Reflection 1: Organizational Culture at The Hartford

This week was my first real work week at The Hartford, an insurance company based in Hartford, CT.  Every day I continue to learn more and more about the structure of the organization and how everyone interacts.  There are almost 20,000 employees at the company, but my specific team is only 10 people.  There is definitely a clear hierarchy within the company, and I was even provided with a map so that I could learn about what teams everyone is on within the marketing department and who they report to.  This is a norm that I will have to get used to, as my last internship was with a 3 person company and there weren’t as clearly defined roles/authority levels.  Another norm that is going to take a few weeks to learn is the use of abbreviations for so many different aspects of the business.  This is common in many industries and companies, so I wasn’t surprised, but I have been taking diligent notes in order to try and get the hang of the many terms and abbreviations that I am unfamiliar with.  Luckily, everyone I have been working with has been extremely nice and willing to help in whatever way they can.  My mentor, Courtney, has established a pretty informal relationship with me, so I feel very comfortable admitting to her when I don’t understand something or need help.  The majority of the individuals on my team also interact informally, which is nice in that I feel very comfortable around them.  Shadowing a few of them for a few hours has allowed me to form good personal relationships and I know they are always there when I need help.  When meeting with them in 1:1 meetings, they have told me that working remotely has shifted the formality of the organization – everyone wears tee shirts and sweatpants, has strong personal relationships with each other, and is able to laugh and have a good time while also getting the work done.  This is something that surprised me, as I envisioned a large insurance company to be pretty corporate and serious.  However, even when meeting with executives in the first week, they were laid back and I didn’t feel at all nervous talking to them.  My manager has set a goal for me to network with at least 3 different people each week, so I am excited to continue forming relationships, both within and outside of my team.