Cleary’s ‘No Door’ Policy Is a Winner for Employees

At Cleary Insurance, a “no door” approach to organizational structure makes every employee feel respected and invested.

“You are respected. You can express your feelings freely without repercussions,” said one employee. “Knowledge is shared. And keep in mind there are three offices, and we all work well with each other.”

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the independent agency is Insurance Journal’s 2022 Best Agencies to Work For Silver award winner in the East region. Their team includes 31 employees across three offices in Boston, Peabody and Quincy, Massachusetts.

“I am thrilled that this award is self-nominated by our staff, as our employees are all we have,” said CEO William J. Cleary III. “They are the organization. If we all do not enjoy coming to work and do not feel appreciated, we really should not be in business. Our clients would sense this, and their level of service would suffer as a result.”

A part of that success is that every employee can feel their voice is heard and their opinion holds weight. The office has a “no door” policy, and the agency has a “flat” organizational structure without layers of management or hierarchy.

Many of the company’s nominations mention the no/open door policy and the mutual respect between management and employees with lots of trust and zero micro-management.

The agency also offers employees opportunities for growth and bonuses for their successes.

“Every year, we sit with the owner and CIO to go over our year and discuss what our goals are moving forward,” said an employee. “Our bonus is tied to our performance as well as the company performance. There is complete transparency. I find this refreshing and know if I work hard all year, I will be recognized.”

Cleary’s growth strategy is to recruit and retain talented people who thrive in a team oriented environment. In addition to generous health and retirement benefits, annual reviews come with bonuses, raises and profit sharing. The result is a happy team with a very low turnover.

“Listen to your staff, and make common sense decisions, not monetary decisions,” Cleary said. “The money will follow good people doing an honest day’s work.”

The agency has long been ahead of the curve in matters of work-life balance.

“They recognized the necessity of life-work balance before it was a cultural requirement,” said one nominating employee. “I get treated like a person, always that first, and not like a cog in any machine. Hard work is expected, but everyone has one another’s back when needed,” they added. “Not only am I respected by management, but every employee respects each other.”

Many of the nominees noted how much they appreciate the company’s commitment to individuals’ needs.

For example, Cleary has had remote work options open for more than 20 years, long before COVID. Although ideally, everyone could be working together in one building and enjoying a team atmosphere, flexible work-from-home policies make life easier for everyone without negatively impacting their work.

“We think we do a pretty good job of valuing the work-life balance on a day-to-day basis, encouraging folks to stay mentally and physically healthy and to appreciate their co-workers,” Cleary said.

And the company’s “no door” structure means employees feel more able and comfortable going to management about any issues without fear.

“They never ask you to work harder than they do,” said one employee. “If you are struggling and need assistance, it’s always, ‘what do you need me to do to help out?’ That can be a double-edged sword because many agencies or managers would hold that against you. Not here; it is not treated as a sign of weakness or poor work ethic.”

The agency also reaches out to its communities. Each year Cleary Insurance coordinates a Community Give Back Day. All employees work that day for a charity in the community, such as the Greater Boston Food Bank or Community Servings, an organization that prepares meals for those who are sick.

“Cleary is 110% invested in me,” one employee said. “They support me in and out of the office and genuinely want me to be happy.”