actuary

examiner

call center representative

underwriter

account manager

The Standard Insurance

I worked there for ~3 years, ending in the first quarter of 2021. Started as a temp and then went to permanent, which is how they do most of their hiring for "low-level" employees. The pay was trash and they would get real mad if you talked about pay with coworkers. It was fine for a while. 

Most of the managers I had any interaction with were completely pointless. They should really remove those roles completely because the "Team Leads" are actually the managers except they don't get paid that salary, obvi, even though they do all of the work and are the ones actually helping the team. Most of the Managers I encountered were pointless and just really annoying, walking around and asking pointless questions about people's work when it doesn't actually matter what the answer is because it would just go over the manager's head anyway and they would walk off confused and for some reason feeling like they did something meaningful. Infuriating.

Benefits:
Benefits were so-so. It's pretty gross that a multibillion $ corporation makes employees pay to park in the enormous garage that the company owns right next to the main building, and make them pay for the increased medical insurance premiums and they tell employees "The rates are increasing and we are just so sorry but the cost has to get passed onto the employee" like it's not the employees who are making them all of their ridiculous salaries. (Seriously, go look up the salaries and the companies annual reports. It's bananas.) I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for part-time employees or people working in states with lower minimum wages and worse labor laws.

My Teams:
I loved my teams, they were amazing and did really amazing work, but they are horrifically over-worked and under-paid. Very few complaints regarding direct coworkers.

The "Director":
He had no idea what in the world he was talking about literally anytime we spoke. He would constantly tell me to do the wrong things and in the wrong ways and then he acted like I was supposed to smile and agree with him and scamper off and do what he told me to instead of tell him the truth that that is not how anything works and I am not able to intentionally do my job incorrectly and create chaos I would need to clean up 2 months later when other departments start calling and emailing me to tell me everything is messed up. We went through several system changes and I had to create entirely new workflows for 50% of my job, including entirely new process documentation. There were so many meetings with this guy where he just could not grasp what was happening and would tell me I was doing things wrong when he had no clue what I was doing, what the new system was, or what the system was for. It seems that he was also incapable of reading and comprehending emails. Emails that he initiated with several people on them asking me questions or telling me to do things and the other people would agree with what I told him, and then he would choose to have a meeting with me about the content of those emails and he would talk in circles and never seem to understand that literally everyone had told him he was wrong. He was living so far in the past it was comical. 


The Ending:
After about a year of this madness, I was finally told a newer temp was going to train with me to help me out with the more simple things. The training was pushed back when I got Covid, but it was only pushed by about a week. I was horribly sick, had to quarantine away from my residence and pay $1.5k to stay somewhere else for ~10 days (literally more than 1 month's rent!!), and I had to bring all of my stuff so I could still work. I was admonished for not working when I was too sick and I literally could not read anything on any screen. I had a horrid fever, was hacking up the nastiest gunk I have ever seen/felt/tasted, I had serious swelling in my limbs that made them hurt and the skin tight and itchy and difficult to move, had severe body aches, a CRIPPLING headache for 8 days, and I was completely alone.

When the headache finally let up and I could see again, I worked all the way through the night to prepare for a meeting with my manager the next day where I was presenting some really amazing workflow changes, the incredible process documentation I had completed, and the training plan for the temp. Even though I felt like like a pile of mulch, I was so excited that I was going to be getting help and everything would be easier and better soon!... then I signed into the meeting. 

My manager wasn't there yet, but someone else from the "management team" was. Turns out, they were there as a witness and I was then fired due to "poor performance." I was fired when a.) I was literally the only person with any working knowledge of the actual role, b.) I held it together and made everything better than it had been in years and taught my team members so much both about my role and how to utilize it, and about how so many other things actually worked so they could save a lot of time with their stuff, c.) my entire team was overwhelmingly supportive of me and my role, d) I was super sick.

I was told during that meeting at 10AM-ish that it was going to be my last day, so I could just finish my work and clock out at 5pm and that would be that. Laughable. 

