NYCM Stories: Welcoming New Employees in Return to Office

Starting a new job can elicit feelings of both
excitement and anxiety. To help quell some of those first day jitters for NYCM Insurance
employees who were hired during the pandemic and who may have only worked from home, the NYCM People Development
team organized orientations at company campuses. The orientations provided 72 employees the unique opportunity to learn the
surroundings at the campuses with fellow members of the company who have also
joined in the last two years.

Since March 16, 2020, NYCM has hired 104 new and
active employees, many of whom have only worked from home as the world has done its
best to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The orientations at the
Edmeston, Sherburne, and Orchard Park campuses on April 26, 27, and 28 helped
familiarize new hires with the layout of the offices, and
the new staff were also introduced to the many onsite resources available as
employees are beginning to return to the office in a hybrid capacity.

Team members at the orientation started their
day with ice breaker activities to meet the peers with whom they would tour the campus.
Employees then embarked on a scavenger hunt across the campuses to learn the
whereabouts of useful destinations and met long-serving employees who described specifics about the
buildings and the responsibilities of respective departments located there.
Lunch was provided and employees were able to visit their desks to get set up
ahead of the return to office.

“People Development was excited to host this
unique orientation for new hires that started remotely during the pandemic,”
said NYCM Insurance Recruiter Crystal Curpier. “It gave us the opportunity to
meet with them the week before we began our ‘Snap Forward’ back into the office
to help take away those first day jitters many of them were feeling all over
again! It was a fun, interactive day that ended with many smiles!”

In May 2022 the company began its Snap Forward
initiative, beginning the return to office in a limited capacity. During the
two years apart, the company saw renovations across office locations to update
the environments for employees.

Employees returning to the Edmeston office
were able to see the new 35,500 square foot addition for the first
time, featuring additional conference rooms, work stations and offices, as well
as a 600-seat auditorium. The orientation for Edmeston based employees was
kicked-off in the new auditorium, which was completed in 2021 while employees
were working remotely.

“Honestly the orientation was really nice
because I knew of certain areas, but it was a good refresher,” said NYCM
Insurance APD Examiner Kourtney Nizeul, who joined the company in August 2021.
“It was nice to be able to see how big the company is and to hear how many
employees work here and everything we offer, like the fitness center. And it
was cool to meet and see all of the new hires’ faces; everybody’s different
over Zoom, so it was fun.”

The scavenger hunt led employees to various
destinations they will frequent in their time in office, including cafeterias,
the help desk and IT services, and other important wings of the building.
Along with the addition, orientation attendees were introduced to the newly
renovated fitness center on the Edmeston campus. The
fitness center includes a variety of treadmills, exercise bikes, free weights,
and other machinery open to all employees to use at their convenience.

“It was wonderful to be able to experience the
new hire orientation,” said NYCM Insurance Creative Campaign Coordinator Tina
Roalef. “I was brought onto the NYCM team in August of 2021 and had some
feelings of uncertainty about returning to the office. Being able to attend the
orientation allowed me to meet new people, feel comfortable getting around the
sizable campus, and feel more connected to my colleagues.”

At NYCM Insurance, we’re proud to support the success and growth of our
employees, present and future. Click below to learn more about career
opportunities to join our team!