Be careful holding insurance business conversations in public places

For all the concern about privacy many people are comfortable conducting conversations about the most personal topics in public. How many times have you overheard a discussion on the subway or in an airport lounge that made you cringe?

According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, young adults generally seem more forgiving of cell phone usage in public places than those who didn’t grow up with a lot of technology. Although 90 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds think it’s ok to use a phone on public transportation, just 54 percent of adults aged 65 and older agree.

It’s more than an issue of too much information (or TMI) for insurance professionals or anyone who works in a business that depends on confidentiality. There’s a saying among lawyers that more cases are lost in the elevator than in the courtroom. Remind your employees of all ages that business conversations should not be held in a public place, and no one should discuss proprietary information in an open environment. You never know who’s listening. 

Here are the results of the Pew survey.