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This place will systematically suck the life out of you. My work life is horrible. It's like a bad joke. This used to be a great place to work but those days are long gone. You are treated like cattle. Employees have no value. There is no advancement or development.
Management is a joke. They are hardly ever there. Even when you are a manager, not working the hours you are supposed to but being paid for it is stealing. They spend their time flirting with the young female employees because they don't realize they have reached an age where they are now just creepy. Some of them spend time cheating on their wives. Some of the creepers actually have nude pictures on their State Farm issued cell phones.
The job isn't difficult. There is no accountability so do it right, do it wrong, it doesn't make a difference just make sure you do a lot of work. There is an expectation that you work overtime every week. There is no end to it. 20+ hours of training for a new computer system had to be completed on your own time in addition to the mandatory overtime.
You gets lots of vacation time but you can't actually take it.
If you a want a personal life, stay away from State Farm.
Great Atmosphere, pay, benefits and the only insurance company I would work for!
16 years and counting!
Very little chance for promotion. You have to have a bachelor degree or be best friend's with the supervisors. Even with a bachelor degree you will be waiting in line for someone else to move out of their position and usually there are many waiting ahead of you. The job itself is challenging at first, but then after years of talking to the agents you get so sick of it. It is basically agents calling to blame you for a mistake they made in their office. They have no clue that doing something wrong, like not take down payment for example, will make the system bill the customer wrong. So they are mad at you for their mistake and some of them are very rude. So you have to educate them on how to do things right but half the time they don't listen, they just want you to fix it so the client isn't mad at them. The benefits are about like any other company. About $128/mo for HMO with no deductible. They have tuition reimbursement after 1 yr of emplyment but it must be in the line of work that you are in, such as a business degree. Some of the supervisors are nice and some are micromangers. You have to just hope you get a nice one. It is a mutual company so it is owned by the policy holders. The CEO makes about $10 million/yr. so I didn't appreciate not being compensated for my differential pay being dropped. But that is what happens when you work for conservatives.
I started at about $12/hr plus 10% differential pay for working a late shift. They decided to change the operational hours and take away our 10% so I lost $200/mo of pay right after I had signed up for health benefits which were about $100/mo. So all together I lost $300/mo in pay which was a hard hit on me. Then State Farm decided they now had enough money to install new revolving doors, a new Verint system, and new lanscaping. It was a slap in the face.
This place gets worse as time goes on. Promotions are never done fairly and upper management gives them out to people they like not people who are truly qualified for the job. Everything is micromanaged and good workers never get recognized. Instead of having solid teams they let below average people still work there. If this is a pit stop the training is great but get out. I'm currently looking for new work but tough times in the economy
The fellow workers are above average. The management practices and styles leave a lot to desire. First, there is a lot of micromanagement. Customers are not really valued as much as leaving on time is valued so no one can claim overtime. It is often management by intimidation--keep self image low so the employees will obey without question. Don't think outside the box seems to be the watchword.
The pros are the other people you work with who are generally caring, but jot all of them. The cons are the management styles of many of the management. They may care deeply for the good of the employee but do not show it. I feel it would help the morale very much for the managers to make sure they catch the employee doing good and not seem to be trying to catch them making mistakes. Salary is OK, I guess. My job is so hectic and rushed that I seldom take all of my vacation time. Bonuses are for managers, I guess. Don't expect many reimbursements--you are contributing to the good of the company. Benefits are OK but not outstanding.
As you can see, I’ve been with State Farm for several years and must say that it is not the company it once was. I am in the Auto Claim Central operation, which is environment wherein you devote every moment of your life to, as you are subjected to rotating, weekly shift Monday through Friday that run from 7AM till 7PM. In addition, you will also be expected to work rotational Saturdays, rotational holidays and strongly suggested overtime.
