Unum One | Fa13

FALL 2013

The magazine for Unum employees

Looking back,

MOVING FORWARD In this issue A peek inside our trophy case

How we got here and where we’re headed

Vexing vocabulary: Corporate lingo that annoys

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Past, present and future: The view is great from where we stand In my 30-plus years with Unum, I’ve seen more than a few changes. And the past 10 years have been an especially exciting time for us. We’ve faced some challenges, but we’ve also seized the opportunities they offered, strengthening our business and our brand along the way.

A decade may sound like a long time, but to me the past 10 years have been a whirlwind of fast progress. The essential financial protection benefits and incredible expertise we provide have never been more important to individuals and businesses. The recognition of our strength as a company keeps growing, placing us among Newsweek’s top green companies, Forbes’ most trustworthy companies, and Business Insurance’s best places to work, just to name a few. And in both the U.S. and the U.K., we’re an industry leader and a valuable contributor to the conversation about the importance of financial protection benefits.

Meanwhile, a powerful new technology strategy will make our business more agile in the coming years. We’re staying focused on protecting consumers, forging stronger connections to our clients, and collaborating both inside and outside the company. We’re working smarter by combining our strengths and resources in our centers of excellence, and we’re more connected every day through our new business networking tools and the use of internal social media.

We’ve come a long way in the past 10 years. In this issue of One magazine, we’ll look back at what the decade has brought, but, more importantly, we’ll look at how a blueprint for success first offered 10 years ago has positioned us so well for success.

The view is particularly poignant for me as I prepare to wrap up my career in 2014 after nearly 35 years. It’s been a privilege working with the best people in the business and I know that, thanks to you, Unum’s brightest days are ahead.

We have a great plan for our future as a company, but it’s each of you who make it happen and who will continue to drive us forward.

Thank you.

Joe Foley Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Jim Sabourin Vice President, Corporate Communications

John Luehrs Director, Corporate Communications

Dan Alderman Manager, Corporate Communications

Stacy White Manager, Corporate Communications

Publishing & Design

We want to hear from you Send your opinions, comments, story ideas and more to us at CORPCOMM@UNUM.COM or to One magazine, Unum, c/o Corporate Communications, 5 South, 1 Fountain Square, Chattanooga, TN 37402, U.S. All submissions should include your name, address and daytime phone number and may be published or otherwise re u s e d i n a n y m e d i u m . I n addition, submission of letters and/or photos implies the right to edit and publish in whole or in part. Letter replies are written by the publication staff of One magazine and, when appropriate, by other company employees. All submissions become property of Unum and may not be returned.

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PLEA

Kevin McCarthy EVP and COO

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FALL 2013

contents

Looking back: 2003

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A look at a few of the striking differences between the world of a decade ago and today.

Bothersome buzzwords

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Employees share their thoughts on some of the more troubling terminology in our corporate culture.

Back Page

Superstorm brings out the best hen Hurricane Sandy struck, W Jessica Marino and fellow Unum employees didn’t hesitate to hit the streets and help.

8 Cover Story

A decade of change

While Unum is well-positioned for success today, concerns abounded a decade ago.

Here, we examine the turnaround and our course to future growth.

Features

4 Solidifying our company’s future How our Human Resources strategies are securing a successful tomorrow.

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Awash in awards

When Unum wins awards, it’s a victory for all of us. Lately, we’ve had a wealth of reasons to celebrate.

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Building the best future workforce requires not only hiring the right employees, but also retaining the best and preparing them to lead.

department spotlight

HR: Solidifying our company’s future With a degree in teaching, Ann Ham, compliance manager in Account Services at Colonial Life, never thought a job as a file clerk at an insurance company would turn into a lifelong career.

“I thought I would eventually leave the company to teach,” she said. “But then I realized there were different

[Recruiting Tomorrow’s Best]

forms of teaching, and now I both teach and learn at work every day.”

Ann celebrated her 40th serviceyear anniversary this summer and is just one of many long-tenured employees across the enterprise.