So, I checked my email and responded to a few coworkers to let them know I would not be able to complete their requests. One of my team mates who had worked there for something like 10 years called me, and they were absolutely floored when I told them I had just been fired. To be clear, this person was an incredibly good coworker, great employee, knowledgeable, willing to learn and grow and openly share information and knowledge, not dismissive or demeaning, worked so hard for the members they were helping and didn't just look at each person like they were a task that needed to be complete. I've met people before who have worked somewhere for 5, 10, 15+ years and all I could think was, "Why? Hooow?? You aren't even doing your job correctly, or helping your team, or even being decent to the people around you. How are you still here? Why hasn't anyone fixed this?" and I can confidently say that this teammate who called was not someone who just managed to hang onto a job for a long time. 

We weren't friends, we never talked outside of work or about anything except for work, there was no relationship other than work, strictly professional and strict professionalism. They called me and said "This is a bummer, but I assume you are quitting because you found somewhere that pays way more for your work, or pays the same except you won't be doing a job that should be done by a team of at least 3 people!" 
I was not aggressive or rude about anything and I didn't bad-mouth anyone when I told them I was just fired, and they literally said, 
"What in the world!? What are they thiiiiinking?? After all of the work you have been doing for all of us, after adding more responsibilities to the job role, after having to figure all of this mess out, on top of all of the changes, and during the pandemic? AND YOU HAVE ARE SICK? I do not understand. I am honestly so shocked. I have never heard anyone say anything even remotely negative about you or your work. We all know how much you have on your plate and it's absolutely ridiculous. The idea that one person could do that job alone is silly, but you've been doing it!, and now they are just going to start over?? What do they think is going to happen? This doesn't make any logical sense."

I am so grateful to this person for saying those things out loud and to my face. They were indignant and confused on my behalf and it was so helpful at a time when I was so mentally fatigued and physically ill. I was initially upset by the situation and I turned that on myself because I was fired and I felt so bad about "failing", because if you get fired that means you did your job poorly. Except it doesn't mean that at all. I was really good at my job even though I was handed a pile of trash and no instructions on what to do with it. 

I was wildly panicked because who was hiring? How was I going to eat? Or pay the ever-increasing rent??? They fired me while I was  really sick, had just shelled out more than a whole paycheck (and full month of rent) to keep the household safe and well, and while I was in the middle of getting a schedule accommodation worked out with HR. They did it at a time where I didn't even have the ability to advocate for myself because I could hardly think, I was sick and I had just worked so long to prepare for a very important meeting that would have improve so many things. And they didn't care. We didn't even have the meeting that was scheduled.

I'm okay with being a bit petty (not unethical) when it comes to horrible employers, especially a MULTIBILLION dollar corporation that doesn't pay an actual living wage. We didn't have the meeting, so they didn't receive my very hard work (that I had done on my own time with my own resources because they didn't pay overtime and yet still expected massive amounts of work to be done. I know I got played by doing all of that, but you do what you have to when it's that or live/die on the street.) The best part is, my team and the members they were helping wouldn't be affected by not getting my work, just management. I really hope it affected them.

I walked away knowing that the people who mattered, my team,  weren't upset with my work and were just as confused by this nonsense as I was.

If you decide to work there, I implore you to do the bare minimum. Do not attempt to go "above and beyond" because you aren't going to be compensated for that, but they might pat you on the head if you're lucky.

