customer service representative

senior underwriter

shift leader

clinical consultant

case manager

Guardian Life

•	6 years of experience in architecting and implementing test plan, test cases and process workflow.
•	Experienced with both Client and Web Server Application.
•	Proficient in both Manual and Automation testing with ability to manage the automation of the entire testing cycles.
•	Exposure to different types of testing like System testing, Functional testing, Regression testing, Integration testing, Smoke testing, Database testing, GUI testing and User Acceptance Testing.
•	Well conversant with software testing methodologies including developing Test plans, Test scenarios, Test cases, Test procedures, Test reports and documenting manual and automation tests.
•	Experienced in designing, development and execution of Test cases based on business, functional and system specifications.
•	Extensively experienced in creation and maintenance of automated test scripts.
•	Experienced in testing various software applications including mobile (iOS, Android) applications.
•	Experienced with installation, configuration of the Android SDK and ADT Plug-in for Eclipse IDE and setting up of the Android Framework Test Environment.
•	Experienced on testing Mobile apps on iOS3/4 and Android Platform.
•	Experienced in developing and analyzing Test Plan, Test Strategy, Test Cases and Test Results using HP ALM/ Quality Center.
•	Experienced in preparation of test data, preparation and execution of regression test scripts, preparation of weekly status report using ALM/Quality Center.
•	Extensively experienced in developing, implementing and validating Master Strategy Test Plan, Detailed Test Plans, Test cases, Test Execution and Defect Tracking using ALM/Quality Center.
•	Experienced in using defect reporting tools ALM/Quality Center and internally developed defect tracking tools.
•	Experienced in writing SQL queries for backend data validation and data integrity check.
•	Experienced in developing VB scripts in QuickTestPro (QTP)/UFT to perform functional, regression, system and end to end testing.
•	Experienced in creating Test scripts using QTP to create Data Driven Tests and Batch tests.
•	Experienced in developing both Data driven and Keyword driven Frameworks using QTP. 
•	Experienced in designing and implementation of Various Frameworks in QTP/UFT.
•	Good judgment skills while reporting and prioritizing software bugs in conjugation with the development and QA managers.
•	Extensive testing experience on ANDROID, iOS and REX operating system Mobile Applications using Manual and Automated techniques.
•	Strong working knowledge of MS-Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Windows, UNIX, Linux.

My 17 years with the company involved many changes.  The company was behind in technology when I first began working there.  So they worked hard in updating constantly.  Work   procedures changed as technology changed.  The first department I worked in was awesome.  The managers and supervisors were very flexible but also firm with job requirements and employee ethics. We worked hard and enjoyed working together as a team. However I needed a challenge so I bid on a job in another department with similar job requirements and was happy with my new assignment.  As time went on things became changing rapidly again and I adapted to the many changes. During my career at the Guardian I was able to take additional classes to help enhance my skills on the computer and also with system changes and new state and federal regulations in regards to life applications.   The company also provided team meetings to promote a better working relationship with our fellow teammates. Diversity training and Anti-Money Laundering training was mandatory.  We were also provided with the opportunity to take online training which would help us do our job better. The latter years became more stressful as our job description changed.  The hardest part of the job was trying to keep several logs to keep track of specific problems while also multitasking answering the phones and required to meet high performance quotas in processing applications.  It almost seemed like we became robots. The typical day was come in, say "Good Morning" to the people around your cubical, turn on your computer, work quietly until break time and then until lunchtime and then at the end of the day to quietly turn everything off and say "Goodnight" and take leave.  The most enjoyable part of the job was satisfying my underwriters needs and helping the agencies provide the necessary information they needed to fulfill all the requirements for their customers' applications.  I also liked working with my teammates and sharing tips in helping to make our tasks easier to accomplish. My teammates and underwriters were like a second family.