And most of our veteran employees would likely agree with her perspective that the workplace and our industry have changed dramatically over the past several decades.

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As the workforce evolves, human resources professionals are developing new strategies for attracting and retaining quality employees.

The most effective tactics for recruiting and keeping the best employees over the next 10 years, according to a Society for Human Resource Management membership survey published in November 2012, will be:

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40%

allowing for more flexible work arrangements

37%

creating a business environment emphasizing trust, fairness and open communication

26%

providing careeradvancement opportunities

26%

offering a total rewards package superior to those of competitors

Finding the right people

Hiring and retention priorities have changed from filling a role to managing for succession planning. Our recruiters, interviewers and managers are committed to finding high-potential individuals with the right skill sets for today’s changing marketplace and giving them the tools they need to perform as leaders once they‘re on board.

“We have to help our company find the people who are not only the best for the current role, but also for the future of

our company,” said Debbie Truluck, senior staffing consultant in Columbia.

“We’re truly looking for people with leadership skills, solid experience with business processes and technology, and, in many cases, with the potential to move to broader roles at the same level or even to move one or two levels above the one they’re hired for.”

Investing for growth

Getting hired is only the first step for our employees, though. In recent years, the company has begun to invest even more deeply in growing and developing its workforce.

Managers and human resources professionals work to help people understand what leadership looks like in our workplaces.

According to Ann, the ability for individuals to grow and move around in our company is not new, but the approach has changed. She remembers there were very few opportunities for training and job shadowing when she first came on board, whereas now she has worked in more than seven different roles within the company.

“Since I was hired, the world has changed, and the leadership has changed with it,” she said.

“I applaud our executives for continuing to grow through the years, and I really appreciate the opportunity to engage in personal

Connecting Unum’s next generation Looking to build a bright future for Unum’s newest hires, an enterprise-wide Young Professionals group aims to assist our employees in transitioning from school to the professional work environment.

Young Professionals supports Unum and Colonial Life’s newest generation with this transition as it enters the corporate world. Currently, there are more than 170 YP members across the enterprise. Although they work in diverse parts of our business, they all have two common goals: to build a network and learn how to be successful in their careers.

Anyone 27 or younger who has been with the company for fewer than two years is invited to participate in regularly scheduled meetings and social and community service events.

The group has three core components to help members accomplish the above-mentioned goals: • Business and leadership fundamentals — How can I be a leader in my current role? What do I need to know about our brand? How do I maximize my benefits, and should I be thinking about investing? Quarterly meetings with the company’s leadership team in Chattanooga, Columbia and Portland help answer these questions and more. They also provide young employees eager to be a part of the company’s success with exposure to the fundamentals of good business practices.

• Community service — Giving back is a big part of Unum’s culture. YP embraces this by collaborating with

development opportunities.”

The most recent example of this investment is an initiative first implemented in 2007. Business leaders across the enterprise realized if they were asking people to adapt and become leaders in their roles around the globe, they needed to develop a consistent set of guidelines to explain the concept in a tangible way. The result was a set of leadership expectations specific to job level and included in employees’ performance plans.

“We believe performance equals results plus leadership, but sometimes leadership is more difficult to understand,” said Kathi Ewen, vice president of Corporate Talent Management.

“There are constantly opportunities to connect things for employees and help them grasp what it means to be a leader at every level, and the leadership expectations aim to do just that.”

the Corporate Community Relations team to support local service organizations and participate in efforts related to each of our pillars of giving. Past service efforts include volunteering at local homeless shelters and food pantries, participating in the United Way’s Day of Caring events and spending time with local Boys & Girls Clubs.

• Social networking — This group also facilitates networking, mentoring and friendships among new employees.

Past events include a day at the lake, socializing after work, bowling nights and sporting-event outings.

There are opportunities for leadership within YP as well. The leadership team is composed of community service, membership and social event leaders on each campus who coordinate and drive programming each quarter.

The team will grow in 2013 as we implement YP on other campuses.

