When disaster strikes a community, Cincinnati Insurance must be ready to respond. Maintaining our operations so that we can answer the call to put families and businesses on the road to recovery is our noble purpose. When the disaster impacts our own operations, we manage the risk using our robust business continuity plans. These plans allow Cincinnati associates to continue serving our independent agents and policyholders and fulfill our fiscal responsibility to investors.
We were well prepared to face the COVID-19 global crisis and our operations, people, technology and financial position continue to be strong. We have activated our pandemic plan, which includes remote working capabilities for the majority of our 5,000 associates so that they can continue delivering the outstanding service that our company is known for.
Around the Corner, Around the Clock
Our business model starts with the independent insurance agent. These appointed agents are supported by Cincinnati field associates who live in the same communities. Our field claims professionals, underwriters, auditors and loss control professionals work from their homes every day, empowered to respond to agents and policyholders quickly and personally.
- During the COVID-19 outbreak, our field associates are fully functioning, processing claims and business requests while employing many virtual options and using appropriate cautions when meeting in person is necessary.
Our field teams are supported by associates based at our Fairfield, Ohio, headquarters. More than 95% of our headquarters associates have been working from their homes since March 16, 2020. The transfer to a work-from-home operation has been seamless, and we continue to support our agents and policyholders just as we did prior to March 16. A small number of location-critical associates are continuing to report to our building to ensure key operations there run smoothly. These associates are following all federal, state and local protocols for their safety and the safety of our community.
Working Together to Prepare
Our rigorous and ongoing business continuity planning and testing prepared us for the current reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the planning and readiness process, we have teams of associates who meet regularly in order to prepare our company should a crisis event arise.