benefit specialist

assistant vice president

event specialist

business intelligence analyst

specialist

Unum

Initially when I worked with Unum they were actually a decent employer. Good benefits, competitive pay, annual increases, decent bonus and the job was sustainable within a full-time work week. Everyone was decently happy to be working for the Company. 

Lets get into NOW, working for Unum across the board in all areas: 

- Medical coverage has changed so if you have anything going on, you are going to pay a lot of out of pocket expenses 
- PTO, while still being good, GOOD LUCK taking it! Want time off? You will have to work free overtime before and after in order to make sure you don't drown in work. Also, they deny a lot of PTO requested due to other co-workers being out on the same day. 
- Raises? Only if your a TOP performer (which is harder than ever to do) or if you're a favorite. Otherwise, the Company has rationalized low to no raises. This is EXTREMLY difficult if you are trying to manage your finances and afford the rising costs of living 
- The Morale in the office is down down down!!! Everyone is stressed, over worked, tired and unable to balance their family/home life with work life. The STRESS is high, the expectations from the company are HIGH and the Company keeps increasing the demands and tightening the timeframes on when things need to be completed
- Claim Audits use to be fair and if you tried your best your scores would be good. Now you can put all your energy and effort into doing everything they demand of you, and still get bad scores on all the areas you missed. These scores are then used as validation of how bad you are doing and why you will not be getting a decent raise.
- Weekly team meetings are done where you will go over all the "areas for opportunity"- in other words all the things you need to fix OR do better now 
- The co-workers are amazing! But most of them no longer want to be at the Company but they feel stuck because of family obligations and having a steady income. But if you catch a co-worker in the elevator, they are all stressed, all burnt out and all tired of the ongoing "Feedback" which is one quick blurb on what you did right (which is actually the expectations so don't get too happy) and the laundry list of all the things you are not doing up to standard. 
- Reports are abundant. Everything is metrics driven. And it keeps increasing
- I could get into more, but It makes me depressed just thinking about how significantly the culture has declined and company expectations have increased throughout the years. You are basically expected to be a robot, stay in your cube and just work while being told it is not good enough. Most of us just work through our lunch
- Unless you are a "favorite" I've watched this company "Let Go" aka fire a lot of great, honest, hard working people. It's the sad truth. 

My advice to anyone applying: If you need a job for a year or two, just to get some job experience then this company is OK for a temporary job. But if you are looking for growth, a positive work environment, work that you can do good at and be proud of, or the ability to make a great salary THIS COMPANY IS NOT FOR YOU! It was may years ago, but not anymore sadly enough. This review is written by one person, but I will tell you now that atleast half of the people (or more) would agree with this assessment. The one's who don't either work for one of the few Supervisors who try to HELP with the work and demands, or have numbed out to the reality and just do their time so they can feed their families.

Working as a CSSI and CSSII was a total nightmare. I was bombarded by calls all day long. There was no time to breathe between calls. You get one minute to finish up documentation before you are expected to take the next call, which is guaranteed to be routed to you as soon as you are available. This is because call volumes are extremely high at Unum. It may be due to understaffing, it may be due to confusing website navigation. It could also be the frustration claimants deal with in trying to reach their assigned specialists. And the caller you speak with WILL be unhappy. They're injured/sick, feeling harassed by paperwork, their income was suddenly cut off, etc. 
On top of this, the expectation as a CSSI and CSSII is that you meet ALL metrics. You cannot take more than a combined 30 minutes of bathroom breaks and 30 minutes of lunch per day, even if you need time to calm down after a really stressful call. If you go over your hour's worth of break you may be subject to termination. You have to consistently be on the phone for all 8 hours you're scheduled. You literally get no time to check emails unless you want to use your break time. 
The perks are good, but only when you get time to use them. You get lots of PTO. When I worked there, I had several doctor's appointments planned that I had to reschedule due to PTO dates not being approved. 
Also, if you don't meet your metrics and you are given a warning, you will not be given a lot of time to get your metrics perfect before you're terminated. You'll be terminated on a Friday afternoon by being asked to come to a meeting without notice, but they will have decided to terminate you much earlier in the week. While you're in the meeting, assistants will be gathering up your personal items from your desk, and your whole team will know you're fired before you do. So if you are put on performance improvement due to not meeting metrics, my advice is to start seeking another job right then. 