If you or someone on your team is interested in learning more about YP, please contact program manager Ashley Brown, HR Leadership Development, at ext. 57369.

Kathi said being a leader is not about a job title — it’s about the actions people take that continue to set them apart from employees who work elsewhere, which in turn differentiates our company as a whole.

The expectations were set with an eye toward leadership development, 360 reviews, hiring, recognition and awards in the shifting industrial and technological environment.

Taking ownership for the greater good

“The changing world is swirling around us at an unprecedented pace,” said Ann Houser, vice president, HR Business Support. “All of us have to see ourselves as owners and approach our jobs in a new way. We do this best by not only performing the duties outlined in our job descriptions, but being forward-thinking enough to

identify ways for us to better meet customer needs or be more efficient.”

The growth and success of our company relies on the commitment of individuals.

“Companies used to be great because of their results,” Houser said. “Now, we see many profitable companies fail because they aren’t thinking broadly enough, fail to operate ethically, or their employees in leadership roles don’t demonstrate the true characteristics of role models. We aren’t just here to get results; we’re here because of a commitment to our customers.”

Those who especially demonstrate this commitment through leadership by recognizing opportunities for improvement, remaining educated about cutting-edge technology and thinking globally can expect to be rewarded, because when individuals succeed, the whole company wins. ● 5

You may not pay attention to the “Best Places to Work in Insurance” awards with the fervor you do the Oscars or your favorite team’s championship run, but that doesn’t mean there’s no cause for celebration.

Awash in

Awards

Glenn Thompson, customer solutions director at Unum UK, center, accepts the Best Group Risk Provider Award at the Health Insurance Awards.

Seen with Glenn are Health Insurance & Protection editor David Sawers, left, and celebrity host Ed Byrne.

➜

Unum UK’s Tim Jackson, head of marketing strategy, and Mandy Blanks, PR manager, claim the Financial Services Forum’s Public Relations Award.

When Unum wins workplace awards, everyone in the company benefits. These awards are more than certificates and trophies — they represent industryleading work, bragging rights and employee satisfaction.

They’re catalysts for taking greater pride in our work and reflections of transparency in management. These accolades celebrate the contributions of every employee.

Getting the goods

There’s no conceit in observing that 2012 was a good year for Unum’s collection of awards; it’s just a testament that the company is doing things well. Nearly every workplace award is based primarily on the results of confidential employee surveys — so when Business Insurance magazine rates Unum one of the top employers in the industry, it’s because employees are genuinely happy with their jobs.

“Taking the time and being willing to participate in surveys when asked can help bring more accolades to Unum,” said Marie Clements, assistant vice president of Human Resources Strategies at Unum.

The employee surveys — examples of which you just might find in your inbox one of these days — ask questions about every aspect of work. Employees rate the 6

quality and effectiveness of such things as: • communication across departments and with management

• corporate objectives • initial and ongoing workplace training • job roles and requirements • pay and benefits • physical comfort, lighting and cleanliness of work areas • relationships with supervisors

Systemwide superlatives

These awards aren’t limited to any single Unum office.

The distinct Unum UK, Unum US and Colonial Life businesses all contribute to the recognition process, and they all receive unique awards, too.

Once garnered, of course, the awards reflect positively on our company and can be used in our external media relations to emphasize our industry leadership.

To see how Unum has been adding accolades over the years, visit www.unumgroup.com, select “About Us,” then click on “Awards.”

Last year, Unum won a wide array of awards, recognizing not only our commitment to providing a friendly work environment but also our DEDICATION to environmental stewardship and to employee health and wellness.

Our 2012 awards include: The Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility, sponsored by When Work Works, a joint project of the Families Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management Placement on Forbes’ list of America’s 100 Most Trustworthy Companies (list released in early 2013) The National Business Group on Health’s Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Platinum recognition, which honors organizations that commit to improving employee health The Best Group Risk Provider Award, presented to Unum UK by Health Insurance & Protection magazine as part of its Health Insurance Awards

Winning takes a team

Unum employees play a huge part in helping the company win awards.

