Insurance brokers are suffering burnout, working unpaid overtime and seeking professional help to manage stress, the latest Insurance News Wellbeing Survey finds.

We polled almost 1000 insurance professionals last month, in partnership with Allianz, and almost 450 brokers were among the respondents.

They told us their wellbeing was “extremely” or “very” affected by excessive workloads (62%), poor-performing technology (47%), and imparting bad news to claimants (26%).

“We take the brunt of the disappointment from the client when all we are trying to do is make it as easy as possible to get cover,” a Queensland broker aged in his 40s said.

A NSW broker in her 30s said: “We are the ones that cop the brunt of the client’s frustrations at the insurer’s actions.”

And a respondent from Queensland added: “We are copping it daily from annoyed clients.”  

We found 77% experienced burnout during the previous year, and more than 60% of brokers regularly worked more than two hours of overtime a week.

“Never a day off as an intermediary,” said a SA broker aged in his 60s. 

A broker in New Zealand said: “In a soft market management have a deliberate strategy of under-resourcing the business, placing individuals under increasing stress to retain and grow the business.”

Here are some more related comments  

• “Employee wellbeing is a focus but everyone is expected to do ‘more with less’. It’s contradictory.”
• “No one in my company stops to take lunch or tea breaks, it’s seriously frowned on.”
• “Management pay lip service to the issue of workload stress and the harm it does to individuals.”

Constant emails come at all hours of the day, industry should respect the hours that people work and not send emails at midnight.

• “Brokers operate under intense pressure balancing client advocacy, compliance demands and complex market negotiations. The emotional toll of managing distressed clients, navigating claims disputes and meeting tight renewal deadlines can lead to burnout.”
• “Being the intermediary between insurer and customer often brings the stress of finding solutions that can be elusive. Discussing risks and solutions rather than taking the ‘computer says no’ approach may ease the anxiety.” 

More than half of brokers said leadership could do more to support staff mental health, such as education on managing work stress.

And more than 100 brokers told us they had sought professional help to manage their mental wellbeing.

Only 4% of respondents never struggled to “switch off” after work.

“All managers – before sitting in their ivory towers – need and must attend courses related to mental health and how to treat their staff members,” a NSW broker said.  

A young Tasmanian broker said: “Listen more closely ... when staff are saying they are so busy they cannot take on more work.”

Some more comments on this subject 

• “Would be good to maybe have professional development days that focus strongly on mental health and how we can support each other as a team.”
• “My employer projects what I consider toxic positivity, not allowing us to say we are upset/annoyed/overwhelmed. We must always present as ‘happy’.”

Asked if new staff are being appropriately trained/mentored, 54% said no – and 63% did not believe enough leadership talent is coming through the pipeline.  

“Our industry is more concerned with ‘bums on seats’ rather than making sure staff are trained,” said a broker in NT aged in his 40s.

Yet 81% of brokers surveyed would encourage school leavers to pursue insurance as a career.

“I love my job, I love helping people and saving them money where I can by adapting their cover or excesses. Brokers provide the peace of mind to clarify what you need against the cover you have got. It’s not just price,” said a rural NSW broker in her 40s.

Asked about harassment, 22% had experienced bullying at work and only 12% of brokers said they never dealt with aggressive customers.

• “When a client is frustrated, angry or stressed, the first people to often be exposed to the language, manner, tone and communication are the brokers.”
• “I experienced bullying from the office manager, vocalised loudly in front of all my peers, which made me feel belittled and ridiculed.”  
• “As a whistleblower, I’ve been speared outside the camp.”  

Exclusion was also a workplace problem.

• “There are a lot of cliques, I regularly feel like I do not belong.”
• “Executive has favourites and openly excludes anyone who challenges her.”
• “Included when they need me and subtle alienation when they do not.” 

While only about 10% said insurance was not a good job for women, comments showed many brokers feel it is a better environment for men.

• “Ten years in the industry and I am still considered a ‘girl’ by older men in the industry. It is getting better, however, a lot of change still needs to occur.”

It’s a club for blokes – and I am a male and see this very clearly

• “We are not taken as seriously. It is the exception to the rule that women are given the same opportunities and pay as men.”
• “Made to do stupid jobs like writing Christmas cards for men.”  

Lastly, here are some insightful comments shared by broker respondents on premium rises and relationships with underwriters.

• “Brokers feel the pulse of the client, whereas insurers can hide behind a policy exclusion.”
• “Brokers have to know every insurer’s every product and wait/rely on other people to do their small piece of the puzzle.”
• “Unaffordable = disgruntled customers.”

The gap between brokers and underwriters has never been so big. We’re all sick of customer issues that stem from withdrawing from markets or premium increases on renewal of 50%

• “There is no job satisfaction in delivering bad news on a consistent basis.”
• “It gets tiring to educate customers.”
• “Client messaging from behind a keyboard often comes off as cold.”
• “A conversation on the phone is so much more helpful than transacting through a portal – could relieve workload and frustration.”
• “I would rather present high premium/excess/conditions than nothing at all.”
• “Brokers are like GPs ... we have to know about all classes of insurance, whereas underwriters are like medical specialists [who] only need to know a lot about one thing. Makes being a broker hard at times.”
• “Any negative experience is held against the broker, from repairers, assessors through to insurer actions.”
• “You cannot find a middle ground between keeping the client happy while also maintaining relationships with insurers who are becoming more reluctant to write risks.”

"Improved out of sight": the latest Insurance News magazine examines your responses to our annual worker wellness survey, and finds some reasons to be cheerful