Latest Productivity Headlines

All the headlines from our Productivity Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Democratic Congress Productive But Unpopular

Dec 23 2010 // Perhaps never before has a U.S. Congress done more and been liked less than the one controlled by President Barack Obama’s Democrats that ended Wednesday.It wrapped up its two-year legislative cycle with a crush of...

Dec 19 2010 // One way that agency owners can keep their employees happy in today’s tough times is by making their compensation more accountable to agency growth. Al Diamond, president of the Agency Consulting Group, says in...

Change the Holiday Slump to the New Year Jump

Dec 5 2010 // Is the holiday season the slowest time for your agency? Do the distractions of the season take the focus off of identifying ways to grow the business for next year? If you have answered yes to either of these questions,...

Insurance and Going Green

Nov 14 2010 // Read the news lately and it feels like everything – from cars to grocery bags – has gone green. While recent events, such as 2009’s Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, have focused increased public attention on...

3 Win Progressive Insurance X-Prize for Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Sep 17 2010 // An ultralight, gas-powered car that can get 102 miles per gallon is among the winners of the $10 million Automotive X Prize, a contest to develop highly efficient, production-ready vehicles.While it’s not likely to...

How To Use Compensation to Boost Sales

Aug 16 2010 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, N.J. He deals with agencies across the country on issues ranging from...

How to Use Compensation to Boost Sales

Aug 16 2010 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, N.J. He deals with agencies across the country on issues ranging from...

Progressive Insurance X-Car Race Coming Down to Finish Line

Jul 6 2010 // The team led by Charlottesville, Va. real estate developer Oliver Kuttner is the only one left in the running for the multimillion-dollar X Prize competition to build a four-seat car that can achieve 100 miles per...

The Agency Salary Blues: How to Keep Employees Happy

May 19 2010 // While slugglish agency salary growth has employees singing the blues, some agency management consultants believe employee satisfaction can be kept up even in tough times.One way agency owners can keep their employees happy...

How to Keep Employees Happy

Apr 19 2010 // One way that agency owners can keep their employees happy in today’s tough times is by making their compensation more accountable to agency growth. Al Diamond, president of the Agency Consulting Group, says in...

Green Building Movement Raises Some Construction Defect, Claims Concern

Apr 7 2010 // New insurance products to protect innovative green construction products such as wind turbines, fuel cells and vegetative roofs are on the rise. But even those closest to the situation admit to being a bit, well, green,...

Agencies Outsourcing to China to Reduce Backlogs, Free Up Resources

Mar 22 2010 // As more insurance agencies look for new ways to improve productivity and lower expenses, more owners and managers are investigating the potential of outsourcing operations.The trend has helped power tremendous growth at...

Green Is Good, Right?

Mar 22 2010 // From wind turbines and fuel cells to vegetative roofs and bamboo surfaces, innovative green construction materials are showing up everywhere. A number of insurers are on board with new insurance products to protect those...

Counties with Levees Are Some of the Nation’s Most Economically Sound, Report Says

Jan 25 2010 // Hundreds of levees around the United States protect vulnerable areas and tens of millions of people from potentially devastating floods. Yet hardly anyone gives them a second thought until one is breached. The most glaring...

Report: Counties with Levees Are Among the Nation’s Most Economically Sound

Jan 24 2010 // There are hundreds of levees around the United States that protect vulnerable areas and tens of millions of people from potentially devastating floods each year. Yet hardly anyone gives them a second thought until one is...

Report: Counties with Levees Are Among the Nation’s Most Economically Sound

Jan 24 2010 // Hundreds of levees around the United States protect vulnerable areas and tens of millions of people from potentially devastating floods each year. Yet hardly anyone gives them a second thought until one is breached. The...

Agencies Outsourcing to China to Reduce Backlogs, Free Up Resources

Nov 15 2009 // As more insurance agencies look for new ways to improve productivity and lower expenses, more owners and managers are investigating the potential of outsourcing operations.The trend has helped power tremendous growth at...

Agencies Outsourcing to China to Reduce Backlogs, Free Up Resources

Nov 15 2009 // As more insurance agencies look for new ways to improve productivity and lower expenses, more owners and managers are investigating the potential of outsourcing operations.The trend has helped power tremendous growth at...

How to Reinvigorate Producers and Other Employees Who Have Lost Their Spark or Become Too Comfortable

Oct 5 2009 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He deals with agencies across the country on issues ranging...

Bank Insurance Program Productivity Up 12.5% in 2009

Sep 29 2009 // The production of insurance brokerage fee income per bank employee continued to rise through the first two quarters of 2009 to exceed year-end 2008 productivity by 12.5 percent, according to the Michael White-Prudential...