To take part in the effort to bring awards — and the improvements necessary to achieve them — to the organization, you can play an active role in several ways.

1

ill out any surveys F you’re sent.

2

Voice your ideas for innovation.

3

Identify awards for which you’re eligible.

4

Let your supervisor know if something needs improvement.

Business Insurance magazine’s Best Places to Work in Insurance award, recognizing Unum as one of the top employers in the industry One of the five Best Places to Work in Maine among large employers One of the 10 Best Places to Work in South Carolina among large employers The American Heart Association’s Gold Award for Fit-Friendly Worksites, an annual recognition Placement among the Top 50 U.S. Companies in Newsweek’s Green Rankings, which consider the environmental performance of the nation’s 500 largest publicly traded companies Investor in People (IIP) accreditation, an honor Unum UK employees have achieved since 1997 Benefits Selling magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards for Colonial Life’s excellence in working with brokers, service from an enrollment company, embracing new technologies, consumer-driven health care products and preparation for health care reform Unum UK’s Two Ticks Award, which recognizes employers that commit to employment of disabled people ●

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cover story

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A decade of change

By any measure, 2012 was a strong year for Unum. Our operating earnings per share increased for the seventh consecutive year.

We reported pretax operating income of $1.24 billion, with record earnings in our Unum US and Colonial Life businesses. And we saw premium growth across all of our active businesses.

In short, as CEO Tom Watjen said in our annual report released earlier this year, despite the headwinds of continued high unemployment and low interest rates, our “track record of delivering on our commitments and a team here at Unum that is engaged in the business give me great confidence in our future.”

What a difference 10 years can make.

In 2003, the economy was losing more than a million jobs a year — a stark contrast to the strong job growth of the prior decade.

These economic conditions were also having an impact on Unum. At the same time, the company was faced with intense media, regulator and shareholder scrutiny, creating a “perfect storm” of sorts.

Aiming high

One of Tom’s first priorities after being named CEO in 2003 was to improve the company’s financial footing. Our capital position and overall balance sheet strength had taken a hit in previous years, and improvements in those areas were imperative before the company could move forward.

“One of the concerns surrounding our company at that time was the general strength of our balance sheet,” Tom said, adding that management had to take immediate steps to remedy that. These included strengthening our reserves for group disability and focusing more on areas where “we can add value for our customers and gener-

ate value for our shareholders,” such as selling the company’s operations in Canada and Japan.

A long-term plan was put in place to improve the company’s performance. Key parts included: • Improving productivity, efficiency and overall operating effectiveness • Achieving consistent performance in claims management, investment operations and among Unum’s principal subsidiaries • Improving the profitability of our U.S. group disability business — something the company’s management team saw as essential to generating value for shareholders • Focusing on continuing to provide stellar customer service to existing customers in order to maintain persistency rates and meet profit goals A decade ago, our business was heavily weighted in the disability and life markets, with two-thirds of our earnings coming from these segments.

However, we made a strategic decision then to create a more balanced business by focusing more of our energies on the faster-growing voluntary businesses, putting greater emphasis on persistency (a measure of how many customers renew with us) and small employers while restoring profitable, sustainable growth to the business.

More than anything, the company wanted to get back to “focusing on the basics” — something that’s still part of Unum’s successful business model today.

On the rise

Five years later, it was clear Unum had made significant strides forward in several areas. In 2008, our balance sheet was in much better shape, we were delivering consistent earnings every quarter, and we were well on our way to diversifying our business across many product and market segments.

The culture of Unum was also changing. Employees were becoming more engaged in managing risks in the business, finding ways to improve our operations and striving to further enhance the already high level of service we provided to our customers.

And through a new bonus program called the Performance-Based Incentive (PBI) plan, all employees had the opportunity to share financially in the company’s success.

These steps would set the stage for the next five years, allowing the company to succeed despite continued economic challenges that included the worst recession in decades, both in the U.S. and the U.K. “When the Great Recession hit, many financial companies were facing big investment losses and a lack of confidence among shareholders,” said Tom White, senior vice president of Investor Relations. “The sound business and investment practices we put in place earlier in the decade served us well as we weathered the downturn far better than many of our peers.”

