underwriter

actuary

customer service representative

software engineer

insurance agent

Markel Corporation

I had two positions working here. The first position was an entry level position that was a good starting job. Although in this position we did not interact with each other and only did computer work. We had to route emails very quickly and had production qualifications to meet every single day. It was not a very enter personal position as we did not have time to interact. We did not do any teambuilding and barely would say anything besides good morning and hello or goodbye. 

My second position was a higher level position. It was highly detailed, a lot of information, and high expectations. I did not receive good training and was expected to be at a point I could not have been without good training. The position didn’t end up working out and I was not very treated very nicely by my boss through the whole process of the last few weeks working there. I was very excited about this new position and how the whole thing turned out was a true letdown. I had received really good training in my last position, so I had high expectations for excellent training for this new more complex position. That was not the case. I feel it was unfair and that I was absolutely miss treated.

I worked for this company for four years. Most people were generally nice but it was nothing outside of “hello how are you?” A lot of the time it felt very clicky and there were quite a few people that were not very friendly if you weren’t in their department or circle of people. It felt very high school like. Also barely anyone would eat in the lunch room and it would feel weird if you ate there because nobody else did. It felt uncomfortable and not like a lunchroom. The office was split into two sections. 
A section of the regional president, directors, managers, Underwriters, and underwriting support. Then there was another half of the office that was a small group of people that reported to the company’s headquarters in Richmond Virginia. There were a lot of lunches and meetings where the employees that reported to people in Virginia were not included and my first position was part of that second group that was excluded from most meetings and lunches. At holiday parties people only sat with their groups. It was very clicky like high school and was not an enjoyable experience. I spoke to many other people who felt the same about the divisiveness of the company as a whole and exclusion of certain employees. This divide made it feel as though the underwriters and underwriting support people felt a hierarchy to the others who reported to managers in Richmond, VA. 

Our office also lacked diversity… there were 7 people of color out of about 40 employees in the office. 

The company has decent health benefits, 401(k) and a generous amount of PTO well as paid holidays. There are also annual bonuses and raises which is really great.
I met two older people, one of which retired, that became dear friends of mine. There were a few other people who I considered work friends that were also older than me. Everyone else who was my age or close to was unfriendly and acted like they were better than me. There was also some people who would completely ignore me and act like I wasn’t there. I couldn’t have done anything to upset them as we never would talk. When they first started, they were friendly then once they built their hierarchy and established their clique, it was if they decided I was complete garbage. Absolutely unenjoyable experience which turned to a hostile work environment for me as I felt disrespected and like I was back in high school. 
Overall, decent company to work for but also many flaws around inclusivity, team building and general kindness. 

As far as positives, the company is a good steward for community service, helping others less fortunate, a good steward of DEI, and the overall benefits package is great. The Markel Style emphasizes "honesty and fairness in all our dealings." However, after working there for decades it became clear that, while the original intentions behind the Style were genuinely embraced, the company seems to have strayed very far from those values in the last 3-4 years. Another creed they uphold is "holding the individual's right to self-determination in the highest light, providing an atmosphere in which people can reach their personal potential." Unfortunately, I had a completely different experience. I experienced  favoritism;  and saw how career advancement/promotional opportunities are not consistently or fairly administered. False promises of promotions are often made, leading employees to take on more work and responsibilities year after year, only for those with far less time with the company, fewer responsibilities and fewer qualifications to receive promotions.  Promotions appear arbitrary and based on favoritism and friendships, not skills or contributions. Salary information is a secret, with HR refusing to provide associates with salary range for their position.  The workloads are quite unmanageable, and there is no consistent accountability for poor performers, leaving top performers to take on the burden.  A typical day for a manager will include 5 to 7 hours of meetings and projects, leaving very little time for actual real work, making it necessary to work evenings, weekends and during PTO. As a manager I cannot recall one vacation I had where I was not expected to call in for meetings, take calls from my senior leader or solve a problem. The work/life balance is non-existent.  


While training, they had people shadow you for a bit and correct your work after a few weeks. They tell you what to do and give you rules, but no one is on the same page about said rules. One trainer will tell you that your work looks excellent while another will have you go in and swap it all around. What documents you are and aren't allowed to use to help you with the data entry are heavily debated and keep repeatedly changing. I would be told one thing and then another thing. There was a time that they would say "accuracy matters more than numbers so don't focus on how fast you are" and then when you didn't meet a certain threshold for numbers, you'd be called into a meeting. So you work faster, but make mistakes because you don't know the job and then you get called in for another meeting. They encouraged me to use my PTO up, but when I used it for sick days, it counted against my numbers. When I was doing bad or on the chopping block, they would simply schedule a meeting. No email, no notification. I didn't know which meetings were check ups and which were warnings. It was anxiety inducing. I hold no ill will towards my supervisors, but I was not treated well for the type of person I am. This company, on a surface level talks about diversity and sensitivity and inclusion, but I am diagnosed autistic and deaf. I was struggling and it felt like I was confused to near tears for this whole experience.

