Working at Travelers Insurance — Reviews by Employees

Travelers claim was once the envy of the industry with a stable experienced staff, a risk neutral philosophy, a strong systems platform and reasonably enlightened management. The last few years have seen a precipitious decline in experience and morale, propelled primarily by the failure of senior and middle to understand the need for a qualitative approach to performance management. They like to claim that they are measuring quality, but like so many organizations that focus on quantitative systems (i.e. the McNamara era Defense Department) the "number" becomes and an end in its self and real quality gets lost in the shuffle. It is the ultimate triumph of process over product.

This focus on the number and the direct correlation between incenticve compensation(the "bone us" system) led to all the wrong management behaviours, particularly at the CCVP and line lead levels). So much money(in relative terms) is at stake that many of these people see simply firing people as a means to impress their superiors with their "Travelers First" attitude. This has a the effect of leading to the promotion of people with no real leadership skills and certainly no "people skills". Employee morale declines and with it goes the ability to provide quality customer service.

A perfect example is that of a CCVP who during a severe weather event(a "cat")took staff from actual claim handling duties to simply make what are termed "first contacts". These people could offer no real claims assistance and provided information to insured's that they had alread received when they reported their claim. However, this manager could point to a low 24 hour contact number as a measure of his success when in reality the customer was just being bothered in a time of stress and not getting the real service they needed. Come bonus time, the CCVP was no doubt rewarded handsomely for what was really his skill at gaming the system.

More sinister is the gutting of Claim Services by current management in the guise of reorganization. Irrespective of the reason, the effect was the loss of the experience and institutional memory and what was de-facto age discrimination.

For anyone using this site as part of their research into the company for possible employment, take my advice and run! Join the Army, join the circus, join the French Foreign Legion but under no circumstances join Travelers.

Travelers is completely out of touch with their employees. Management is running amok and their superiors are sitting back and letting it happen. I know of NO ONE in the building who feels their job is safe. Departments are being whittled down across the board and people are being let go quietly and little by little. Management makes things up at review time and there is nothing you can do about it, least of all go to HR. HR is in place solely to protect the company and there is no one to advocate for the employee. The people I know of who have gone to HR have eventually been put on a performance plan and forced out. There is nothing but misery in the building and a continual unsettled feeling.

Travelers is probably in the middle of the industry for pay. Lower then some, higher then others. I think when compared with our direct competitors in the commercial arena, we're lower by at least 10% and more likely 20%. I'm a current employee. I think our current management is completely out of touch with the very low morale in the field. Upper management demands more and more and instead of treating employees well, and keeps adding to employee responsibility. There have been no anonymous surveys lately, asking what the employees think of the way the management is running the company. They clearly don't care. Benefits are good and it's a good place to be if you have a family and need the benefits a large corporation can provide.

The pay is reasonable compared to other carriers in the market. The lack of raises last year due to “tough economic enviroment” was tough to swallow. I forgot that the merit raise for actually for work completed in the past year, not for what you would do in the future.

Respect is non existent. There is no interaction between EMT and claim reps. The UMs are strongly encouraged not to interact with claim reps outside or inside the office. The property Lead will walk briskly past you in the hall w/o saying a word on a daily basis. The AL Associate is more interested in playing Survivor or Amazing Race to increase his contact numbers than the workload or addressing employee concerns. He is the typical “Yes” man that the Lead likes in place to carry out his plan without question or hesitation. HR is not available for the reps, only for the weekly EMT meetings to discuss those reps that are on verbal (this is actually written down and put in your file), written or double secret probation. Claims are a necessary evil to the company. They are the first to get cut since they generate nothing to the bottom line.

Benefits are reasonable compared to the other carriers in the market. 401k match is good.

Job Security is shaky now. Recently there have been multiple lay offs that have taken place in the office. The term “hub and spoke” is a death sentence. Sorry for the 18 personal underwriters that were let go recently. Everyone in claims is worried. The layoffs have taken jobs from 2-30 yr employees. One employee received his 30 year plaque and his layoff notice on the same day. The only group that has any security is property but they are so overwhelmed. Work Comp was running 20 employees over for many months but did not make any changes due to the CVVP. She likes to take care of her own. Everyone is concerned that they won’t meet the unrealistic expectations and then will be on the next short list. To make matters worse, there have been some clerical positions outsourced to India.

Work/Life Balance is sometimes difficult. Those who can walk away from their desks keep their sanity while those that work late and try to do extra are unappreciated and overloaded. Management consistently walks the office floor after 5 pm to see who was still at their desk being good worker bees. The Thanksgiving lunch and summer picnic is actually purchased by employees who want to pay to wear jeans on Thursdays. PTO days are reasonable and are not a problem to use if you work under the right UM.