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10 years of milestones

2003 UnumProvident’s board names Tom Watjen CEO. The company sells operations in Argentina, Canada and Japan.

2004 Unum enters into multistate settlement agreement.

“We strive to be a company that is viewed not just for its financial performance, but as a leader in our industry, in our communities and with our employees — a leader in every sense of the word.

And I’m proud of the kind of company we have become.”

— Tom Watjen, CEO

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2006 Quarterly earnings results show growing profitability and begin a string of meeting or beating Wall Street estimates.

Unum US, Unum UK and Colonial Life, along with our support staff areas, also began working toward a closer relationship, communicating best practices and focusing on moving the company forward together — something that would turn out to be one of the most important changes at the company.

“The biggest change I’ve seen has been the cross-company sharing of ideas in the U.K. and the U.S.,” said Peter O’Donnell, Unum UK CEO. “There’s much more emphasis on the global agenda and collaboration among colleagues.”

Colonial Life CEO Randy Horn agrees that this collaboration has been extremely valuable and good for the company as a whole.

“The barriers have come down between the companies,” he said.

“We operate more as one cohesive organization now — not in silos.

We’re developing an overall Unum culture that we’re in this together.”

Staying the course

While there’s certainly room to further improve our businesses, we’ve achieved much in the past 10 years. Our business is more balanced and doesn’t rely on one or two product lines. Our operations

2007 Rebranding effort is completed, and UnumProvident becomes Unum.

The company sells GENEX Services.

are more streamlined and efficient.

And our culture is more engaged and committed to our success.

The strength of our investments also helps our company succeed, and today we have a well-managed portfolio with more than $50 billion under active management and designed to match the long-term nature of our business. Our sound investment philosophy also allows us to continue building on our strong capital position. And the investment choices we make — focusing more on stable companies, rather than the volatile investments that brought down the housing markets and banking industry in 2007 and 2008 — have enabled us to continue to weather the ongoing economic storm.

That success also includes strengthening the Unum brand, said Joe Foley, chief marketing officer.

“The need for what we do — delivering financial protection benefits to people through the workplace — has never been greater, and we are at the forefront of our industry in talking about these issues with employers, consumers and policymakers,” he said.

Primed for growth

This financial protection message is key to our growth plans.

2008 Unum bucks the national trend by repurchasing $700 million in shares and receiving a financial strength rating upgrade from Standard & Poor’s.

2009 After lowering the dividend earlier in the decade, Unum raises its dividend for the first of what will be five years in a row.

“Our biggest opportunity continues to be filling the gaps in employees’ financial safety nets,” Randy said, citing increasing government budget restraints in the U.S. and the U.K. “Government support isn’t going to be there as much as it has in the past because of budgetary constraints. The workplace is a great place to meet this need.”

In the U.K., the opportunity is even greater because few people there have private disability insurance.

“Given our strong balance sheet, excellent brands and reputation, and market-leading capabilities in financial protection, I think we have a fantastic opportunity to grow the financial protection market substantially,” Randy said.

Expanding the market is also something Kevin McCarthy, Unum Group COO, sees on the horizon.

“In spite of how large we are, I don’t think enough people adequately understand what they need to protect themselves and how accessible and affordable that protection can be,” he said. “We see a real tightening of governments’ abilities to provide social benefits and an increased movement toward taking personal responsibility. As that happens, our opportunity and responsibility is to step into that gap to make sure we’re

2010 The board announces a new round of share repurchases that have continued through today.

2013 In August, the stock passes $32 per share for the first time in 12 years.

The company begins a three-year stretch of receiving upgrades from each of the four major rating agencies.

offering accessible and affordable products and services.

“Above all, we have to make sure we’re doing the right amount of education, designing our products to mesh with the way consumers and employers think, and communicating with them in a way that works for them,” he added.

