Jen Ughetta of Liberty Mutual Insurance On How to Build a Purpose-Driven Culture That Attracts Top Talent

Purpose has become the new currency of success in today’s workplace, and leaders who prioritize mission-driven cultures are standing out in the war for talent. To explore this important topic, we are interviewing Jen Ughetta.

Jen Ughetta is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer of Liberty Mutual Insurance. As the leader of the company’s global Talent organization, she focuses on creating a high-performing, equitable and inclusive culture where employees are engaged and doing meaningful work to support company performance. With over 25 years in the insurance industry, Jen brings a deep understanding of the sector’s unique dynamics and challenges. She leverages her extensive expertise in talent management and organizational development to cultivate a high-performance culture and attract top talent. Jen is also a passionate mentor, helping people navigate their careers and encouraging them to think big as they find their path.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

My passion has always been around the people part of business and helping people and companies be successful through talent strategies. I spent my early years growing up in the Talent Management space (Learning & Development, Performance Management, Succession Planning, etc.). Throughout my career, I have been purposeful about getting exposure to and experiences in most of the core areas of HR, building my personal toolkit so I can have a broad strategic view and relevant hands-on experience to bring a well -balanced strategic perspective to my work. I have been at Liberty for a little over seven years and have had the privilege of being Liberty’s Chief People Officer for about the last three years.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working in leadership, culture building, or purpose-driven organizations?

I read a book early in my career called, “Be Yourself More…With Skill” and I have intentionally lived that mantra throughout my career. For me, especially in leadership roles, I have shown up as my authentic self and what I have found is that the more I give, the more I have gotten back in connection and trusting relationships. We all have a lot that we carry with us, challenges we have overcome, pain we have experienced, failures that we have learned from, etc. As a leader, I have chosen to be open with many of those experiences and share them in forums that foster understanding and connection, and allow people to see me as a real person, too. Any time that I have shared those stories, or embraced others’ stories, I have received emails of appreciation from employees who feel seen because they have faced similar challenges and feel less alone.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Fostering strong relationships built on trust, being a strong communicator open to feedback and embracing authenticity have been instrumental in my career. I’ve been fortunate to have deep, trusting relationships throughout my career that have pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged my perspectives. That foundation of trust has allowed me to be open to feedback and growth and it’s something I apply to my relationship with my team. I always lean into giving tangible and honest feedback and encourage them to think bigger for their work and for themselves.

Authenticity has also been critical in getting me to where I am today. Embracing my true self has allowed me to tap into my full potential and make a meaningful impact. My authenticity has allowed me to foster deep connections and create opportunities for collaboration that help support the organization’s success.

Let’s now jump into the focus of our interview. What does a “purpose-driven culture” mean to you personally, and why do you think it’s critical for attracting top talent?

At Liberty Mutual, our purpose is to help people embrace today and confidently pursue tomorrow. Our culture is oriented around keeping employees engaged, inspired and doing meaningful work in support of our customers and the communities around us. With 40,000 employees at the heart of our business, we’re committed to helping them succeed, both personally and professionally.

We know that employees and prospective talent look for career opportunities that align with their values, workplaces that provide support and growth, and companies that are committed to creating a positive impact on the world. With that in mind, we’re focused on an inclusive workplace, holistic wellbeing benefits, ongoing growth and development opportunities, flexible work arrangements, employee-led communities for connection and providing ways for employees to personally give back to local communities, organizations and causes that are most meaningful to them.

How did you identify and define the mission or purpose for your organization? Was it inspired by a particular event, challenge, or insight?

As one of the largest global property and casualty insurers, our conviction is that insurance is a force for social good. We’re there for people when they’re experiencing crises and are uniquely positioned to address environmental and social challenges for our employees, customers, and communities.

As the world around us continues to change rapidly, and we see the emergence of new and increasingly complex risks, grounding our organization in our purpose has never been more important. We sell promises to our customers that we’ll protect their homes, businesses and products and that we’ll be there for them when they need us most.

Our purpose was shaped by our understanding of the challenges and uncertainty our customers face every day, and we aim to provide them with the support they need to move forward. This commitment unites our team of 40,000 employees around the globe. It drives us to perform at our best in support of the people and communities we serve and will continue to guide our efforts as an organization to make a positive impact in the lives of our customers.

What are the key steps leaders can take to embed purpose into the day-to-day operations and decision-making of their companies?

Embedding purpose into our day-to-day operations starts with equipping our employees with the benefits, tools, and resources they need to succeed, personally and professionally. The strength of our business is rooted in the dedication of our employees and they’re critical in bringing our purpose to life.

