Dealer UAV Team.

For more than 165 years, Travelers’ innovative employees continually ask themselves and their colleagues, “what’s next?” And throughout the years, their curiosity has led to the development of creative solutions recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office.
Check out what creativity looks like at Travelers in the following six U.S. patents received this year by members of the Travelers Technology team.

• Electronic Auto Policy ID Card (U.S. Patent No. 10,636,096).Michal Sterzycki and his team are meeting our customers where they are by enabling auto customers to create and download an ID card, receive it via email or text, and save it to their Apple Wallet. The card contains instructions on filing a claim and deep links to the user’s policy info.
• Car Dealer UAV (U.S. Patent No. 10,592,934). Ian Michel, George Lee, Pee T Lim and John Han devised the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to capture images for immediate analysis and damage estimates. Imagine the system being used to efficiently determine the amount of damage to a vehicle fleet at an auto dealership after a severe weather event.
• Digital Forensics Lab (U.S. Patent No. 10,546,133). Krystopher Aurigemma, Roy Emmerthal, Patrick Griffin, Eric Raabe and James Shanley received a patent for creating a system to analyze digital media devices infected with malware, using virtual desktop sessions to provide flexibility in the deployment of processing resources and isolation of threats.
• Mobile Risk Assessment Tool (U.S. Patent No. 10,586,193). Steve Roach participated on a team that identified how real-time video analysis of property conditions can aid the underwriting process. Consider a subject matter expert observing assessor data collection and providing real-time guidance to optimize the data collection process and minimize the need for multiple trips to gather supplemental information.
• Virtual Co-Location (U.S. Patent No. 10,574,942). Doug Roy and Ryan Scanlon introduced the use of an Internet of Things (IoT) device that connects remote workers with their teams using host device hardware sensors and a client software app to communicate status changes in each location.
• Data Archival and Retrieval Tool (DART) (U.S. Patent No. 10,635,688). Venkatraman Raman designed a reusable metadata-driven, sustainable data transfer framework that simplifies data complexities, access, availability and analysis onto a single platform.

Through Travelers’ Innovation Jam Hackathons and day-to-day innovative thinking, our multi-disciplinary teams will continue to put their creative minds together to produce solutions that make a difference in the lives of our customers and each other.
As we look forward and wonder what’s next for our business, are you wondering what’s next for your career in technology?

Travelers to Reach Goal of Planting 1 Million Trees in Partnership with American Forests

Through its partnership with American Forests, the oldest nonprofit conservation group in the nation, Travelers will soon reach its goal of planting one million new trees.

In celebration of the 50th Earth Day, and in keeping with the company’s dedication to environmentalism, Travelers is also continuing its partnership with American Forests through April 2021. Through this partnership, Travelers has planted one tree for every Personal Insurance customer who opted in to paperless billing in 2019. The company will continue these efforts and expects to plant up to a half-million more new trees.

“We are proud to have reached this important milestone and to continue our successful partnership with American Forests,” said Michael Klein, Executive Vice President and President of Personal Insurance at Travelers. “We are committed to operating our business efficiently and sustainably. This program achieves both, by creating a convenient experience for our customers and meaningfully reducing our paper usage and carbon footprint.”

“With Travelers’ support, we planted 1 million trees in some of America’s most endangered forests – taking 1 million steps for safe, healthy communities and a vibrant natural environment,” said Jad Daley, President and CEO of American Forests. “We are very grateful to Travelers, one of our largest corporate partners, and excited to continue working together to make a positive impact on our planet.”

Additionally, Travelers regularly implements cost-effective ways to positively impact the eco-efficiency of its business. Other measures include:

• Reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 35% since 2011.
• Reducing energy consumption by approximately 50% since 2006 at its largest-owned campus.
• Relying on renewable energy sources for 17% of the electricity consumed at its owned facilities.
• Ensuring its owned campuses are ENERGY STAR® certified.

Effective and successful workplace ergonomics involves the application of basic workplace principles to help address a worker’s discomfort, chronic pain or injury. A large part of good ergonomics involves workstation arrangement, equipment orientation and employee work habits. Proper placement of workstation equipment helps, but good ergonomics starts with the selection of furniture that can be easily adjusted to meet the needs of varied employees.