Building the company’s bench strength has also been a top priority over the years. Of our recent officerlevel openings, 38 percent have been filled with leaders who are either newly promoted or moving to a higher-level position, and 31 percent have been filled with officer rotations or promotions within current levels, while recruiting top external talent when appropriate.

Having bench strength allows Unum to maintain business continuity — a key component of a successful company. It also ties into our culture of developing people at all levels — not just at the senior leadership level — so that we can remain focused and disciplined in the face of change.

The complete package

Unum is a different company today than it was in 2003, largely due to the turnaround plan put in place a decade ago. The proof of the plan’s success has been our consistent performance. While nothing stays stagnant, the message has

always been the same: to stay focused and disciplined; maintain a strong capital position and investment portfolio; and deliver on the commitments we make every day to our customers, shareholders and stakeholders.

“Our success, though, goes well beyond just financial results,” Tom Watjen said. “We strive to be a company that is viewed not just for its financial performance, but as a leader in our industry, in our communities and with our employees — a leader in every sense of the word. And I’m proud of the kind of company we have become.” ●

“ The sound business and investment practices we put in place earlier in the decade served us well as we weathered the downturn far better than many of our peers.”

— T om White, senior vice president of Investor Relations

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Leading Unum US A conversation with Mike Simonds In July 2013, Kevin McCarthy retired from his role as CEO of Unum US, and Mike Simonds took the helm.

Mike recently sat down with us to talk about what he sees ahead for the business.

One: It’s been a busy few months

for you, Mike. As you’ve moved into this role, what’s been your key message on the change in leadership?

Mike: One thing I’ve tried to emphasize in the last few months is that we have a good strategy in place, and that while we have a change in leadership at Unum US, our direction isn’t changing. The Unum US business strategy is built around making financial protection accessible to more consumers, strengthening our relationships with existing clients, and collaborating both internally and externally to make it easier to do business with us. We need to stay close to our markets and be willing to change and improve, but the current direction is proving to be a very productive one for us.

One: We’ve seen some recent

organizational moves to more closely connect our National Client Group and Voluntary Benefits business areas. Do those changes reflect a shift in strategy?

Mike: They actually represent a validation of our strategy and an expansion of the priorities we have in place. We’ve made good progress integrating the group and voluntary benefits portfolios in the core market — employers under 2,000 employees.

As we continue to grow the voluntary business, connecting the skills and expertise in National Client Group and the Voluntary Benefits areas will further our success in the large employer market.

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One: So our strategy is solid and

moving forward, but the routes we take to get to our goals can always shift?

Mike: Yes, and I think that’s one of our biggest strengths as a business.

Our people are always looking hard at the ways we work and trying to do better. We need to be willing to invest and take some risks to find new ways to grow. That doesn’t mean everything we try will always deliver, but some of it will succeed and help us navigate the next 10 years. Great companies are willing to make bets, innovate and even fall short sometimes. The key is to fall short effectively … learning from what didn’t work and incorporating that into our next venture.

One: In executing our strategy,

what matters most?

Mike: Investing in our people is at the top of my priority list, and the priority lists of leaders across the business. Clear development plans, stretch goals, challenging assignments and coaching all contribute to a solid business with a deep bench.

While it makes sense to infuse some external perspective with new hires in selective spots, the overwhelming majority of our leaders at all levels are developed from within.

When you look at the direction of

the business over the last several years, there’s a clear move to expand the scope of how our people can influence and add value to the business — to connect expertise and skills in ways that develop our people and our success as a business.

One: The external environment

has presented some big challenges.

How does that affect our plans?

Mike: We’ve definitely been up against some big tests. A tough economy, fierce competition, a market that changes constantly — most recently impacted by health care and technology change. I think one of the most important things I’ve learned over the past decade is to not just look at the current situation of our business, but to look to the external environment and the long-term opportunities. In an environment where individuals, families and business have to assume more responsibility for their own financial stability, I only see the critical work we do becoming that much more important. ●

&

Looking

kcba

2003 may not seem like all that long ago, but the world has Changed a Lot over the past 10 years.