I just don't understand how I come in everyday, hardly ever leave my desk, eat through my lunch where I'm given an hour but am made to put down that I at least took 30 minutes but somehow someone manages to find fault in someone that does absolutely nothing to anyone.  I earned everything that I worked so hard for at this company and did this because I wanted to word my way up that ladder to success as my dream to become an Examiner was at my finger tips.  I had many Managers who would and will still write a reference for me on behalf of the kind of person and job I do.  How do some Managers get away with a family member working under them when the company policy doesn't allow it because of it being unfair when it comes to raises and bonuses?  Well, this Managers daughter-in-law does and therefore something should be done about that.  That's a fact.

Being a new hire there is a lot of tasks to complete and get done. There is a lot to learn and it can be overwhelming but my managers have ALWAYS BEEN helpful. You ARE NOT criticized, judged or looked down upon if you don’t understand something. We have an employee help line that is available immediately if we get stuck, don’t know how to answer a customers question or need any type of guidance. You have a main manager assigned to you to help you with trainings and to make sure you stay on goal. The benefits are AMAZING and the work from home option is great especially when feeling under the weather or you have children. The hours are your typical 8 to 5 so not to early not to late again great for home life. Everyone is super friendly, respectful, honest and trustworthy. You are not promised things that don’t happen. Markel is an amazing company to work for and I am proud to be an employee for a company with such great values. 

By far the WORST company I've ever had the displeasure of working for. The culture is extremely toxic for contractors. Contractors are treated like we're work horses and the company is extremely "qlicky". Complaining about ANYTHING will only get you fired. There's no room for advancement or learning/training opportunities unless you're an associate because they'd rather throw a new tool at you and expect you to learn it on your own. Just about everyone has a false sense of entitlement and expect everything done for them. Oh, btw, the contractor pay is a drop in the bucket compared to what the associates are paid. There's little to no accountability in this company because most of them don't believe in taking responsibility for their own actions. Also, most times, team members in IAM would rather "pass the buck" to a contractor than take any initiative to work a ticket themselves. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The hybrid work week and the relaxed dress code.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
New management had no clue what the employees did. You couldn't go to your manager with a question because most times they didn't have the answer. Their job was to manage employees is what I was told. The harder you worked the more work you were given. The more you slacked, you were given the less work.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The department I was in(B&C) moral was low, their was a high turnover because everyone was so frustrated with management.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Meeting after meeting after meeting. I had more department meetings at Markel than any other place I ever worked. I could barely get my work done. Most of the meetings could have been an email! It was so frustrating!

A typical day included doing a variety of general office duties and multi-tasking. I learned a lot about the clerical support of the company and insurance terminology. The management at Markel is probably the best management I have ever worked for. They were cordial, fair and thought a lot about the welfare of the employees. The co-workers, for the most part, were team oriented and helpful to one another. The hardest part of my job was sometimes having to lift heavy boxes, the most enjoyable was working on the computer and helping people.

I was screamed at and told I was studid by my manager.
Another employee overheard and told the Regional president. She made me report it to HR and then systematically built a case against me so she could fire me. I tried to quit twice but she kept talking me into staying. I thought she truly wanted me there but turns out she just didnt want any bad exit interviews on her record. A week before she fired me she announced at a regional meeting how excited she was that no one had quit the company that year. That spoke volumes.

The company has lost their feelings for the employees and only care about the bottom line. They have been reducing staff in their offices steadily for several years. They usually target the long term employees that worked hard to build the company. No job security no matter how hard you work. Management in the local office was weak and depended on the favorites they created to get the job done. No strength in managers or local officers. The only good point is the great investment capability of the Markel family members that are left in the company producing the great stock prices.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Underwriter 11 salaries reported	$99,498 per year
Actuary 24 salaries reported	$119,689 per year
Customer service representative 18 salaries reported	$21.22 per hour
Software engineer 3 salaries reported	$91,841 per year
Insurance agent 6 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour

Working at Markel Corporation: Company Overview and Reviews

Markel Corporation

Markel Corporation Ratings

Popular jobs at Markel Corporation

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected