Be dedicated to building yourself...your team will benefit, the company will benefit. But never dedicate your entire life to a company like this. Always keep your eyes on the market and leave the minute you can get something better. State Farm is crap. Don’t be one of those people that spends so much of their life at the company that it ends up hurting really bad when they decide to get rid of you.
It will be interesting to see how they douche the pensions.
Young folks just don’t get dissiludioned into thinking you are needed. There is no loyalty here. You work, they pay you. They pay you to do the same thing over and over again I’m different ways. If you don’t like that method of operation start looking.
I agree unless it process. If you can come up with a process like Agile that doesn’t really apply to host work they wil swallow it hook, line and sinker and you will spend 90 pct of your day on process and 10 pct on work. At SF failures are proclaimed successes on a daily basis and those who deny it are blacklisted.
Yeah, it's really a bummer to know that we're in this mess because upper management wasted so much money doing ridiculous stuff like rearranging walls and re-writing systems that didn't need to be re-written, and changing EVERYTHING in systems even though most of it functioned... The guys making these decisions had no idea what they were doing, and now we're all paying for it.
We tried to warn them. No one was listening.
And the young ones and the experienced ones quickly move on. Leaving you with those that have no other choice but to be there. That is why the hubs will never work.
Every 5 years in Systems... it’s oh sh-- we have spent too much money and we dump... usually contractors but this go round it’s employees too. So very sad. But the pendulum will swing back the other way again once Systems gets someone in charge that is accountable and has vision
My last company got rid of pension plans. Basically if you were already vested you kept the benefit but new employees were not offered it at all. If you have earned it already you will be able to keep it. If not, they can do away with the benefit for new un-vested employees at any time. A company can also change the benefit plan so you wind up with less than you think.
I do agree that younger employees need to focus on their own skills and marketability. I don't really think you should look to plan on working anywhere for 20+ years, that is very uncommon today. Also, if you are not growing or gaining new skills get out. It is not worth it to lose your edge and not be able to compete in the job market.
Hopefully any pension changes will be applicable to new hires and include a cash balance option rather than the defined benefit. Most new hires won’t be with the company 5 years after hires anyway.
Prior poster correct; benefits currently owed should be protected.
I agree... i had thoughts many times of leaving in my early years at the farm.. Now i am so deep into the clutches( pay benefits) to leave is going to hurt really bad... Dont let pay determine your happiness
Companies can do what they want with pensions, as long as what an employee has already earned is protected.
I agree with the OP. Young people working for the FARM, do not let the company promote you into a position where you lose your front line technical skills. If you do, you're basically marrying the Farm. And the Farm isn't loyal.
If they do fire-hose the pensions, I wonder what their legal obligations are. I haven't exactly studied the case law, but can a company just decide not to pay? Or would they be forced to declare bankruptcy or something?
State Farm is having a very difficult time attracting talented young professionals, even in their hubs. This won't change....in fact, it will get worse. Those that do sign on quickly find out that innovative thinking and new ideas or not only unwelcome but shunned.