This position is NOT for everyone. You will have to work as a rep for 18 months before you are eligible for transfer to another department. If you get an opportunity to transfer, take it! You'll get burned out on call center duties and that will lead to lower performance, and you'll eventually be fired. Personally, I had great numbers on my metrics. I was the standard for the rest of my team for a long time, but I started getting burned out because I put all of my efforts into my work. I was expected to provide great service but I went above and beyond for my callers and rarely saw any benefit from it. 
But, if you're the type of person that loves to be challenged and doesn't mind being personally degraded by your customers, you might enjoy this job. You have lots of support from peers and subject experts whenever you have questions. My manager was very nice and easy to reach for the most part. Unum values feedback and input. I enjoyed being able to send an idea up the line to my superiors to implement change. But I will probably never work there again due to not only the dry content of the work but also the incessant abuse from callers.

Training runs from 8am to 5pm and lasts about six months, which is thorough and structured. Once released to production, schedules are bid every six months and are ranked based on performance metrics. There is constant pressure to move quickly while maintaining accuracy. Late shifts (11:45am – 8pm) are common, and working remotely is preferable at that hour compared to being in the office, which is often dark and being cleaned while you’re still working. Calls come in continuously, and weekly audits are part of the routine.

Although the training program was lengthy and detailed, the trainer’s approach was not consistently supportive. Favoritism was noticeable, and some trainees were treated more harshly than others, which negatively affected the overall training experience. 

Management is generally okay. However, the experience depends heavily on your assigned supervisor. Supervisors who go beyond the minimum can make a big difference by sharing tips and strategies, while others do only what’s required, which can limit growth and learning.

The company does make an effort to create a fun and positive culture. While it doesn’t always land, the intention is there, and I do give them credit for trying.
Of note, less than 50% of our training class made it to their 1 year anniversary. 

The nonstop phone volume is the most challenging aspect. It can be difficult to take time to review notes, reflect on calls, or implement improvements when calls are coming in back-to-back and speed expectations are high.

Helping people is the most rewarding part of the role, especially when you’re able to resolve an issue or provide clarity during a stressful moment. That said, some callers can make it challenging to maintain patience throughout the day.

There are weekends off and remote work is offered, which are strong benefits. However, there are no pay increases, which may be a drawback for long-term employees.

I've never really been one to leave reviews of a company I've worked for. I don't think its really ethical or worth the time, but if this review gives someone the heads up they need to avoid the mistake of working here, I've done enough. 
At any entry level role here, there is a lot of turnover. Basically the company relies on its Fortune 500 status to combat the turnover rate; they know people will keep applying here so you are expandable. The training focused more on the company culture than your actual role, and when it does come to learning about your every day activities, the training comes in the form of shadowing people while they work. This is helpful if you're a visual learner, but unless you know about the role a little bit already, you won't know what questions to ask or what answers are correct. In my time there, processes changed regularly and when asking for guidance from one person, their advice generally conflicted with the last person you talked to. Whether or not you get feedback is a roll of the dice. Departments do not communicate with one another very well and the management team is completely disconnected from the people actually doing the role. This is a production based company: Numbers in and out are all that matter. Managers babysit these numbers by looking at prior day results, and if you don't meet your quota, their job is to tell you to do better. They can't actually offer specific direction because they can't do the work themselves. It's a joke and in order to get passed this entry level obstacle, you have to be best friends with the manager. There are several people who have worked the same position for 6+ years that reached their max pay for that position 3 years prior, but are unable to get out due to managers holding the door shut. This is happening while people who have worked for only a year are moving along just fine. My career up to the point of working for Unum had been geared to getting to that level of stability and pay that Unum seemed to promise. While their starting pay is above average, I'm afraid their secretly toxic management system weakens growth opportunities and employee morale. Working here makes you cynical. Don't bother. 