This starts with ensuring they have access to the tools they need to grow, stay engaged and understand the impact of their work. That meant retooling our talent performance system, putting greater rigor around people leader check-ins to create deeper, more meaningful conversations and feedback, and creating greater alignment between employees’ goals and company goals so they could see how their work makes an impact and drives the company forward.

We also recognize that employees bring their best selves to work when they feel supported in all aspects of their lives. We’ve invested in a comprehensive suite of benefits, programs, and policies that promote whole-person health — financial, mental and physical well-being — to ensure they feel like they have the support they need to succeed inside and outside of work. We also know that employees feel a sense of purpose when they contribute in meaningful ways to their local communities. Through our community engagement program, Liberty Torchbearers, we empower our employees to support the causes they care most about by donating their time, resources, and talents.

Collectively, this helps us in maintaining a healthy and engaged workforce who’s committed to building long and meaningful careers at the company.

What role does leadership play in championing and modeling a purpose-driven culture? Can you share an example of how you or another leader helped reinforce your organization’s purpose?

Our purpose-driven culture starts with our senior leaders, who play an important role in fostering an environment where employees feel valued, cared for, and supported. Our executive team sets the tone by modeling healthy behaviors, demonstrating a commitment to work-life balance, prioritizing visibility and connection, and actively engaging with employees across the company through ongoing events, conversations and open feedback sessions.

We also leverage a comprehensive employee listening strategy to understand what matters most to our employees and how we can better meet their needs. This includes conducting Voice of the Employee (VoE) focus groups, where we gather feedback on various topics, from benefits to workplace technology, and use that feedback to co-create and shape initiatives and programs for our employee population. For example, WE@Liberty, our Employee Resource Group for women and allies had been engaged in conversations about additions to the benefits plan that are rooted in what employees’ need at various life stages to be most supported inside and outside of the workplace. The feedback highlighted the need for enhanced all-in-one support at every stage — from family building to pregnancy to parenting to menopause. By combining employee feedback with external benchmarks, we were able to evolve our benefits to meet the needs of our employees.

When employees feel like their feedback is heard and see their voices reflected in our programs, offerings and policies, they’re more likely to feel valued and engaged. By equipping them with the tools and resources they need to be successful they’re empowered to deliver on our commitment to being there for our customers and communities when they need us.

How do you handle skepticism or resistance from team members or stakeholders who may not immediately understand the value of focusing on purpose?

We recognize that our purpose is brought to life in many different ways across the organization. For those on the front lines working with customers, they are often their first call after something has happened and they need our help. For other employees, they are building the applications that our customers use. And for some, our purpose feels most real when they are out in their local community volunteering at a non-profit.

We focus on living our purpose and demonstrating its impact through customer experiences, employee stories or the many ways we support our local communities — helping our people see why it matters and how they contribute to it every day.

Ok, let’s talk strategy. Based on your experience, can you share “5 Steps to Build a Purpose-Driven Culture That Attracts Top Talent”? If possible, please include examples or stories for each.

1. Being a purpose-led organization: As a purpose-driven organization, the foundation of what we do is helping people in their time of need and our employees are proud of that — proud to be part of something bigger and supporting those around us. We’re committed to fostering an environment where all of our 40,000 employees are engaged and doing meaningful work in support of our customers and the communities around us. That value proposition resonates with employees and prospective employees alike.
2. Supporting employees through a suite of benefits & wellbeing programs: As a large employer, we recognize that employees are multifaceted, and we have a role to play in keeping them healthy and building resilience. What they experience outside of work can often show up at work and there’s interconnectivity between stressors and their impact on employees’ health. By investing in a full suite of benefits, programs and policies that support employees’ whole-person health — physical, emotional and financial — employees feel that they have what they need to tackle these stressors and build resilience inside and outside of work.
3. Supporting employees through ongoing career growth and development: We’re committed to keeping employees engaged and doing meaningful work aligned to our company’s goals. It’s why we’re focused on creating the right environment to support work-life balance, creating ways for leaders to provide meaningful feedback to their teams and offering ongoing growth and development opportunities for employees to continue to grow and meet their career goals.
4. Giving back to others and the communities around us: As a large organization, we have the ability to leverage our scale and partnerships with nonprofit organizations to support healthy community engagement and initiatives. In addition to supporting more than $50M annually in corporate giving through Liberty Mutual Foundation, we also provide programs that provide robust community support with volunteer opportunities and matched donations for employees to support the organizations that are most meaningful to them.
5. Incorporating employee feedback into organizational decision making: With five generations in today’s workforce, needs vary across generations, geographical regions, etc. Through our data-driven listening strategy, we’re able to capture employee feedback about programs, offerings and policies, giving us insight into what they’re experiencing, feeling or need to be successful, and we’re able to integrate that feedback into decision making. For example, through a recent assessment of employee sentiment, financial well-being, specifically saving for retirement, rose to the top as a concern for some of our employees. We recognized that student loans were a significant roadblock to saving for retirement and achieving other long-term financial goals. We leveraged that employee feedback to introduce our 401(k)-student loan match program that treats employees’ monthly student loan payments as contributions to our retirement plan, enabling employees to build financial resilience, reduce financial stress in the short and long-term, and contribute toward the future.

