'I Love My Job’: Unique Opportunities, Innovative Technology, a Supportive Culture, and More
Welcome to I Love My Job, the series where we hear from women who really love their jobs. In this edition, we sat down with Kavitha Krishnasamy, a Senior Data Engineer at The Hartford.
Throughout her nearly seven years with The Hartford, Kavitha has progressed through several roles and is now a senior staff data engineer in the claims data organization. She spends her days working on projects that tap into top cutting-edge technologies. For example, she is currently engineering a prototype that would consolidate data across various systems to boost business efficiencies.
“What really excites me is being part of something bigger than my individual projects,” she says. “Our CEO has a great vision of leading the insurance industry in the AI space, and being a data engineer working with AI technologies, I feel really proud to be in this organization. There is literally no better time than this. We are not just following the industry standards; we are actually setting them.”
In the video below, Kavitha shares more about the unique projects, encouraging culture, and innovation that make her feel like she is part of something bigger at The Hartford. We also provide lightly edited highlights from the video discussion in the following article.
In case you have trouble watching this video, please click here to watch it on YouTube.
Talk to us about a project you’re working on that you find really exciting.
One of the most unique opportunities I had was working on a big project last year where we implemented a solution to bring down the repair times and improve customer satisfaction for all our auto claims. This was such a big initiative, which involved different teams within our organization, like operations, claims, IT teams, data science, and performance analytics. We even received our company's highest honor, the Chairman's Award.
How would you describe the culture of The Hartford?
The top things that come to my mind are trust, authenticity, belonging, culture, ethics, and legacy. We live up to the trust that our customers have had in us for over 200 years. And, every day, I feel that I walk into the office and my opinion and voice matter. All of our leaders show up with great authenticity. They are very transparent about their vision and challenges, which inspires me to do my work in the best possible way.
The company has been recognized as one of the world's most ethical companies for 16 times in a row. Personally, it matters to me. I know I work for somewhere where we do good, not just profitably.
Describe a time when you felt excited by the innovation happening at The Hartford.
The Hartford is fully embracing AI technology, and we are looking for ways to help our business and also to improve the productivity of our internal teams. Whenever I've been assigned any work, there is no dictation on how it needs to be done, so I get to be creative and innovative in exploring a few ways to get the job done. I finally choose the best way to serve our business teams. And in turn, our customers feel greatly supported. I always feel encouraged to share my opinions, to try things out differently, and to be an innovator.
How do you feel supported by The Hartford to be innovative?
I feel supported by my management to bring different innovative solutions. Part of my work is also research work—to choose the best tech stack for our technical problems. So, I get to try multiple options, and my management is all in to hear out all the different options that I've tried. I pick the best of the best for our company, be it one-on-one with my manager or in forums where I get to speak to the senior leadership team. Everyone is so open to all the ideas, and we all would like to innovate together and grow.
What advice would you give to others looking to work at The Hartford?
The top benefits are flexibility, overall well-being, and getting to work on cutting-edge technologies as an engineer. The Hartford values the quality of the work that you deliver and not the hours spent, which inspires us in how we work, while also allowing us to balance being available for family—especially for me as a mother. I felt very much supported, from understanding managers to comprehensive benefits, when I navigated major life transitions such as pregnancy and postpartum.
You are seen holistically as a person, not just as an employee. I felt that a lot during my pregnancy and postpartum phase, which I was able to navigate successfully. So, it's not just about balancing work and life. The company helps you thrive in both areas, which I'm grateful for. So, if you're looking for a company that provides comprehensive care, and you also want to work on cutting-edge technologies… You're welcome to come join us, and we can all grow together.
If you're interested in pursuing a great career with us, I would strongly encourage you to check out all our current openings on The Hartford’s profile on Fairygodboss.
Interested in joining The Hartford team? They’re hiring! Click the link below to browse opportunities.
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