FACEMASH CAMERA PHONES

Worldwide sales of camera phones outpaced sales of stand-alone digital cameras for the first time. Today, the

average person uses a cellphone to take 35 photos a month, and 18 percent of cellphone photographers consider the phone their primary camera.

Harvard University sophomore Mark Zuckerburg launched Facemash, the predecessor to Facebook. According to The Harvard Crimson, Facemash garnered an impressive 450 unique visitors in its first day online. Today, Facebook boasts more than

1 billion active users and is available in more than 70 languages.

THE Hu

ect e Proj m o n e man G

was completed in 2003. Begun in 1989, the project sought to identify the 25,000 genes in human DNA and determine the sequence of its 3 billion chemical base pairs. Today, high-speed

sequencing machines can complete the process in weeks.

VW BEE

TLE

The last “old style” Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico. Today, the

redesigned Beetle lineup includes convertible and turbo versions, along with the return of a diesel model.

Apple launched iTunes. The original catalog contained 200,000 digital songs, which sold for 99 cents each. Within 18 hours of launch, the service had sold 275,000 tracks, and it went on to sell 70 million songs in its first year. Today, the iTunes Store has sold more

Tops in 2003

than 10 billion songs.

iTUNES

MOVIES*

U.S. and U.K.: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

*top-grossing

ALBUMS*

U.S. — Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 50 Cent; U.K. — Life for Rent, Dido

*top-grossing

NEWS* TEAMS

Invasion of Iraq

*LEADING WORLDWIDE TOPIC

Super Bowl XXXVIII champions (Game held Feb. 1, 2004): New England Patriots; World Series champions: Florida Marlins; Champions League champions: A.C. Milan

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your voice

Bothersome

BUZZ

WORDS

Buzzwords can abound in any corporate culture. We asked employees to share some of the troublesome terms they hear floating around the office that tend TO get under their skin, and they had no shortage of replies.

“‘You only live once — YOLO.’” — Joyce Pieper, Portland

“‘Overpour your time’” — Kristy Higgins, Chattanooga

“I just heard one again that I do not care for — ‘out of scope.’” — Paula B. Nielson, Portland “‘Learnings’ — this is not a word! Sadly, it is used frequently. And ‘bandwidth’ — meaning ‘capacity’ — as in, ‘Jane has some bandwidth.

She may be able to take on your project work.’” — Angela Pillsbury, Columbia “‘Customer-centric,’ ‘right sizing,’ ‘mission critical,’ ‘information highway,’ ‘users.’” — Gail Johnson, Portland “Most annoying buzzword/phrase, by far: ‘Is the view worth the climb?’ Also, ‘Raising the bar.’” — Sheri Bowman, Chattanooga “This one drives me crazy: ‘Why don’t you bubble that up and put it on the radar and then circle back.’” — Cara Bernard, Worcester

“‘Reach out’ — Why not just say ‘contact,’ ‘connect with,’ ‘check with,’ or any other phrase that would have come naturally to mind before this buzzword took hold? It’s as if everyone is now thinking that natural phrase for this concept is OUT, and REACH OUT must be IN. I would say this one is in the Just Plain Annoying category.”

— Noreen L. Skoolicas, Portland

Several years ago, an employee said the following in a meeting. Lucky for me, he had it in a Powerpoint

‘ We will be application

of excellence with a

matrix focus to 14

goals on long-term

eekk,es, yiuck! y

“ ‘Planful’ — I think it’s supposed to mean ‘well thought out’ or ‘deliberate.’

Example: ‘We went through a very planful process in developing this new product.’ Eek! ‘ Deep dive’ or ‘deeper dive’ — a.k.a. ‘a closer look.’ Example: ‘We’ll take a deeper dive into those projects soon.’ Yikes! ‘ Value add’ — additional items or services included at no cost. Example: ‘The expo booth was a value add to our marketing contract.’ Yuck!”

