Progressive's Employee-First Approach Drives Record Business Growth

The insurer is breaking hiring records and creating an employee experience that outshines the competition.

College grads and early-career job seekers are facing a hard time getting jobs, with many worried about AI’s impact on landing their first job.

One company whose doors are wide open is Progressive, who made headlines this spring for its ambitious plans to hire 12,000 people by year’s end — primarily for entry-level roles. Over the past five years, the company has nearly doubled its revenue, reaching $75 billion in 2024, up from $39 billion in 2019.

“2024 set an all-time record for us on pretty much every metric we measure,” says Bill Clawson, Progressive’s chief human resources officer. “We continue to exceed the growth levels of last year and add more policies, more customers, and premium growth continues to increase.”

Not only is Progressive hiring, but its commitment to offering employees a great workplace experience remains strong, as it jumped four spots to No. 6 on the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance? list for large companies

Progressive’s focus on employees has had a significant impact on that growth, Clawson says.

“Of course, you respect and appreciate the people who are helping you help your customers, or those customers will go somewhere else. We don't want that. We want them to stay with us,” Clawson says. “There’s a direct correlation between culture and engagement and retention. It ties to satisfied employees, excited employees — those who will stay for long periods of time.”

According to Great Place To Work’s analysis of 1.3 million employee surveys, meaningful work is the No. 1 retention driver. Nine in 10 employees plan to stay at Progressive for a long time, compared to seven in 10 at a typical finance or insurance firm. Driving those high retention numbers is Progressive’s focus on making employees feel that their work matters and they are valued. At Progressive, 82% of employees say their work has meaning compared with 56% at a typical financial or insurance company.

Progressive receives 800,000 job applications annually, offering hybrid or remote positions. Of its current active job descriptions, 89% don’t require a college degree, but instead provide “in lieu of college” qualifications that lean into the applicants’ previous experience.

“If you've got a college education, we love you, we bring you in,” Clawson says. “But we also love you if you're coming along for the journey and want to grow in a career and we’ll provide you with skills that you need to keep growing.”

Developing careers, not simply filling open jobs, also contributes to business success.

“We want you to come and progress in a career,” Clawson says. “They know they’re not here just for answering that phone call or handling that claim on an individual day. They are learning, they’re growing, and we’re going to put additional resources back in them so that as a promote-from-within company, they’ve got a shot at that next job.”

An impressive 90% of Progressive employees say they’re offered professional development opportunities, higher than the average of other winning companies on the Best Workplaces by Industry lists.

A new initiative at Progressive is "Destination Progress,” launched as part of the 2025 recruiting cycle. This employer brand campaign aims to show job seekers that although they may come to Progressive for a job, they can stay for a career.

"Our data is showing that internal movement is very important, and in any given year, about 40% of our employees are moving into a new role,” Clawson says.

Career Central supports employees in exploring and advancing their careers. The platform offers vignettes of people in various roles, providing a clear picture of career progression within the company. Employees can also reach out to mentors to learn more about specific roles and career paths. This approach ensures that employees have the resources and support they need to grow and succeed.

Welcoming new hires

At Progressive, welcoming employees and making them feel valued starts long before their first day.

The company has a dedicated website where new hires can sign up for a welcome gift, watch setup videos, and join a forum to ask questions before day one. This was created after noticing that some new hires didn't show up on their start date due to cold feet, second thoughts, or feeling another offer was safer.

“In the weeks before they joined, they might have had questions or lost excitement,” Clawson says. “We don't want them to feel that way. That's not the destination we're designing for you here, so let’s get you the support you need. That's what it’s going to be like when you get here, so why don't we start giving it to you earlier?”

Now, 97% of employees say they feel welcome when joining the company.

As part of onboarding, Progressive CEO Tricia Griffith makes it a point to meet with every new hire class, either in person or virtually, to welcome them.

“The reaction from people is, ‘Oh my gosh, the CEO of a $75-plus billion company is sitting here with me saying hello and telling me I'm valued and appreciated and I’m going to have a great career journey,” Clawson says.

Making sure leaders are accessible and communicative doesn’t end after onboarding.

“We have an informal rule amongst our leadership team,” he says. “You don't answer my email first. You answer the employees’ email first. They are genuinely the most important asset we have. It is what we're selling as a part of the value proposition we offer our customers.”

Progressive works hard to ensure its employee experience metrics continue to outperform its competitors by relying on data from Great Place To Work and Gallup, and by listening to employees.

“There are tools and information that you have where you can actively make sure you're helping employees feel respected and listened to and empowered,” Clawson says. “All that just builds trust, and that's why we are achieving record levels of retention and voluntary attrition is at record lows.”

Building employee trust is his advice for any company striving to get better.“How do people want to be treated? Well, you have to ask them. Okay, what did they tell you? You’ve got to do it. And if you don't do it, you need to explain why it doesn't work for you or why it doesn't work right now. You have to respect them. You have to have that foundation in place. Without it, you probably won’t have the same success.”