Our people

Our “A Rewarding New York Life” series shines a light on the breadth of opportunity available at New York Life and explores how a role here could check a lot of boxes when it comes to finding a rewarding career and nailing that work-life balance. 

With a history spanning more 177 years, New York Life is an insurance company that thrives on its people. And when it comes to group life insurance, New York Life has been protecting employees and their families for several decades.

In 2020, with the acquisition of Cigna’s group insurance business, New York Life took an exciting step. This was the largest acquisition in the company’s history and resulted in what is now known as New York Life Group Benefit Solutions (GBS).

We spoke to a group of our dynamic GBS employees about who they are, what they do, and how New York Life supports their personal and professional goals.  Read Sabrina Cantu's interview below and also watch a video as Sabrinah and her colleague Ryan Snyder talk about how great it is to work at New York Life.

Disability Claims Manager – Sabrinah Cantu

Sabrinah loves helping others, and that is a big part of why she’s been working in insurance for 14 years. With a background in science and teaching, Sabrinah currently manages long-term disability insurance claims for New York Life. This role gives her the opportunity to support her customers when they really need help—something she finds particularly rewarding.

The Person / “From training to claims”

Outside of work, travel and family are everything to Sabrinah. When it comes to her career, Sabrinah is driven by her desire to keep learning new things. At the start of her insurance career, Sabrinah combined her passions for teaching and travel, while working for five years training others. This involved traveling between training centers and living on-the-go.

In 2014, Sabrinah moved into claim management because she was looking for a new challenge that also provided a better work-life balance.

“I am so happy. I love what I do. Every time I am on the phone with a customer, I do my best to be patient and explain things well. I want to treat people the way I would want to be treated. That’s how I was raised.”

The Role / “Service industry”

On a day-to-day basis, Sabrinah finds her role both challenging and highly rewarding.

“Fundamentally, insurance will always be a business about people. It’s important I am compassionate and able to work well with customers–we become their coach through a difficult time. It requires far more medical knowledge and understanding than people realize, and that experience has been greatly rewarding.”

“As a claims manager, my job is very flexible. I can set my own schedule, and New York Life supports that.”

Having been in the industry and with the company for many years, Sabrinah is often approached by her team members as a source of expertise and support.

“I work with people from very different professional backgrounds and who have had very different life experiences,” she says, perceiving this diversity as hugely advantageous when it comes to a dynamic and constructive work life.

The Culture / “Encouraged without pressure”

Sabrinah also values the support and strong communication embedded in the culture at New York Life.

“Throughout the pandemic, New York Life has recognized that we are working in difficult conditions, and that things are hard. They’re investing in platforms to make our processes more efficient and bringing in people to help.”

“I love the town hall meetings, where we get the chance to ask questions of leaders. I recently participated in a request from our director to do a set of smaller group chats, just to get to know people. I was a little nervous, but it was great!”

And even when it comes to professional growth, Sabrinah feels she’s able to progress at the pace that is right for her:

“I feel very supported, but I don’t feel pressured, which I value. I feel allowed to express my strengths, but I don’t feel pushed to move up if I am not ready.”

Feel inspired? Why not apply to one of our many open roles today.

New York Life is an equal opportunity employer M/F/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

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