Women in Insurance and Technology: Supporting the Women of Clearcover
Written by Team Clearcover
Earlier this year, several Clearcover-ers formed a new Employee Resource Group, "Women in Insurance and Technology" (WIIT), with the mission to create a community and provide support for those who identify as women at Clearcover. The group has pledged to provide awareness and inclusivity, resources for career development, and opportunities to engage with and support similar external communities. After several internal meetings, WIIT recently hosted their first company-wide event, a workshop titled "Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism."
WIIT joins several other Employee Resource Groups at Clearcover including Sage Solace for members of the LGBTQ+ community, Parents of Clearcover, and the Clearcover African American Network. These groups further the mission of Cleacover's Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Council, to create a workplace where everyone feels comfortable to be their complete selves and thrive in their work. The groups' dedicated Slack channels are open to everyone, and are places where individuals can share ideas and opinions, ask questions, and seek support from colleagues in their communities.
For their first event, WIIT chose to focus on mental health issues facing both men and women - imposter syndrome and perfectionism. As Kaitlyn Taylor, Director of Agency Accounts and member of WIIT explains, "[I]mposter syndrome is prevalent among female professionals and [we] knew it would resonate with our audience… because so many of us are looking for ways to combat it." Their choice of topic aligns with Clearcover's emphasis on supporting the mental health of all team members. From offering virtual yoga classes and workshops led by mental health professionals, to flexible scheduling such as Focus Fridays, and one-on-one counseling included with our benefits, we constantly strive to ensure that all Clearcover-ers feel mentally healthy.
During the "Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism" workshop, Samantha Erlenbaugh of The Centered Life provided Clearcover-ers with keys and strategies to overcome anxiety by rewiring our brains for calm, confidence and security. As Sam explained, "anxiety is driving the car" when we base our worthiness on external factors. People feel the effects of imposter syndrome when they contribute their successes to luck and operate under the assumption that, if they can appear perfect, no one will discover that they are a fraud. The resulting drive for perfectionism causes people to put unrealistic expectations on themselves which can lead to overwhelm and burnout and builds resentment. Sam asserted that true and consistent confidence can only come from healing that each of us can do, and that we need to stop chasing worthiness from external sources.
Of course, completely rewiring our brains for compassion instead of perfectionism is not something that can be accomplished over the course of a single workshop. Instead, Sam provided us with several keys to the process of changing our mindsets. She instructed us to first identify the core beliefs that we have about ourselves, and then to recognize when we act as our adaptive selves (when we change our behavior in order to be liked and to fit in) versus our authentic selves. She offered us several exercises to prioritize and heal our relationship with ourselves in order to empower our authentic selves. She then challenged us to choose one exercise to try for two weeks and see if we notice any changes in our mindset. Ultimately, we should redefine success based on how much we act as our authentic selves, how well we achieve balance in our lives between work, rest, and play, and how well we are appreciating ourselves and giving ourselves compassion.
Senior Technical Recruiter Clarie Davis facilitated the discussion and reported that nearly one hundred Clearcover-ers attended. In addition, a recording is available as a resource to employees to view at any time. Many attendees identified with the signs of imposter syndrome and perfectionism that Sam described and, after the workshop, she received several requests for one-on-one appointments which are always available to all Clearcover-ers at no cost.
After a successful initial event, WIIT is thoughtfully planning for 2023. They will continue to facilitate monthly small group discussions among members and are planning a larger scale event for International Women's Day in March. The group will continue to offer support and resources for all those who identify as women as Clearcover.
WIIT's first company-wide event continued Clearcover's initiatives to support the mental health of all employees while focusing on issues women face in the workplace. WIIT and other Employee Resource groups at Clearcover will continue to meet and develop programs, fostering a sense of belonging for all team members. If you would like to add your voice to one of these groups and be part of a workplace that values your unique background, we invite you to apply for one of our open positions today.
