Pros
RLI remains a great place to work with a strong future ahead. Although we recently lost our CIO, the two leaders now in place bring proven track records and have deep experience at RLI. The new IT VP has more than 17 years with the company, consistently delivering results, and her promotion from within demonstrates senior leadership’s trust and confidence in the team. The new VP of Operations is a grounded, approachable leader with a solid history of supporting & mentoring people. I have a great deal of confidence in both of them. With the new organizational structure, the four groups that often worked closely together now have clearer alignment, which should help us deliver more effectively to meet business needs. RLI also continues to invest in its employees and provide the tools we need to succeed, even in the face of business headwinds. Their approach to return-to-office at the home office showed thoughtful planning: balancing the benefits of bringing people together with the flexibility employees value. I think this approach helped to bring trust to the process, and gave people time to adapt and plan accordingly. At the end of the day, it’s the people and culture that make RLI what it is. Pay, benefits, training, and growth opportunities are all solid, but they only go so far without good people around you. The people I work with, and work for are really what make this company a great place to work.
Cons
Change is never easy—whether it’s leadership, technology, or business decisions. While some change is both necessary and beneficial, it often takes longer to implement than people expect. We continue to struggle with setting realistic goals and timelines for project delivery. Our business processes and systems are highly complex, deeply interconnected, and in many cases rely on very old technology. Transitioning away from these legacy systems is both challenging and time-consuming. Too often, instead of adapting business processes to take full advantage of new technology, we try to force new systems to mimic outdated ways of working. This mindset slows progress and makes it harder to realize the benefits of more efficient tools. Additionally, Product Owners tend to remain siloed, focusing too narrowly on their own areas without considering broader organizational priorities. This lack of alignment makes cross-functional collab and larger big picture initiatives more difficult than they should be.