This employer promotes flexibility and all of these other perks but IT IS NOT TRUE! Yes, you get PTO on day one but it is frowned upon if you have to use (even for emergencies). Flexibility is a big lie. They send you all of these monitors to work on but catch is you need all the monitors plus your laptop to do your job. Which means you can’t just take your laptop with you out on the porch and get fresh air while you work, you have to stay connected to all monitors to do your job. So if you’re thinking about being mobile with this job, think again. I was only employed here for three months and the burnout set in QUICKLY! The 6 week training was a waste of time because it does not prepare you for the actual work you’re doing. So once training is over you’re expected to perform at full capacity. There is no support from management. They only want you to process claim after claim like a robot. You only hear from management when you’re wrong, never when you’re doing good as a new hire. They want you to take your time and get things done right but if you take too long you’re accused of “riding the clock”.  Please beware of Guardian Life!! I thought this would be an awesome work from home opportunity but I had more flexibility, training and support working in office at my previous jobs. I hate I waisted my time with this company. Not to mention they hired about 16 of us at one time. Red flag….high turnover rate. I also asked around to the other new hires about their feelings about the company thus far (we all started at the same time and went through training at the same time) and they all felt the same. We were stressed, did not fully understand how to do our jobs. We had very little support from our mentors who were supposed to assist us along the way post training. But the mentors were way too busy to even review our claims and return them back within the 24hr window. And don’t try to ask your mentor a question. They’ll just send you a link for you to go dig up the answers yourself. Most times us new hires asked each other for help which was way better than asking a mentor or management….and the nice nasty attitudes. Just find another remote job. Guardian Life Insurance is not a good company AT ALL!!

The work environment is workflow overload. You will be expected to provide customer care for 6-7 workflows that entail a PLETHORA of tasks and processes that are tiered with more tasks and processes with an expectation that each call will be completed in 13 minutes, and you are subject to a quality assurance team similar to internal affairs, and a aftercall monitoring team that will contact you when you use after call work, as if using aftercall work is a federal offense in other words it is there to use, but don't use. Hence why this company has a high turnover rate for customer care. The calls aren't the issue, it is the management. They will overstress you, and the training is compared to taking a high school exam. From the trainers to the management, they have convinced themselves that this job is very hard, and will relay this to employees, yet will not admit they are part of the problem along with this overloaded workflow, that should easily have a starting pay of $28 hrly. The management is not as diversified as they claim. In fact it is not. The hardest part of this job is doing a good job, and management pointing out the negatives at a petty level, example of how you should say hello to a caller, or basically turning the situation into how they would say hello, its a cause and effect situation working for this company. If you have years of customer service experience do not apply to this company, you will not fair well. The enjoyable part of this job is working remotely.

Overall good company. Onboarding is a busy position bouncing between tasks, systems and cross organizational communication. Worked closely with assigned sales regions from across the country and brokerages that cases were sold through. Time management is key to successful implementation and good working relationships. Time tracking through the company site is a hassle and not always accurate leading to inaccurate scoring of production. This was a common complaint amongst the team as time tracking is part of monthly metrics.

Training was 6 weeks long via skype for position. 

Yoga classes were offered once in a while but during the middle of a busy shift making it hard to attend. No onsite gym available and work treadmill was moved to an inconvenient place on the 3rd floor of the office that no one seemed to use. Café on the first floor had good breakfast they would make fresh to order. Lunches were low quality bland food choices.

Management is generally on back to back calls making it hard to get in touch however management is generally willing to help once they can be reached.  

The staff is mostly laid back with many people working for the company for years. Office floor was generally very quiet. 


Best part of position was ability to work from home part or full time. 2 15 minute paid breaks during the day in addition to an unpaid 30 minute lunch was another perk.

When I first started working for Guardian, it was great. Great communication, great pay, great benefits, great management and leadership. They really cared about their customers and their Employees. They had a streamlined way of doing things that ensured claims and enrollments were processed and dealt with in a timely fashion. Then the company went through an organizational restructure and things went downhill fast. The work quadrupled and became nonstop along with goals being almost next to impossible to meet (don't even get me started on the QA goals, they became super nit picky) due to new accounts being received that had major issues and with almost no accountability in other departments. As an AASM you can only do so much to resolve an issue on your own and most of the time you need to reach out to other departments that would have severely delayed responses or just no response altogether despite multiple attempts in getting an answer or resolution. Meanwhile, you are being bombarded with nonstop calls and emails. Almost all of us were overwhelmed and stressed out and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. I left because of this. Guardian started out great and has been a great company for a long time. I'm not exactly sure what prompted the organization change, but I hope they can find balance once again.