If you work well in a team setting, Unum is great.  They have moved to an Agile-style layout with more collaborative workspaces, including luxurious sitting areas to take your laptop to, in order to have a more relaxed environment if your job allows you to move around.  I don't know what a fresh recruit would find, but veterans of the company have ample PTO to use whenever needed plus plenty of holiday days throughout the year.  I always found their benefit package to be more than satisfactory.

The hardest part of the job for me was when my team moved to another city and I was left by myself to work 'remotely'.  "Out of sight, out of mind" became a commonplace phrase in my mind as I struggled to keep up team events and with the team spirit, and they sort of lost track of me over the span of a few years until it became easy to think of me when head-count needed to be reduced.  

I hold NO hard feelings for the company; they always treated me more than fair and I would still be working for them if I had a chance, but I would do things a bit differently of course...  

One thing I would say is that I always felt that a manager should know how to do the work that their employees are doing.  I had a few managers who were fresh off the street, or were recruited from other departments, and never learned the nuts and bolts of the jobs of the people they were managing.  That sometimes caused unnecessary struggles and delays when navigating difficult situations, if I would have to first train a manager in an aspect of the job just so they could help me with a question or to "put out a fire" that had sprung up.

Over 18 years I had 13 different managers; turnover in middle-management is crazy there because the expectations are very high that people move on and move up the ranks whenever possible.  For myself, I never ventured into that realm and was happy being "that guy" who knew everything, and if I didn't know it, I could learn it.  Looking back, I passed by a few opportunities that may have benefitted me later, but I didn't realize it at the time...

But that's on ME, and not the company, and I would gladly return.

Daily:
. Review and respond to emails, participate in business meetings, update documentation, as needed, setup/execute on Test Plans or create Documents, as needed, discuss questions/issues with team members, as needed.

Learnings & Culture:
. Unum provided various trainings, especially during the early years. 
. I worked my way into new jobs as my knowledge of products, systems and tools and their connections. 
. I broadened my knowledge of our customer service business practices and systems, then I was moved to Corporate and learned more about Payroll, Human Resources and Supply Management areas, using Workday Integrations and data.
. I was able to work in a Field Sales Office for two months to gain experience/understanding of their practices (years ago).
. I learned processes, systems, and tools necessary to do my job and expand my abilities, in order to minimize dependencies on developers for some data.
. I was able to Manage some Projects, sometimes acting as Business Analyst (BA) and Project Manager (PM) on smaller projects, as Lead BA on larger projects, especially when I was the expert on the systems and coordinated the testing efforts with business testing resources.
. I was able to work from home, as needed.
. I participated in community events with teammates, to understand some of the hardships others go through, and what our community does to help them get through them.

Most Difficult:
. There were times that there were so many projects at the same time that we needed to re-prioritize and back off end dates on lower priority items, bring in other resources, if needed. Then we would re-review those items that were lower priority, as we completed the higher priorities.

Most Enjoyable:
. The excitement of starting a new project that would help improve processes, efficiencies and/or reduce duplication of effort.

I like it overall. There are some things about it that I would change if I could but I still prefer it over other companies I've worked for in the past.
 
Unum pays its employees somewhat well, and there are decent benefits available.
You have the option to work remotely 2-3 days a week in most positions.
Job Training is thorough and not rushed like it is in so many modern companies.
There is a restaurant, coffee shop, and gym in the Chattanooga HQ as well.  

Unum is a interesting company. It prides itself on treating its employees with respect and dignity. I would say in some ways it succeeds and in others it fails. 
They definitely care more about employee mental health and wellbeing than most large companies do. However this is still a massive business and like most it can be easy to fall through the cracks and be looked over. 