The work environment is a matrix style wherein you are micromanaged by multiple managers, supervisors and other elite peers. It is extremely difficult to get any time off from work, as your requests for time-off and vacations are often denied. Promotional opportunities are limited at best and hard work does not necessarily equate to reward.
To be honest, this is not a job for a recent college graduate unless you’re just stopping by to gain some experience. Be careful you’re not sold a bill of goods and neglect to move on before it’s too late. Working here is a lifestyle change and they will own your soul for a few dollars.
I’m not saying it’d the worst job in the world, as these are difficult times out there; however, please do your homework and make sure this is the right job for you, as it will change your life. If you’re an adult with children, you family life will be drastically changed!
Bonuses are limited, salary if fair, benefits are costly and the work is boring!
State Farm is a good, solid company that is just not too exciting. I've been with State Farm for several years and have been treated fairly and for the most part enjoy my job. Folks are friendly and as I spend most of my time in the Field I don't have too much office nonsense to put up with. Think I deserve more pay and better benefits, but who doesn't? My boss is pretty good and seems to care about me and the others in our group. Only real downside is advancement. I'm not part of the inner circle State Farm family so I'm not really considered for greater responsibility.
Job security. If you don't cause too much trouble you can be here forever.
Not a bad place to work, but not a good one either. State Farm folks are friendly in general, but it is difficult to feel a real part of things unless you have family members working for the company either in Agency or Operations. Employment and advancement is most often based on family, not experience, education or ability. Many, like myself leave after a few years simply because there is no place for us to go.
Pay and benefits are about normal for the Industry. They seem to reorganize every few months so an ability to adapt is important to maintaining your sanity. If you are just looking for a job, this is not a bad choice, it is just one without much personal growth potential.
State Farm has a family kind of feeling. Unfortunately unless your family experience with State Farm is at least two generations long it is hard to feel a real part of the organization. People are nice enough in general, but selection for promotion and better jobs usually go to family members or those with the State Farm blood line. Work pace varies depending on the job. Claims has become a call center operation so I am busy, but other departments appear more relaxed. You don't find employees trying to get into Claims from other jobs, but Claims folks try like crazy to work other places. Don't know why upper management can't comprehend this other than they are using Claims as a way of eliminating those they don't like, but will not fire. Reviews focus on numbers for the most part. Make your numbers they leave you alone. I believe more attention on customer satisfaction would help keep our best insured, but what do I know. State Farm does provide pretty good training so if you are new to the Industry it is at least a good place to start.
Benefits are pretty much the same across Insurance Companies. Employee contributions have gotten much higher in the last few years but I suspect this is a trend throughout. Although it is tough to break into the "Legacy" promotion group at State Farm they do allow mistakes and endure marginal performers much more than I would. You will not get rich doing this, but unless you really, really screw up, you can be here a long, long time.
State Farm is what you make of it. The Insurance Industry has dramatically changed with regard to Cliams over the last ten to twenty years. This change has gone hand in hand with technology and resulted in a much diminished personal approach. This has been bad for employees and customers alike. It is very difficult to accurately assess the circumstances, scope and coverage of a claim when the only contact you have is by phone. What is even worse then the limitations of "phone claim handling" are the metrics used to evaluate the poor bastards trying hard to properly handle the claim. Management wants numbers, customers want your time, you can't provide both. The folks who do this job have my respect. If you can disassociate yourself from normal feelings you might have a future here. I didn't.
Benefits with large Insurance companies like State Farm are pretty good, but promotions and plum opportunities are too often based on who you know, not what you know. State Farm will often promote someone from a different department to manage a Team with responsibilities he/she has no experience with. This may "round out" the person being promoted, but it almost always leaves the Team under served by the Leader. To end on a good note, State Farm tolerates a lot of marginal employees. Many, including myself, left because we had to do others work.
State Farm gives you to much of a workload. It's also very bureaucratic. I will say though that they have excellent training. It’s a good place to learn the business but I’m not sure if you would want to stay long term.
Salary in the low-mid 30's