Latest Productivity Headlines

Air Force Building in Georgia Clears the Air for Workplace Safety

Dec 22 2011 // A year ago, Building 169 at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia was the epicenter of the base’s troubles with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. An inspection of the building by OSHA investigators found...

Exercise Programs Lead to Better Work Productivity, Study Finds

Sep 2 2011 // Taking time out of the work week for an employee exercise program may lead to increased productivity — despite the reduction in work hours, reports a new study. The new study, published in the August Journal of...

Bank Insurance Brokerage Income Marks New Record; Up Amost 20%

Aug 8 2011 // Bank holding companies (BHC) set a new record, marking the highest quarterly results ever recorded for first-quarter insurance brokerage income. BHCs posted $3.98 billion in insurance brokerage income in the first quarter...

House Committee Hears Concerns on Surplus Lines Reform Tax Issue

Jul 28 2011 // Just days after the surplus line reform legislation became effective, federal legislators heard comments from industry insiders on concerns regarding the implementation of provisions in the bill, including how states will...

The Game Changer: What the LexisNexis Insurance Exchange Means for the Industry, Technology Partners

Jul 4 2011 // Technology providers to the insurance industry have good things to say about a new system that allows property/casualty agents, brokers and carriers to collaborate on commercial lines accounts. The new system, the...

LexisNexis Insurance Exchange Now Available Industry-Wide

Jun 7 2011 // The LexisNexis Insurance Exchange, a system that promises to improve how property/casualty agents, brokers and carriers collaborate on commercial lines accounts, is becoming available industry-wide. The system simplifies...

Look Back Before Moving Forward

Jan 24 2011 // 5 Critical Areas to Review For many, 2010 was another tough year. A number of you are probably disappointed in how little you “accomplished” this past year. You may even feel that you have had a set back. Some...

Capgemini/Efma Report Urges ‘Re-focusing,’ ‘Operational Efficiencies’

Jan 21 2011 // In their recently released 2011 World Insurance Report Capgemini and Efma explore how insurers can “dissect their business to identify opportunities that will make fundamental and lasting improvements to their core...

Change the Holiday Slump to the New Year Jump

Dec 23 2010 // Is the holiday season the slowest time for your agency? Do the distractions of the season take the focus off of identifying ways to grow the business for next year? If you have answered yes to either of these questions,...

Democratic Congress Productive But Unpopular

Dec 23 2010 // Perhaps never before has a U.S. Congress done more and been liked less than the one controlled by President Barack Obama’s Democrats that ended Wednesday. It wrapped up its two-year legislative cycle with a crush of...

Dec 19 2010 // One way that agency owners can keep their employees happy in today’s tough times is by making their compensation more accountable to agency growth. Al Diamond, president of the Agency Consulting Group, says in...

Change the Holiday Slump to the New Year Jump

Dec 5 2010 // Five Ways Independent Agents Can End the Year Poised for Growth Is the holiday season the slowest time for your agency? Do the distractions of the season take the focus off of identifying ways to grow the business for next...

Insurance and Going Green

Nov 14 2010 // What to Know About Green Commercial Building Insurance Read the news lately and it feels like everything – from cars to grocery bags – has gone green. While recent events, such as 2009’s Copenhagen Climate Change...

3 Win Progressive Insurance X-Prize for Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Sep 17 2010 // An ultralight, gas-powered car that can get 102 miles per gallon is among the winners of the $10 million Automotive X Prize, a contest to develop highly efficient, production-ready vehicles. While it’s not likely to...

How To Use Compensation to Boost Sales

Aug 16 2010 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, N.J. He deals with agencies across the country on issues ranging from...

How to Use Compensation to Boost Sales

Aug 16 2010 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, N.J. He deals with agencies across the country on issues ranging from...

Progressive Insurance X-Car Race Coming Down to Finish Line

Jul 6 2010 // The team led by Charlottesville, Va. real estate developer Oliver Kuttner is the only one left in the running for the multimillion-dollar X Prize competition to build a four-seat car that can achieve 100 miles per...

The Agency Salary Blues: How to Keep Employees Happy

May 19 2010 // While slugglish agency salary growth has employees singing the blues, some agency management consultants believe employee satisfaction can be kept up even in tough times. One way agency owners can keep their employees...

How to Keep Employees Happy

Apr 19 2010 // One way that agency owners can keep their employees happy in today’s tough times is by making their compensation more accountable to agency growth. Al Diamond, president of the Agency Consulting Group, says in...

Green Building Movement Raises Some Construction Defect, Claims Concern

Apr 7 2010 // New insurance products to protect innovative green construction products such as wind turbines, fuel cells and vegetative roofs are on the rise. But even those closest to the situation admit to being a bit, well, green,...