Typical day includes taking incoming calls from claimants who have both pending applications for disability benefits, employers, brokers, and group office representatives, plus transfer calls from the contact center. Call volume varies and the call center is extremely limited in support they are trained to/are able to provide. Average pending claim load (claims that need to be approved or denied) are expected to be 20 or less, but tends to range between 15-20. Analysts must manage between 90-130 claims that are active (already approved), in addition to the pending claim load, and mandatory reviews are required on active claims periodically throughout the initial 24 months that the claim is active. Completion of these reviews are monitored and failure to complete a review holds the check owed to a claimant, and is reported through management and your team on a group email on a daily basis. You must also write regular letters to provide status of your review on pending claims, decision letters on active and pending claims, and miscellaneous correspondence to outside sources (attorneys, employers, etc). Analysts must also do regular financial calculations that can be very complex and must be done within a week of receiving financial information from a variety of sources and formats. Also must review incoming mail that comes in twice a day from a variety of sources. Files are physical/hard copy files, and integration of electronic systems to manage claims is unreliable and poorly integrated. There is a massive volume of information that the analyst is responsible for organizing and managing, and is likely the greatest challenge in the job. There is a tasking system as well that you are responsible to monitoring, and is generated from a claim system that was created in the 80s. This job takes a solid 2 years to learn, and at least 50 hrs/week to keep managed. Must be a very strong personality and highly organized to be successful, and capable of handling high stress levels, with excellent multi-tasking and organizational skills. The company is trying to streamline processes, but has a few years before their vision for change can be actualized. Many analysts simply get burned out and management themselves are overworked and unable to provide any significant support to their teams. There is not much 'work-life' balance, although  benefits are good and you can buy extra leave. It is noted that many employees that have worked for the Standard have been leaving and retiring early due to increasing stress of the job and sentiment that management is out of touch with the analysts. I think the salary is a bit low for the demands of the job. Executive management also gave themselves large raises to bring them to a 'competitive wage' [with East Coast Disability Companies] in the same year that employees were laid off due to financial issues. Many employees and middle management expressed dissatisfaction in an employee survey conducted that year, and The Standard is currently trying to remedy this.

A typical day at work will have me at my desk between 7:30 and 8AM and ending about 5:30PM. I work in a team environment with five other members. I work closely with one of my team members responding to a client help call line and email inbox most of the day. I also support the other four team members in the job of setting up certain aspects of new business accounts such as data scrubbing and client training. I can do everything they can do and I fill in for them when needed. We all communicate often and closely to maintain a united front to the client and timely response to their needs and inquiries.  I also work on specific goals for team productivity in the more quiet hours of the day when time allows and participate in employee-driven interdepartmental meetings to resolve important questions, pain points and other issues.

The most enjoyable part of my job is seeing or hearing the approbation of a client - internal or external - in a job well-done in meeting their expectation.

The hardest part of the job is dealing with upset clients especially when their is an engrained perception that we are at fault when we really aren't. It is actually easier for me to deal with an issue when it is our fault.

We have some fun during the day at times with potlucks and game-like activities. This helps to reduce the stress of the demands of the day. We are often given "Jeans Days" to help us relax. Sometimes we will all go off-site for group activites which may include things like bowling or golfing

The paycheck is not worth it.  It is hazard pay.   

The top level and mid level management are immoral.   Since they are incompetent, they will do anything to demoralize and suppress you, especially if you are better than them.  For example, they will tell you that you have a bad idea(s), and then steal your good ideas to present to their bosses that it was their own great ideas.  

If you are looking for experience, then this is the company to avoid at all costs.  You will be on your own and there is no one in the tax department that can help you or even train you.   The management and will mislead you with phony stories. 

The failed managers will destroy you and your career. You will be sorry in working at Standard.   They do not care about the employees in their department.  They will fire or force great employees to quit because they are afraid that their bosses will find out there were past employees who are more knowledgeable.  They do not deserve you.  

The turnover rate is high at the Standard.  Except for middle and top management positions because no other company would want to hire a long time Standard employees.

There is no work life balance. They will work you till there is nothing left and through you under the bus any chance they get. They have a constant turn over and things just never seem to get better.

Do not believe that they have changed for the better.  It is just a lie to get you to work for them.  

Since they do not listen or care, there is no advice for the good ole boys.   They are permanently lost.

I was hired on as a temp. First day of work, I didn’t have my login information. I had to contact the manager to get that. Fast forward, the first day. We were paired up with a senior disability specialist to “teach us/train us” immediately she brought up her systems and said “can you log in to your systems”….. first of all let’s talk basics? What is my role here? Tell me about this job? Start reaching me without systems, I need to learn what meanings of things I need to know, names, ect. NOTHING! immediately we jumped right in, and we were told to follow along-as if we Ake  we already know what we were doing. And then all first week we had to deal with system on our OWN. Laptop was not prepared for us, logins were all over the place.. 2nd week, we listen to calls and by 3 week they expected us to be on the phone. AGAIN! We barely learned anything proper the first 2 weeks. I mentioned this to the “trainers” abd of course “supervisor” who we’re no help! In fact they kept leaving us with no direction on what to do, and would take their time to come back to us for training. And when they did and we didn’t respond at their convenience they would start messaging you asking where you were. Excuse me? Where were you? Please don’t apply and waste your time. Training is the most important part of your success don’t waste your time here. 

