Thread regarding State Farm Insurance layoffs

I would tell anyone considering a career at State Farm...even my own worse enemy...DON'T DO IT!!!! Can't wait until I'm "paroled for good behavior."

I only stayed for a bit. In my field it was where people go to die as there was no real work. The 'work' was just made up BS, I spent most of my time reading the internet. The company did treat employees well as far as most things go in my experience but were not serious about growing employees. Again in my field if you are not learning you won't last more than a year. Had to leave, there was no innovation there regardless of how many times they change names of departments.

I was hired 19 years ago into auto claims and into fire then NatCat handling both at the MA (then RB and now RA) and MG levels.

We saw the future of "specialization" coming when ACC and FCC started then CCS-J and CCS-D. It has been horrible for the customers when claims evolved into the current model. Even more horrible for employees.

I used to tell my kids, without hesitation, to go to college then work for the Farm. Not anymore. This is the last place I would want my kids to work. Even with a field proximity job. I am not so certain State Farm will be around in 10-15 years. Blockbuster, Sears, Montgomery Ward, Theranos...

Agree with OP. HIRED IN 1985. Leaving soon

OP is spot on. I worked for SF Bank for about 3 years. Met with folks across multiple departments do to my role. Micro-managing is everywhere. Individual thinking, regardless of how sound or well-researched, is discouraged and at times even punished. SF is horrible at recruiting new talent, especially young professionals. (Even though they have a hub next to a huge research university.) Not a surprise given their management style and complete contempt for innovative ideas and employee engagement. SF looks amazing on a resume due to name recognition. Great stopover, take it from me (and apparently the OP)

I took a job at State Farm as a job to do until something better came along. I now have a bettet job than I had at State Farm. I was surprised how weird State Farm is. Founder's Day is a freak show.

This place is now where people come for a job while they look for another. At least in claims the money is not worth the micro management and inability to take PTO.

I attended claim management training in early 2000s at OAB. JR came to meet with this small group and asked us what we were most concerned about. We shared our concerns about the level of specialization that was being created in claims based on recommendations from consulting companies. I specifically remember saying to him that we were “dumbing down” our claims force. We hurt the employee’s professional development and negatively impacted customer service. After multiple years in leadership I walked away. I could no longer look my employees in the eye and sell them on a direction that I couldn’t get behind. It was a moral dilemma for me that was causing too much stress.

The same management principles are happening at professional/technical level roles (e.g., business analyst level). Roles where you would use data and your brain to come up with solutions and it would be a combination of projects and problem-solving has turned into micro-management with a narrow focus on data-churn for things that don’t measure up. It’s missing the mark and not allowing for true innovation at the highest level that would make us competitive now. No room for true collaborative problem-solving because we are too worried about walking the floors to see if people are chained to their desks.

Thanks for voicing your opinion. It helps the potential employees to consider where to work.

Agree with OP. Impossible quotas, being made example of in front of peers, written up due to impossible quotas, systems and process do not work, management doing passive aggressive circular thinking while "coaching" you, no work life balance, heck lucky to get a bathroom break.

not exactly a "sweatshop" as I visited some, but overall i agree with the poster