For years now, digitalisation and automation have been cited as crucial success factors for the future of the insurance industry. How is elipsLife shaping up to the competition in this regard?
There’s more we can do. Compared to other industries, insurance is lagging far behind in the automation stakes. The big insurers were the first to invest in retail business, but did little with corporate clients. This has now changed and most insurers have launched services on EcoHub, the central platform in the insurance, pension and broker market in Switzerland. “Zurich" and AXA are pioneers, as is Swiss Life in the life insurance field. elipsLife is in the solid midfield. However, we still have to invest more. This is where we can benefit from Swiss Life. The latter is a leader in the broker interactions field. And it had already automated SME interfaces at an early stage.

Health management in the workplace has long been a crucial concern for elipsLife. How significant is this fact in determining the firm’s development?
KTG and UVG are not only shaped by factors in the workplace, but also by the population’s state of health in general. We feel the effects through the incoming claims. Employees are falling ill more often and more seriously, they’re having more accidents and insurers are paying out increasing amounts as a result. In short, health costs are surging. Discussions are always focused on health insurance premiums. But it’s often overlooked that the whole system is becoming increasingly expensive because of the follow-up costs. Silo thinking is widespread in the healthcare system. As insurers, however, we’ve got to think beyond the immediate cost accounting and try to help the entire system to function better. It's like a big set of wheels and elipsLife is a cog in this system.

What does this all mean for elipsLife?
As I’ve pointed out, the increase in claims is costing insurers a great deal of money. For about five years now, KTG/UVG prices have only been going in one direction, namely upwards. The healthcare system as a whole is under pressure. And at the end of the day, it’s this overall system that has to work. The workplace is one thing, but if we can reintegrate people after serious illnesses or following accidents, it’s not only the insurers who benefit, but also the employers and the affected persons themselves ¬- not to mention their loved ones and the social security system in its entirety. We’re concentrating on what we can do and do well, namely case management. The merger with Swiss Life has transformed elipsLife into a boutique insurance company with global reach, whose hallmarks are short lines of communication, efficiency and first-class case management.

Mental health is a significant topic. According to the Health Observatory, 2020 saw more than 500,000 people in Switzerland seek treatment in outpatient psychiatric-psychotherapeutic practices. How does a KTG insurer such as elipsLife view this development?
We’re made aware of the increase in absenteeism from work due to mental illness on a daily basis. For us, this is primarily associated with costs and consequently with premium increases. That said, not enough attention is paid to the additional opportunity costs incurred when so many people in society suffer from mental illness. While it’s to be welcomed that mental stress in the workplace is no longer swept under the carpet today, the negative impact, the loss of employees and the resulting increase in costs, nevertheless remain a reality. Take the consequences on a human level - the family man at home on the sofa suffering from burnout can lose his self-esteem as a role model, partnerships come under pressure, circles of friends fall apart. These consequences are completely underestimated.

Psychologically induced incapacity to work is often triggered by conflicts in the workplace. What part do management style and corporate culture play in this regard?
A very significant one. Espousing positive corporate values and an associated code of conduct can prevent an unhealthy corporate culture, that is one characterised by insecurity, high performance pressure or mobbing. Passing on pressure is strongly linked to a manager’s personal resilience. The decisive factor here is the emotional stability of both managers and employees. We often talk about work-life integration. But there’s more to it than that. Good work-life integration should also include enjoying your work for its own sake. Emotionally well-balanced people can also absorb more work pressure. If, on the other hand, managers and employees take this pressure home with them, problems are going to crop up sooner or later. Recognising these problems in advance and promoting rapid reintegration in the event of illness is our case management experts’ daily business.

Companies could reduce psychological problems with preventive measures, but they need support. What does elipsLife offer in this context and where are the priorities?
What we do as elipsLife can be summed up quite simply: We raise awareness, educate, put facts in context, intervene early in the event of conflicts and find suitable solutions for our clients. We’re happy to provide advisory support on the prevention side if requested. However, our focus as an insurer is on the event. Should an adverse event happen, we’re there for our customers with our case management capability from day one. We invest a lot in the rapid reintegration into the workplace of those affected. In so doing, elipsLife also makes a positive contribution to the functioning of the healthcare system and of society as a whole.