As an independent insurance agent, it’s critical that you act responsibly and ethically in order to ensure that your clients are protected. Learning about what ethics are—and how to respond to ethical dilemmas—is important to you, your agency and your clients.
Here are three reasons why you need to learn about ethics:
- As an independent agent, you have an obligation to behave ethically in order to protect your clients, the carriers with which you work and your agency. Acting unethically could tarnish your reputation and credibility, and even leave your clients exposed to risk. Understanding these responsibilities can help you make better decisions when faced with an ethical dilemma.
- There are myriad factors that influence our personal ethics, including personal views and personal experience; professional standards; laws and regulations—to name a few. Learning about how your experiences influence your ethics can help you learn how to confront a dilemma—and can help you make sure you respond to the dilemma appropriately.
- There are a few common approaches to decision making—situation- or ends-based decision making, rule-based decision making, and people- or care-based decision making. There are strengths and weaknesses to all three approaches, and understanding which approach to take can be helpful when faced with an ethical dilemma.
How to learn more
Now that you’re aware of the intricacies of facing ethical dilemmas—and the importance of how you choose to respond to them—let’s put it into practice. To do that, register for Ethics: Responsibilities and Practical Challenges, taught by Cathy L. Trischan, CPCU, CIC, CRM, AU, AAI, CRIS, ARM, MLIS, TRIP, on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, from 9 a.m.-noon. This class has been approved for three continuing-education credits in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Vermont.
For more information, or to register for this class, log on to the PIA Northeast education schedule.
Cathy Trischan
Cathy Trischan, CPCU, CIC, CRM, AU, AAI, CRIS, ARM, MLIS, TRIP, is the director of commercial underwriting at the E&K Insurance Group in Eatontown, N.J. She is a regular speaker for PIA Northeast and in The National Alliance’s CIC, CISR and Ruble programs.