As a Business Analyst (BA) a typical day would be spend reviewing the Units of work (UW's) you were assigned to, which was usually 30-40 items not including projects or back end system updates. A BA at the Guardian would address the most critical items 1st and working on project work (Gathering and writing Business Requirements, Test Plans & Test tracking spreadsheets). 

I learned how to prioritize work and stay organized in this position by coming up with my own tracking spreadsheet that would tell me what needed requirements written, test plans created or testing to take place. This was one of my most valuable tools that I used at The Guardian.

My Co-workers were great and very accommodating, we would have meetings to gather requirements to address the reported Defects,  Enhancements as well as projects. They would be willing to provide whatever insight and examples where applicable.

The most challenging part of the job was addressing so many items that were on tight deadlines, it was not uncommon to work on 50+ items at a given time.

The most gratifying part of working at The Guardian was the satisfaction seen on the faces of the users when a project, defect or enhancement when into production and it made their life easier.

Management is very authoritarian.  This is a "might makes right" environment where the level you stand at on the ladder dictates who is right and who is wrong, rather than the merits of ideas. 
They have a company slogan of "We always do the right thing".  Take that with a grain of salt because they frequently do not.  They do always operate in a way that is legally compliant, but they are not really interested in attracting and retaining the best talent.  They are far more interested in beating last year's numbers, whatever the cost.

That said, the compensation is more than competitive.  Health benefits are very high deductible.  I have worked for Guardian for a number of years and I have received a raise and a bonus every single year without even asking for one.

If you understand what you're getting into, with the knowledge that this is a short-term relationship, not a marriage, because they will dump you at their earliest convenience, you might be alright here.  If you are someone who does not have a conscience about hiring decisions, layoffs, etc. and can sleep at night fine knowing that what you've done is technically legal even though it may be against the spirit of the law, then a job in management at the Guardian may be for you.

The management exhibited effectiveness until the introduction of a new manager, whose impact remained manageable until the appointment of an additional leader under their supervision. Regrettably, a work-life balance became elusive thereafter. Amidst the remote work conditions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the expectation to work extended hours, exceeding 12 per day, emerged, a demand that could be tolerated to some extent. However, the recent transition to a hybrid work model, mandating presence in the office for two days a week followed by remote work, coupled with weekend work obligations, has eroded any semblance of personal time. In essence, the prevailing situation signifies an imbalance heavily skewed towards work obligations.

This environment may appeal to individuals predisposed to workaholic tendencies or those who prefer a solitary lifestyle. Despite these conditions, the company may paradoxically assert a lack of observed professional growth in employees. Consequently, the workplace culture is deemed toxic, characterized by an excessive prevalence of internal politics.

The agencies of the Guardian network are all independent from one another so I can only speak to my experience with one of them in NJ. 

If you want to learn the life and disability insurance business, Guardian is a good company to represent because their products and insurance contracts provide strong guarantees for your clients. 

Their financial planning software, the Living Balance Sheet is impressive, but not drastically different from other financial planning tools that exist. 

My biggest criticism is that the support and training for new advisors was very limited and too many promising early-career advisors failed because they were asked to do too much on their own. Only direct managers showed an interest in new agents and the senior leadership rarely ever made an effort to introduce themselves to new agents let alone bring their experience to the table in training programs and other supporting actions. 

Senior leadership was blind to the talent that existed in the new organization and only cared about retaining their "legacy advisors" and recruiting established "lone-wolf" producers who could be given an office space and left unattended to bring in business.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Customer service representative 24 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour
Senior underwriter 19 salaries reported	$89,238 per year
Shift leader 5 salaries reported	$149,206 per year
Clinical consultant 20 salaries reported	$89,133 per year
Case manager 5 salaries reported	$49,700 per year

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