Wow, another take away by the company. What’s next?
33 replies (most recent on top)
And I think they be number 3 in a couple of years!!
It was cut bc Tipsord is a bean counter. Just like all the other benefits they removed but told us we would be better off, or the new program is so much better. Yea, b—s—, just remember SF, you get what you pay for and you’re in the process of getting yours. Welcome to #2.
Let’s be honest, those gifts were c-ap anyway, not like the gifts we used to get years ago. And how long has it been since we got a rose for our birthday?
Oh believe me. Like the Grinch, they have paid for those gifts tenfold.
Why was the gift program deleted? It was not the gift but the thought! State Farm is not the company now that I worked for. there is no family anymore and it is sad!
What has bothered me the most about all the layoffs is that the company was on cruise control with Bloomington asleep at the wheel about so many things.Then when they finally woke up it was the front line employees that suffered.
No, the gifts were not expensive. However, the company did not have to offer them to retirees. I thought it was very generous, as did my friends who received nothing from their companies after they retired.
Next thing to go will probably be State Farm park. Hubs don't have one so it will be sold likely to the City of Bloomington. State Farm bought naming rights to arenas in Atlanta, Phoenix, and the Univ of Illinois but not in their hometown when it was up for sale. Actions all speak volumes for the company views on Bloomington/Normal community.
My problem with the select-a-gift wasn't so much that the items were of poor quality. It was that, generally speaking, I didn't care to own any of the items I could choose. I usually ended up picking something for my kids, some walkie-talkies or a radio or something.
I sure won't miss it.
However, it seems the company could save millions by switching to executives who actually have a clue, rather than raiding the mailbox for cheap Christmas gifts.
Would you bad mouth them if they took you health insurance and your pension?
Well, its true that the select a gift which I as a retired employee have ordered and received for the past 8 years were not expensive items. Nevertheless, l disagree with the statements that some have written whereas a lot have expressed the items as being junk.
The items l selected, have all held up nicely and have not broken.
l am sorry it's been cancelled. To be honest l always felt it was a nice token for the State Farm to give their retired employees a little something for the holidays. To the few folks l ever mentioned that State Farm gave it's retirees a little gift each year for the holidays, expressed to me "they felt this was a nice gesture".
But, I won't bad mouth, or bash State Farm for eliminating the retiree Select-A- Gift, why for a $30-35 dollar gift?, why make such a big fuss, give me a break.
However, I will agree with what some have commented on as to some big executives have hugh salaries and are given other compensations which should be curtailed in order to save money for the company.
State Farm has lost its heart, values and legacy. Its been underway for many years. When I told people SF gave retirees a Holiday Gift every year, some of them actually teared up - “I wish I worked for someone who thought about their employees like that”...sure the gifts weren’t expensive but it was a single small gesture that echoed to a time when their company did try to be the “good neighbor”. That’s gone - now it’s “Jake” and a “better state” and who knows what, next. I actually had an employee tell me that the current retirement benefits program is one “our executive office DECIDED TO GIVE retirees”...Never mind what we worked for and they agreed to, this generation believes what they tell them.
So they took away the cheap Christmas gift from retirees.... it was nice looking forward to it every year... BUT they weren't the best gifts really!! The one thing I learned working for State Farm for 29 years IS US retirees are the one's that built the company. For all the WORK that we've done they could at least give us A COLA!! we have to live ALSO.. they make enough money to do that BUT they rather keep it for their Executives who DO NOTHING!! which is why the company is not going to do well and is NOT doing WELL!! Even the Bible tells you TO PAY your workers for the work that they DO... so since they're NOT doing that they're going to PAY it OUT one way or the OTHER ..either with large hurricanes PAYING out a lot of money to restore these families OR other entities(AUTO,FIRE,HEALTH, LIFE) ARE going to go DOWN because you can't KEEP doing WRONG and think you're going to make MONEY!! GOD sits HIGH and he looks LOW so State Farm don't think you're going to get away WITH mistreating your employees GOD sees ALL....GOD knows THE sneakiness AND underhandedness that goes on within the company, SO don't think you're getting away with ANYTHING...UNTILL you do RIGHT by your employees you going to keep going DOWN DOWN, DOWN, MONEY WILL NOT MATTER. ..the name STATE FARM is going to leave A BAD TASTE IN your policyholders mouth and potential policyholders.
4jxv- I feel the same way about my UPS driver.
@ 2tsn...there have been NO retirement benefits for any agent who came on board in the last 21 years. You know, those overpaid, easy money leaches you folks complain about. The people who bring all the money into State Farm but own nothing as a result. And yet they still have the guts to go in every day and make what they can of it.
Get rid of Christmas gift for everyone and toss more money in my 401k instead
Hey, promotions from managers to AVP’s are expensive, even if they are your own family. It has to be paid for somehow....
