Global Economies Need Global Understanding

[Brian Stoppee]

Do you work far from home?

We have been investigating some great group health insurance plans. We tried to explain to a very helpful marketing representative, with a big-name insurance brand, that people who work in Northern Virginia commute back and forth between Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Knowing that this very friendly, very talkative rep was somewhere in the Midwest, we were not surprised that the line went silent.

After a few seconds she said, “You’re telling me that you’re in Virginia and you’ll have employees who live in Pennsylvania?”  The line went quiet for a few seconds and she said, “Thaaaat’s going to cost you.” Then there was more silence. Then she said, “WHAT?!”… “That’s not going to cost you anymore at all.”… “Could this be correct? It says here that where you live people commute as far North as Connecticut and as far South as North Carolina?!”

Of course, lots of people don’t drive from Virginia to Connecticut, 5 days a week. The data has something to do with people who take Amtrak a few times a year from DC to NYC. Plus there are 3 international airports which are 58 miles apart and millions of people are just a few minutes from one of them.

So, it’s something of a mindset kind of thing. Something which we think is pretty cool, could sound awful to someone else. But, then the trick of that is trying to envision who we are talking to and what their world is all about.

Then we have to ponder just what it is that is pretty cool about the region where they live.

[Ussnorway]

the same guy prob works for Adobe on making their forms with the silly questions... I just answer N/A to all such questions

[Brian Stoppee]

Ussnorway  wrote

the same guy prob works for Adobe on making their forms with the silly questions... I just answer N/A to all such questions

I think you've gotten the point, exactly.

There are people in media technology who create forms for us to fill out which make us carefully read them and think, "HUH? This has to be written by someone who is clueless was to how these tools are used."

In the case of the friendly group insurance woman her immediate thought must have been, "I so don't want to tell these people that our company is going to charge them a fortune." and then her reaction is something like, "OMG! This company gets it! I'm so surprised. They're not going to abuse these people for living their lives."

But, then she probably thinks about it and ponders, "They drive from DC to NYC five days a week?!!!!"

[Nancy OShea]

When you live in a state as big as California or Texas,  commuting comes with the territory.

San Fransisco to Los Angeles is approx 400 miles (1.5 hrs by air, 12 hrs by rail).

DC to Boston would be about the same distance but I'm certain your trains would get there much faster!

[Erik Lord]

Just sounds like an inexperienced Rep. I work for a company with employees across the country. I'm not involved at all with such HR things but the plan is decent, from a major organization, and not crazy expensive.

I think you just need to talk to a more experienced rep