What might be a negative for some especially those with right of center political opinions is how outspoken Unum can be about its "Company Values". 
This is one of those companies where human resources runs everything and they aren't afraid to remind you of it.  I would call Unum's culture somewhat woke. if that's something you dislike I would probably look elsewhere because they will from time to time openly push their ideology on you.

Most people who work there are very kind and supportive and are happy to answer any questions you might have. Its not a bad place for a young person to start out at. Don't be discouraged if you don't get hired the first time you apply. It takes many employees several tries to get accepted.



Manager is incredibly helpful and considerate. She makes you feel part of a team and does what she can to keep morale up. Rest of the company however has shifted from caring about quality work to forcing as much work as possible onto their employees. 

I've been there for years and have seen the culture change with the company initially neglecting to resolve staffing issues, creating the demand nearly impossible to maintain and actually impossible if you provide each customer with the attention they deserve.

You find yourself balancing which calls you can make or return and which will just have to be neglected until the next roulette of calls to make as if you spend more than just a few mins with each customer, you're going to be so behind that your list starts to spiral out of control. 

On top of the increased demand, the company is now moving towards putting each individual team members numbers on a board that is viewed by all. If you're struggling, not only do your manager and you know about it, but so do the rest of the team. 

I never really had the experience of being talked to about speed of my work getting done but I stress myself beyond healthy levels to get my work completed. If there is someone who struggles on the team, people start to get angry or irritable towards other team members even when there's nothing substantial to show they aren't slaving away and trying as hard as they can to keep up. 

When I first started at Unum, I really enjoyed the culture and the team friendliness, the ability to focus on customers that may require additional attention but now, those customers cause you to be 5 days behind just due to work volume

Unum is expanding its remote team so that's good for those that want to work from home. The starting pay for customer service if $33,900 a year which is really good for customer service agent. 
The problem is the QA scoring and the stressful nature of the job. EVERYTHING is counted against you as a customer service agent. If you contact someone for help, place the caller on hold and or research something while on the call it goes into your average handle time. Regardless of how many times someone says "it evens out in the end" the agent will keep hearing about the higher than needed call time. I don't know what Unum expects since callers are dealing with disability, FMLA and other work-related matters those calls can't all be done in under 2 minutes. QA (quality assurance) is a nightmare one QA agent will take off points for something and another will not for the same issue. You fail QA 3 more months in a row then you started getting "corrective action" since QA isn't consistent with the grading it only increases an agents chances of failing 3 months in a row. There are 3-4 calls QA scores each month and if ANY of them are less than 90% for the score the agent will not pass the QA score needed for the month. On top of this your dealing with callers screaming at you about someone else's decision or someone else that didn't return the call. Somehow whatever negative thing that happens on the claim always ends up being the customer service agents fault. The company does have good benefits and there are those that have worked there over 10 years but it hasn't been in the Contact Center working the phones for customer service.

What is the best part of working at the company?
It’s a large company so there is room to move around and apply for different things, and the benefits. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The micromanaging in Ask Unum. Unrealistic expectations and goals. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment and culture in Ask Unum is stressful and ridiculous. You start out as a CERI and you’re supposed to go to CERII’s for help, but a lot of them talk to you in condescending tones and if they give you advice on how to do something and is wrong, it’s your fault because ultimately is our responsibility to make sure our work is accurate… so what’s the point of going to the HUB for help because they too mess up and can just tell us whatever. Sometimes it has been so ridiculous that I’ve reached out to another person for help because it was that bad of advice. When you try to tell management about their attitudes they don’t listen and say oh no that person is really good. The give credit and praise to the ones that are incompetent but play the UNUM politics game well. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful. Log on and can’t even be 1 minute late for phones… they say this will be an occurrence. Too much micro managing. If you’re 30 seconds late for your break they will send you a message checking in on you asking about your “extended” break time with a screenshot of said extended time. This is not an exaggeration I have seen it and experienced it.  They have people that monitor your phone status. So they don’t really want you to have 15 minutes or 30 minutes

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