Having an effective ergonomics process can help you identify those job tasks and workplace factors that can put employees at risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). These types of conditions can result in additional expenses and lost productivity for your company. Addressing the risks should be a business imperative. Establishing a good ergonomics process can help reduce the frequency of MSDs, address ergonomic risk factors and concerns, and control workers compensation costs.

Some areas to consider in minimizing the risk of MSDs include:

• Good workstation chairs.
• Proper keyboard and mouse placement.
• Correct monitor/reference material positioning.
• Sufficient lighting to help reduce eyestrain.

Good work habits are essential to avoiding injuries from computer use. Even with the best workstation and properly positioned equipment, employees could end up with discomfort or MSDs. Your employees may develop bad habits over time that can lead to the development of MSDs.

Good habits to promote include, but are not limited to:

• Change your work position, chair height and angle, and keyboard position throughout the day.
• Look away from the screen periodically to focus on distant objects.
• Use the “ALT” functions on your keyboard where possible to reduce mouse use.
• Hold the phone with your non-writing hand or use a headset. Do not hold the phone with your chin and shoulder as this can lead to neck tension, headaches and pinched nerves.
• Stand to reach items on shelves above your desk, rather than reaching from your chair.
• Squat or go to one knee while getting materials from bottom drawers or shelves.

Changing work habits takes time and dedication. Even a slight keyboard height change can initially feel awkward. If a change feels awkward, work using the modified arrangement for at least a week to give it a chance to become natural.

Armed with this information, you can increase employee safety and comfort through education and workstation modifications, rather than making costly furniture or equipment purchases.

Long associated with meditation and relaxation, the practice of mindfulness has become more mainstream in recent years. And, with studies showing that humans aren’t as good at multi-tasking as we think we are, practicing mindfulness or meditation may actually help us be more productive at work.

Ever felt scattered while having 12 browser tabs open on your laptop, while keeping up with a group text on your smartphone and answering emails as they come in? In an age of multi-tasking, mindfulness can help us be in a state of moment-to-moment awareness of our experience. So, can practicing mindfulness help your small business become more productive?

Here are five potential benefits:

1. Mindfulness may help you and your team prioritize better. Multi-tasking is really task-switching, because it’s not possible for the brain to handle two tasks simultaneously. A research study at Stanford University found that multi-tasking actually made participants less able to switch tasks effectively, likely because they were less able to filter out irrelevant distractions.1 Since not every task has the same level of importance to your small business, being able to discern what’s most important can be a critically important skill.

2. Mindfulness can help boost your working memory. Research has shown an increase in working memory among participants in an eight-week mindfulness training.2 That working memory can translate to productivity if employees are able to better recall training and other information useful for their work – and may even help them avoid accidents and injuries at work if they are better able to remember safety practices.

3. Mindfulness can help reduce stress. According to an American Psychological Association survey, 60 percent of respondents reported that work is a very or somewhat significant source of stress, second only to money matters.3 Serious health issues can arise from stress, from hypertension to cardiovascular disease. Mindfulness training, especially when practiced as a team, can help reduce anxiety and teach emotion regulation strategies to better handle difficult situations.

4. Mindfulness can help improve focus. Distractions abound in the modern office. Open office concepts can mean employees need to filter out foosball matches to focus, frequent meetings may disrupt workflow, and notifications from email, texts and other social media can make it hard to concentrate. A study that looked at how participants were able to focus found that experienced mindful meditators performed better on all measures of attention and had higher self-reported mindfulness than those with no meditation experience.4

5. Mindfulness can be a good team-building activity. Practicing mindfulness can be a great way to bring a team together, by providing a team-building activity and by teaching how to better relate to one another. Whether you invite an instructor in to lead a yoga, tai chi or qigong class, or you offer a more structured meditation training program, the team can apply what they learn to handling challenges at work, being more focused and taking time to be present.

Thinking of how to get started? Of course, any mindfulness program should be voluntary for employees. Thirty-minute sessions once or twice a week can create a space where your team can practice guided meditation and discuss how to apply it to their experiences at work. Creating a more mindful culture can have benefits for you and your team, both inside and outside of the office.

Sources:
1 http://www.pnas.org/content/106/37/15583.full.pdf?sid=d448f6fe-219c-402a-a617-03e7c5ed527c
2 http://www.amishi.com/lab/wp-content/uploads/jha_stanley_etal_emotion_2010.pdf
3 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2014/stress-report.pdf
4 Moore, A. & Malinowski, P. (2009). Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness & Cognition, 18(1), 176-186