Can you share a specific example of how embracing a purpose-driven culture helped your company attract exceptional talent or achieve a significant business goal?

One example that’s been deeply meaningful to many is recent changes to our bereavement leave policy. We provide a wide range of benefits and policies which are designed to give employees the resources and support they need to be successful both personally and professionally. Each year, we review the suite of offerings and consider any changes for the following year.

As part of the annual review cycle, we take a data-driven approach, leveraging various benchmarks and market trends, obtaining available data and leveraging employee stakeholder groups and surveys to understand how employees feel and what they value. By partnering with our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), we can stay on the pulse of employee sentiments — using those insights as one way to evaluate our benefits and policy and evolve them to meet employee needs.

A few years ago, we were evaluating the bereavement leave policy, including the number of paid days offered to defined family members, we turned to the WE@Liberty Employee Resource Group (ERG), our employee resource group dedicated to empowering women and allies, and their sub-group, Pathways to Parenthood. Our goal was to understand the overall employee sentiment within the company’s parent and caregiving community.

Through our holistic review which included their feedback, we were able to expand our policy. All full-time and part-time employees in the US are eligible to take up to five days of paid time off for employees when they’ve experienced any kind of pregnancy loss. Employees simply request the amount of time off needed, up to five days, for pregnancy loss.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. When employees feel like their feedback is heard and see their voices reflected in organizational decisions, they’re more likely to feel valued and engaged.

What are some common mistakes leaders make when trying to create a purpose-driven culture, and how can they avoid them?

First and foremost, senior leaders need to clearly define the organization’s purpose and ensure employees understand how it connects to their roles and daily work. Purpose can’t be treated as a standalone initiative, it needs to be embedded in decision-making, team collaboration and how success is measured.

To build a purpose-driven culture, purpose must be integrated into every aspect of the business. Leaders should align purpose with the organization’s strategic objectives, demonstrating its impact in driving business outcomes and delivering value to customers. When purpose is woven into the fabric of the culture, it helps shape action, decisions and long-term impact.

How do you ensure that your organization’s purpose evolves and remains relevant as your company grows and the world changes?

Our purpose is more important now than ever, especially as the world around us is rapidly changing and evolving. To ensure that we continue to deliver on our purpose, we need to build a resilient, change-focused organization. That means investing in the capabilities needed for sustained success — from building a robust talent pipeline to competitive compensation and holistic wellbeing benefits to ongoing growth and development opportunities to keep employees engaged and aligned to our company’s goals and where we’re headed as an organization. We want to continue to foster an environment where employees feel empowered to take on new challenges, collaborate, and do meaningful work that makes an impact. By equipping our employees with the skills they need, adapting to emerging needs and ensuring our purpose aligns to our business goals, we can continue to deliver on our commitments to our policyholders and community.

In your opinion, how does having a purpose-driven culture impact not just employees, but customers, clients, and the broader community?

We know that when employees feel supported, valued and cared for, they have the ability to unlock their full potential. By providing the tools, resources and workplace environment they need to succeed, they’re more likely to be engaged, make an impact and drive meaningful business outcomes.

These outcomes are directly linked to our purpose — being there for our customers and communities when they need us most. We play a key role in helping individuals, businesses, and communities become more resilient, recover from loss and remain protected.

Alongside our commitment to supporting communities through our services, products, and protection, we empower our employees to bring purpose to life by giving back to the causes that matter most to them. Liberty’s Torchbearers program serves as a platform for employees to drive positive change and make a meaningful impact in their communities.

Our purpose is what unites our organization in keeping our customers and communities safe, now and in the future.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people by building purpose-driven workplaces, what would that be?

I work with a close colleague and friend who uses the language, “in service of the best answer” and I just love that line. Especially having worked in several large organizations, it’s such a good mindset for approaching work and trusting each other to collectively work together towards the best answer or the strongest outcomes. I often think about how that would translate outside of the workplace and how the world would be a better place if we all worked together to find the best outcomes for all.

This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.

About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.