Workload is unmanageable at this time. The units are stretched so thin that if someone is out sick for longer than 2 days, everyone is slammed with new claims. The new injury platform takes 2-4 hours on a decent size file and not the suggested 9 minutes from Mgmt.

Career Potential/Growth is limited. External candidates are seen as the “new penny” and get the nod most of the time over internal candidates. There is no management training program in place and the all development plans are a joke only to ensure HR can say that everyone has one in their file. EMT will interview anyone but then tell them they need to do special projects. The special projects are never discussed or suggested again. The Leads and EMT have certain individuals in mind that may not have the claims experience but they will not “rock the boat” and question upper management. Everyone else need not get upset when they are passed over for promotions.

Location is in a busy area in TN. It is a great area for lunch choices.

Co-worker Competence is outstanding. There are employees with 30 years with the company but mostly experience in claims is seen as a weakness. Co-workers are hard working but EMT always asks for more. Since some UMs and Associates have limited claims knowledge, remember they were promoted for their number crunching and butt kissing skills, anyone with a solid head on their shoulder is eventually shown the door. They see knowledge as a way to question their authority given to them by the Leads. Some UMs struggle with identifying basic liability issues and just forget about simple coverage issues. We have seen many good, qualified claim reps leave with little attempt to keep them with the company while the reps left behind get mass transfers.

The work environment is very stressful. There is no communication from the top down and if there is, it is to point out all the things you could be doing better. Management by fear is practiced daily. Management understands that everyone is fearful for their job given the state of the economy and they use that to their advantage to get every drop out. QM audits are done monthly so there is plenty of opportunity to screw up. UMs try to point out all the issues of the claim reps only to deflect the fact that they have limited claims knowledge and to save their hides from any cuts. Funny how claim reps are laid off or leave and the UMs are never reduced.

The Bottom Line is the bottom line currently with Travelers. Great to see the claim adjusters that have recently left all have found new jobs I’m sure much to the surprise of the EMT.

Travelers, if you belong to such an honorable profession, then why doesn't your industry VOLUNTARILY submit to the anti-trust laws of the U.S., and stop lobbying the U.S. government for special privileges and policy making that continue to fleece Americans.

Northern CA here

I agree completely.... HR is a joke and will "throw you under the bus in a heartbeat". She does nothing. With regard to first line management, the only thing that they care about is the closing of the files ...affects their bonus and QM. If one doesn't make contact before the claim hits your dashboard, the Medical platform isn't done or partially, (which by the way should be done by a tech support not a CR) and if the file goes up to QM and it isn't SAT then the ball rolls way down. The claims have increased over 30% and all are overwhelmed.

The focus is no longer on a win win with regard to the ultimate resolution. It's how you get there not the bottom line that it was fair, prompt, within the DOI guidelines. It is all about the data integrity and information that Travelers can accumulate. As far as performance reviews, there is not one individual that has received a "decent" increase in over two years. The fact that they can, but don't, give performance bonus is a joke.

If one complains or appears to be weak, it is like a shark tank; they circle around, harass you until the time is right. Forcing you to either quit or be involuntarily terminated, or fired ! What goes around ..does come around. And EDD and the likes should be aware of the deceptive tactics of Travelers towards their dedicated claims people.

I FELT LIKE I SOLD MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL. I was very excited when I hired in, I thought Travelers Insurance was a reputable company. I wish I had done my homework. I tried to hang on as long as I could (almost 1.5 years). Make sure the salary you negotiate is something you can comfortably live on for the next 3 to 5 years, because their pay raises (if you are lucky to get one) is less than 3%. The job is very cut throat and competitive. Many high level executives would sell their own mother down the river if that is what it takes to get ahead. I was witness to some very immoral and probably illegal claims review processes. I also noticed that there are very few minorities within the company. Minorities were hired in at the bottom with no chance for advancement. My division worked so hard to deny legitimate claims and short-pay claims, or stall payment of legitimate claims. This type of claims process was common, and often targeted minorities and the elderly. Travelers relies heavily on statistics and demographics, knowing most people will give up and not fight them. It is a waiting game...

The Auto Insurance division commonly rejected claims, especially if your car is an older model. I cannot believe how many times people who were involved in accidents and who filed legitimate claims for their older cars would often have their cars "totaled" under Travelers Insurance. If the customer was still making payments for an older car or used car, and the "totaled" amount was far less than the amount owed by the customer, the customer was in a bind, essentially losing money on their car. Most people would get so frustrated with the process, they gave up. Others were smart enough to get private Personal Adjusters or attorneys. Either way, the customer was forced to either "lawyer up" or pay out of pocket to get a Personal Adjuster. This was completely unnecessary, but our division was judged by our profit margins. We were patted on the back with each successful denial of a claim.