“‘Learnings’ — things we learned. Example: ‘The team will apply the learnings from the pilot deployment to ensure consistent execution in phase two rollouts.’ ‘Operationalize’ — to take a workflow or new approach and get everyone to do it — Jeanna Moffett, Columbia as part of daily operations. Example: ‘Our goal is to operationalize the new service guidelines through training, adding service goals to performance plans, and ensuring a consistent feedback loop.’

I am annoyed by made-up words we use that don’t exist when perfectly good words exist that convey the same meaning. ‘Operationalize’ and ‘learnings’ are examples of these made-up words.” — Gwen Alegre, Chattanooga “‘Perspective’ — this word is overused. Translation to me: ‘a way to undermine your thoughts and tempt you to go with the other person’s.’ ‘Consistent’ — Everyone wants it, but no one knows how to make it happen.” — Cara Harmon, Portland

“‘Bio break’ — do we need to spell out what people are doing? Just call it a break. ‘Robust’ — I feel like we are describing food, not insurance, and it gets used over and over. ‘Planful’ — I don’t think this is really a word.”

— Theresa Bourassa, Worcester

“‘Socialize’ — as in, ‘Has the concept been socialized?’ ‘Add color’ — as in, ‘During a presentation, when the presenter asks others who have been involved to add color.’”

— Bonnie Beach, Portland

‘Inside our Walls’/‘Inside your walls’ ‘To be honest with you‘ ‘We will jointly develop a set of action items.’

‘20XX is the year of accountability.’

‘To your point‘ ‘No question’ ‘Take into consideration’ ‘Haven’t ironed out all the details yet’ ‘I’ll reach out.’

‘We are looking for a higher level of accountability.’

‘My job is 99.9 percent strategic.’

‘You need to be creative in supporting us.’

‘This year, we are going to have a higher level of accountability and hold our teams accountable (excluding myself). … Sorry, Freudian slip.’

presentation, so I could remember it:

— Submitted by Timothy Carn, Columbia

— Jeff Witham, Portland

veneerists in a center

horizontal technical

achieve vertical

teams.’

15

profile profile As a customer service manager for Unum in the New York City office, Jessica Marino takes her job seriously. So much so that — after Superstorm Sandy rained havoc and destruction down on the East Coast, flooded the streets of lower Manhattan and left tens of thousands of people without power — Jessica managed to show up for work the next day to check on her coworkers.

Jessica, who lives on Staten Island, saw firsthand the devastating impact the storm had on her community.

“It took me four hours to get into work and six hours to get home,” Jessica said.

Record-breaking storm surges of seawater hit New York City on Oct. 29.

“When I came to work and explained the massive amount of homes and lives lost and irreparable damage done to my own community, all my coworkers could say was, ‘What can we do to help?’” Jessica said.

Banding together

Superstorm brings out the best When it comes to providing superior service for customers, the professionals at Unum understand the importance of going above and beyond expectations. But for Jessica Marino, exceeding expectations in the wake of Hurricane Sandy suddenly became a personal mission.

In the days following the storm, Jessica rallied together with 11 Unum sales representatives on a team-building mission and headed to Midland Beach to help residents remove what was left of ruined buildings.

“As we passed by piles of trash and toys that were once family homes, everyone was silent.

Collectively, we all understood in that moment why we had to help these people,” Jessica said.

Armed with sledgehammers, shovels, masks, goggles and other tools, the team set out to help a family friend of Jessica’s tear down what was left of the friend’s home. The Unum crew then moved on to volunteer their services to other neighbors in need. Working tirelessly, they dragged trash and debris into piles and gathered mementos, photos and wedding albums.

“People kept rushing up to us to thank us for helping. What they did not realize was that they were really helping us,” Jessica said.

Work to do

Today, Jessica says the experience strengthened her love for her “Unum family.”

“This storm was an eye-opener for all of us.

Many New Yorkers went on living their normal, day-to-day lives not realizing the devastation that was right across the river,” Jessica said. “I will never be able to thank my coworkers enough for the support they gave my friends and community.

They have changed my life forever.” ●