I liked working at The Standard for a little bit, but it got old real quick. Management for admin teams is garbage. Everyone knows that administrative assistants get all of the one-off things to deal with for teams, but management basically never said no, regardless of the team's workload, regardless of how few people were on the team, and usually without consulting the humans who would be doing the work. It kind of felt like they cared for a second, but my manager was a yesman to the end. When a team members left, they were not replaced, instead the already too large workload was divvied up and put on the rest of the team. 

When my first manager changed roles, we had an interim manager appointed that handled one of the teams we worked with and it was a huge relief! That manager, who was not managing administrative staff previously, didn't seem to have issues when we pushed back or were direct about what issues were, it was great!

All in all, it's not the worst place, but you had better be vocal from the start about what you are and are not willing to put up with. 

Compensation:
Abyssmal. A lot better than a lot of places, but for a multiBILLION dollar corporation, they sure do undervalue admin. Not a liveable wage, not in the Portland Metro area. 

First of all I would like to say I rated work life balance above as a 5 star rating. Not sure why it would not take.

A typical day for me in my last position at The Standard is I would get in and open up the folders where I recieve my work. Open email and all the programs needed for the daily tasks. I learned customer service skills, time management, contract reading and rules around how to add a member to the policy. My supervisor was excellent as she consistantly challenged my to upgrade my potential. I really got along with all my colleauges at work if one of us needed help anyone of us would would stop what we were doing to step up to help another out. In my position, the hardest part of the job was training. When I came on board the training was "figure it out" So, I took it to the supervisor and we developed a training strategy for future employees. The most enjoyable part of the las postion is like I said above we had a great team who always helped each other out.

This used to be a great company to work for. Now middle management is muddying up the waters with their insatiable need to get promoted. They overload their teams not only with high metrics & productivity numbers, but also worthless projects to vie for the attention and recognition by upper management. The company has completely lost focus on what should really matter, the customers. That ruins the work experience for the employees. Especially when your manager is bragging to you about her "significant pay raise" when she was promoted. Instead of trying to help people, the new focus is  work as hard as you can to get your manager promoted. And don't think they won't notice if you aren't supporting their agenda. it will be noticed and called out. As for executive management, they do seem to care about the integrity of the company and it might be time for them to check in with their front line workers on what's really going on. 

The Standard is a company in decline and is no longer a good place to work or further your career.  

Standard's senior management has been shedding excellent employees for nearly ten years.  The senior management seems to  care about stock price and their own multi-million dollar salaries. They set the tone at this company big time, and a positive work environment is not a priority.

Many MANY employees are unhappy at Standard.

Salaries for the rank and file are below average, and training for employees is weak.  Do yourself a favor: ask HR professionals or hiring managers at OTHER companies what they think of employees coming from Standard.  Do they find that their skills and experience are good in comparison to candidates from other companies?   The answer is "no."

My only regret leaving Standard is that I didn't leave several years earlier.

The Standard applies old thinking to just about everything.  Constantly behind the curve on technology, management is incredibly siloed and political and front-line employees are unhappy.  

If you are looking for a stable job where your under appreciated, overworked and can coast on that for a few years, then here's your dream job.

If you are ambitious and young (particularly in IT) and looking to build skills and a career, forget it.  You're not going anywhere unless you leave and come back or your boss leaves and management can't find a replacement.  

Senior management at The Standard lives in a bubble.  Double-digit increases are routinely given at the highest ranks while average employees are lucky to see a 2% raise. HR is a mess and obtuse, often trying to sell the idea that employees are lucky to have job even as record earnings hit in 2015 just as the company was bought out.  

Consider The Standard as a last resort, not a first choice.

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