Hellas Direst claim to have redesigned the whole insurance process for the benefit of their clients, as well as their employees. Here’s an inside peek at their thoughts around companies and their workplaces evolving with the modern world.
- Firstly, please describe the Hellas Direct setting: the number and average age of employees, male/female ratio, and how operations are structured (perhaps an elaboration on the qualities that Hellas Direct has worked to adapt from Amazon).
Right now Hellas Direct has 123 employees. The breakdown between men and women is 60:40, but on the upside, we have more women in key positions than any other company in the industry. The average age of our employees is 29, so we are a fairly young team.
As far as our operations are concerned, we have structured them to match our vision. Hellas Direct’s goal is to offer the best product at the best price with great service. To achieve that, we have divided our structure accordingly; our product team is comprised of incredible software engineers and forward thinking product managers. The teams in the pricing section (affectionately nicknamed the ‘Federation’) range from actuaries, pricing analysts, business intelligence experts, all the way down to the HR team and are there to make sure we keep the train on the rails. Last but certainly not least, our client service and claims teams are aligned to offer the best possible experience for our customers.
- Do you believe there is a link between a gratifying workplace and operational excellence? If so, how highly do you value this link?
Absolutely! Why would an unhappy person want to be productive for the company they work for? After all, operational excellence is simply the result of the peoples’ efforts. It’s not surprising that companies like Google go above and beyond to make sure their employees enjoy themselves while at work. Aside from the fact that many studies have shown the direct link between happy employees and productivity, we see it at Hellas Direct every day.
- Is there a certain traditional workplace model in Cyprus that Hellas Direct breaks away from? How has the local population responded to this ‘disruption’?
I think we are so different from the traditional suit and tie insurance company that this actually echoes in our product and it certainly makes our competitors nervous. One of them once accused us of being “a bunch of teenagers who go to the office in swimsuits”, but our clients seem to like the fact that we are different.
- What are the main components that make Hellas Direct an exemplary workplace?
Our people and our values. We focus on empowering our people and on being a transparent organisation. The fact that people can voice their concerns and opinions means that firstly, fresh ideas constantly pour in and secondly that teamwork flourishes. We think that if you give people freedom they will most likely amaze you.
- How does Hellas Direct hire, train and develop its employees?
Hiring is probably the single most important people activity in any company and it is especially true for us right now, because we are in a growth phase. We look for intelligent and passionate people who want to make a difference in their world and not necessarily for people with elaborate college degrees. To illustrate this a little bit: we have two beekeepers, one potter and a stand-up comedian on our team.
We invest heavily in training and development too and plan to further increase our efforts in 2020. If you do not invest in your people, you cannot expect them to invest their time and expertise in your organisation.
- Please elaborate on Hellas Direct’s efforts to ‘reverse the braindrain’. Have these efforts been effective and how has the company benefited?
The financial crisis both in Cyprus and Greece meant that some of the most talented people out there inadvertently looked for jobs in more competitive markets, so we decided that as a company we should be as competitive as markets in London or Berlin. This has actually proven incredibly beneficial for Hellas Direct as some of our best managers, software engineers and UX designers brought in the knowhow they had gained while working for multinational corporations abroad.
- Hellas Direct has ventured beyond being simply a service provider through its close ties with academia. Please elaborate on the company’s collaborations with RISE and the English School (Next Generation Foundation). How do you believe that Hellas Direct has benefited as a workplace from these ventures?
Rise is the first research centre in Cyprus focusing on interactive media, Smart systems and Emerging technologies and we are proud to be collaborating with them. The same of course applies for the English School. Together we have launched the Next Generation Foundation, a foundation that seeks to enhance the pursuit of academic excellence through the applied use of technology in education.
Over the next ten years, the Next Generation Foundation, together with the English School and Hellas Direct, will recognise and reward top-performing students who excel in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence, offering a series of scholarships and internships with the company. The Next Generation Foundation will also finance the use of robotics equipment and cutting-edge technology infrastructure at the school and will further support the school’s leadership across a number of initiatives.
As part of our strategic alliance with the school, Hellas Direct has further committed to seed a scholarship fund for academic eminence and to donate a fixed sum for each home-insurance policy purchased from www.hellasdirect.com.cy using the voucher code “#englishschool”.
Interview with Marilaura Cambanis
People & Culture of Hellas Direct
