VP of Reinsurance at Root Inc.
- Where in the world do you work?
I work for Root Inc. out of Grand Cayman, a small island in the Caribbean. I am a remote employee but also a Director of our Cayman Captive, Root Re.
2. Prior to the pandemic, did you work primarily in an office or from home? What about now?
In my previous role before the pandemic, I worked at an office a couple of miles away from my home. I joined Root in the early COVID days when most of the world was under lockdown. I expected to travel quite a bit in this role, both for external meetings as well as to visit my colleagues at the Root headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. It ended up being nearly a year and a half later before I took my first trip to Insurtech Connect in late 2021. I have done a couple of trips since then and I expect travel to pick up quite a bit more in 2022, assuming the worst of COVID is behind us. It is a bit unusual that I still have not met most of my colleagues in person but I feel like I know many of them well from all the virtual meetings over the past two years.
3. Do you travel for work? If so, how much and to where?
Prior to COVID I probably did 10-15 work trips annually plus another five or so personal trips. For work trips, my destinations varied widely including Asia, Europe, Bermuda, and the US. My most common work trip destinations were NY, London, Bermuda, and SF/Silicon Valley. For personal trips, most were to California to see friends and family or a quick trip over to Florida.
4. What type of vacation benefits do you get?
Root has an undefined vacation policy. We get the standard holidays plus others days off as needed. Cayman is a British Overseas Territory so it shares many of the same holidays as the U.K. plus a few local holidays such as National Heroes Day and Discovery Day.
5. How flexible is your company about when/how you get work done?
Root is very flexible about when and how work gets done. There is no clocking in or out, there is no logging of hours, and there is flexibility to take care of personal matters during standard work hours. Performance and productivity are far more important and employees are empowered to work where and how they work best. We do tend to schedule our meetings during standard business hours with the occasional meeting at an odd time to accommodate schedules.
6. Do you often work more than 40 hours per work? Is there pressure from leadership or peers to do so?
To date, I have done fairly long hours but it has been more self-directed from all of the exciting projects and initiatives. Root is a high-performance environment with a lot of driven and self-motivated professionals eager to progress. I continue to be amazed by how much the team is able to accomplish within a short period of time.
7. Do you hang out with coworkers outside of work?
I have hung out with a few coworkers in-person so far but most meetings have been virtual due to travel restrictions and the difference in locations. I really look forward to meeting them in person someday.
8. What aspects of working for your company and in your geographic location do you love?
I love the flexibility to work the hours that suit me best and to do it from the comfort of a home office. I would like to visit people in an office environment again but going forward, I don’t think five days in the office per week is necessary.
9. If you could work anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
I feel like I already got my first choice by working in Grand Cayman. Another place I would enjoy working/living would be the Mediterranean where the weather and lifestyle are amazing. I lived in Spain for a few years when I was younger and I love it every time I go back. People really know how to enjoy life over there.