Travelers Insurance would fight even the smallest claim with an army of attorneys. Travelers Insurance would often hire a low-level attorney who was licensed in the state the claimant was filing under, as a "consultant". These low-level attorneys or ambulance chasers did not have a moral conscience or follow their own code of ethics. It was all about the money, keeping the percentages in line for year-end bonuses for Travelers top executives. That's because Travelers computes all their "wins" on a percentage basis state by state, and is required to report these numbers. Travelers has to deny so many claims, short pay so many claims, for each employee to qualify for a bonus based on Travelers "pay for performance" scheme.

Even with as many claims that our department denied or fought, our bonus was miniscule, and I was greatly disappointed. It was not until after I left the company did I learn about the "pay for performance" pyramid, which only benefits those at the top: the CEO and top executives. Now I have to live with the fact that I was part of a team who denied legitimate claims targeted at minorities and the elderly. There is nothing I can do about it because I signed a nondisclosure form to keep secrets for Travelers Insurance.

I couldn't sleep at night, and it took a toll on my family. I developed ulcers, gained weight, my bad cholesterol and high blood pressure were through the roof. My supervisor was nice enough, so no complaints there. But i could not take it anymore. After I quit, I let friends and family know about my experience, and to fight back.

Make sure you do your research and negotiate a good salary upfront with Travelers, because in the end, you have to live with yourself knowing what you did was morally, ethically and professionally WRONG! You pay a high price for playing the game, and Travelers should make it worth your while.

Working for this company in the beginning, I loved it. Sadly I referred may people here. The benefits are pretty good. I have had better and worse. Things travel downhill as they say and that is no exception here. I will say that Upper management makes no attempt to communicate to middle management. When Middle management comes under fire for something you can sure bet it is the drones that will take the beating. 24 hour contact, being graded on first call settlement, Over useage of IA's and unreachable goals will be one of the declines of this company. The good news is that the CCVP has been replaced. Several of his croanies have been either displaced or demoted leaving room for new insight ( hopefully from the new CCVP) and a fresh breath. The HR manager is a joke. DO NOT attempt to disclose anything as it will quickly go back to whomever she can tell. There is no security of information and no one is safe from retaliation ( even though there is a policy against it) Do NOT go above and beyond , it will NOT be recognized.. Unless it is with additional work and projects that by the way ... can not interfere with your normal work load. My Advice... If you work here keep your head down and stay off anyones radar... If applying here, unless you are desperate or this is temporary turn and run. 60-70 hour weeks are average , but dont ask for OT, it is a sign of weakness that you can not do your job... News flash... with claim volumes, inventory and high turnovers 9-12 claims a day is a low daily average. I challange any of the micromanagers to stay on top with those ..

I wanted to back up the last two comments about the Metairie office. Dallas has made it a horrible place to work. Morale is at an all time low. The work was always difficult before, but we always met our goals and performed well in a pleasant atmosphere. Local management was fair and helpful. Now we are forced to meet unreasonable "stretch" goals so that Dallas management can earn their bonuses. We are treated as servants with no respect. Anyone who misses a goal is fired. Nobody has any job stability. Good people are quitting before they get fired. Being managed from Dallas is a joke. Our calls and emails are completely ignored. The Dallas managers seem to take delight in placing people on warning. They must earn bonuses based on the number of warnings issued throughout the year. We're being set up to fail so that severance won't have to be paid when the office is closed. Nobody is being hired to replace those who quit or fired from Metairie so the handwriting is on the wall. The treatment that we receive from Dallas has crossed the line of abuse. Every day I have to decide if I want to go to work. Today I did but I can't say about tomorrow until the time comes. Nobody seems willing or able to help us. What did we do to deserve this except go through Hurricane Katrina which started all of this.

It was validating to see the comment that was made a page or two back - that employees should be "lucky to have a job", I was also told that. I also had worked for Travelers (property claims) up until August when I finally quit after only 1.5 yrs. I could not take it any longer, long hours, no respect, "forgetting" we were on PTO and assigning claims anyway, etc.... We were told in a meeting by a line lead that we should be "lucky to have a job". During my exit interview I told HR about it and they seemed shocked and disbelieving that employees would be told that. We weren't only told it, but also show that every day by way of them not caring about us or our personal/free time (what was that???). I also worked tons of hours without so much as a "thank you" or "job well done", only constantly reminded that the job had to get done at any amount of time it took and that IF you work hard, you'll be rewarded, which was a joke! There were co-workers of mine who haven't gotten a raise in 2 years and it was blamed on a bad economy!

I'd love for a class action suit to be brought against Travelers like one was brought against State Farm in California, they will have their you-know-what handed to them. Everyone I know that still works for them is unhappy, exhausted, dissatisfied and disgruntled. I don't care how bad the economy is, it's not worth working for this company.