There will be no retirement benefits by the time I retire. Finally 50 and thought I'd fin ally be grandfathered in so they couldn't take anymore retirement benefits from me and lol now they took the select some sh-- is there anything left. I can carry the insurance on both me and my spouse but have to pay for spouse and heard by the time I get there the cost won't be where I could take it and will have to get it elaw here. Heard that's what the farm wants , us to not take the insurance so it can be stopped. Is there any other benefits at retirement besides the pension? Because staying for the insurance that I won't be able to afford anyway seems stupid.
Don't be surprised if they start chipping away at the Health Reimbursement. Then it will hit the fan. Since Tipsy doesn't have the Rust lineage to insulate him from the Six Billion Auto loss ( how do you do that ? ) , maybe he thinks saving a few bucks from eliminating the S-A-G for retirees will look good to his cronies.. It was corny, but a link to the genuinely nice old traditions of the Farm. EB Sr. probably just did another flip in his grave. And by the way, the Company's net worth increased last year by $4B. And please spare me the bs that it is for our customers. Maybe somebody should pull a Clark Griswold at the Chri....... Holiday Party. Wait!! I guess that's gone too.
To the retiree who spent the better part of a day on the phone tracking down the select a gift story, you have got to be f---ng kidding me, this is how you choose to spend your retirement, seriously, you have nothing better to do? What a wasted life. Go play golf, volunteer, get laid, spend time with family ect, no, I miss the farm so much I think I will call and bust poor b--tards balls to get to the bottom of this select a gift conspiracy. Just shoot yourself and get it over with.
A bunch of people have just lost their jobs. Get over yourself.
To our retirees, thank you. Your a class act that demonstrated integrity, in-depth knowledge and professionalism.
Every gift I ever got was junk and broke in a few years ( months ) anyway. For those of you still with the Farm telling retirees to "get over it " we built the company to the one with the top rated claims department, so get over yourselves. Everything the execs do is insulting and makes me wish I had never been with State Farm
Well after about 1 hour of research and 2 1/2 hours on the phone or waiting for a call back I was able to actually talk to a SF employee and not an outsourced person. The Select -A- Gift program letter is what triggered the call and these comments. First I reminded the SF contact person to let the powers that be to be reminded as to "Who brought you to the dance". It was those of us who gave all we could to bring and make SF number One when we were there. That's quickly diminishing daily. Look at the TV ads and you will see what I am talking about. Secondly, when was the last time retiree's were given a COLA increase? Talk about a kick in the behind when you see what the Executives salaries and bonuses are and these "Ivory Towers" they have built in the last four years losing valuable career employees not able to uproot their families. Then look at the cost of hiring and training replacements that I would score at about a 5 after they are turned out to handle customers. If you can, talk with an employee who is there when you were and see what they say about morale and the number of people leaving the company. Thirdly and last is the YSA Co-pays. Other companies and not just Insurance companies reimburse all co-pays other than pr-scrip-ions and include doctor and hospital visits for reimbursement. I have over $20,000.00 in my account and it increases annually so why can't I elect these other co-pays for reimbursement. For the past four years I have had this discussion with Aon Hewitt, what a joke of outsourcing huh, and SF Benefits and all I get is the proverbial run around. Well that covers it for now and I just hope and pray that most of you have had better experiences. Would leave my real name or Alias but I still work occasionally as an Independent I would hate to think that these comments would get me tagged as DNR (Do Not Rehire). Funny they would pick that, DNR, that really amounts to the same as a medical term.
They will regret treating retirees so poorly
Xoj...you're employed...get over founders day
The select a gift always S---ED, but the last couple of years it REALLY S---ED HARD. I actually stopped selecting a gift completely because everything in the catalog was garbage.
The cost of the gift is much less than the cost to the company when the retirees take their business elsewhere. More pennywise but pound foolish decisions by a bunch of clowns.
Retirees earned their benefits. Ok, in the grand scheme of things, the gift may seem like a minor detail, but many retirees have been and still are loyal to the brand for many, many years, contributing to xoj and xnd's salaries. Founder's Day discontinuance is a real shame, agreed. One day out of the year and the Farm can't thank their employees and kick back a little. Sounds like the Farm is sowing sour seeds, which will result in nothing but weeds.
I completely agree with -xnd. You’re retired, get over it because those of us still working are being put through hell and most won’t get to make it all the way to the retirement from SF you are now enjoying.
It still makes me upset to think about how they took Founder’s Day away. “Instead of celebrating Founder’s Day, we will donate the money.” As if we could not have our celebration and SF could continue to donate money. Take something away and act like something good happened, as if we’re blind and stupid. BS!
I don't see why people who no longer work for the company should get a gift every year. It will probably disappear for employees as well.
Gutting Founder's Day was another matter. That was something we commoners enjoyed and it was not a financial burden on the Farm. You need little things like those to boost morale, but Exec is too blissfully out of touch and busy backslapping to realize it.
Hardly a tragedy. It was a nice little perk, but it wasn’t changing lives and truthfully, it’s an unjustifiable expense.
Shucks, I already had been counting on ordering that gift shortly!