Working at Farmers Insurance Group — Reviews by Employees

Had my first interview with farmers , i need to fill out my background papers from what i have read should i even bother

If any agents in Texas have been given there contract termination letters would like to talk. It is happening in waves...so be prepared!

Does anyone have a pay schedule for Farmers'? I'd like to rate it against my current pay to see if I'm interested in switching careers? I currently manage a clothing store and the pay is good but the hours suck. I've been offered a job a Farmers' but don't know if it's a good idea based on all the reviews? They promise advancement is quick if you're a hard worker. Thanks for any help!!

Pay is not terrible, work/life balance is what you make of it. I cannot enjoy Sunday nights knowing what is in store for me Monday morning but Friday PM looks GREAT. I think most jobs are like this. Location is great. The bad things are I came from 21st and AIG screwed us. We are now running as AIG under Farmers Guidelines using AIG equipment. This makes work life HORRIBLE! We have to answer to 21st/AIG people and do training after training for Farmers way of doing it, meanwhile 21st does not give you time to learn and implement these new programs. Today had training and what Farmers wants us to do compared to what we can do under the 21st way is like oil and water. They are too different to be compatible. Coworkers drop computers or claim to be too stressed so they cannot work. A lot of people are showing their true colors under this stressful situation, cowards! People: pick up the slack and stop making the workload for those who are working to be even heavier than it already is. These people that have computer problems every week and do nothing are a joke. If you cannot do the work get out and make room for people who can and want to do the work. For those of us who are trying to survive, we are hoping to last until the full integration but do not know for how much longer we can do this. We only hope that things will get better but from reading about Farmers pre-21st buyout, it does not look promising. We know things cannot get worse, or can it MHUUHHAAA. My resume is updated and available for any potential jobs in or out of this business. This integration SUCKS and no one cares!

I understand that most people speak up only when they have something negative to say, however I think it is important that people speak up when there is something great as well. (For exampe, thanking and ackowledging those who go out of their way to make each day better by putting extra effort in their roles, whatever they are).
I understand that being an agent is tough and is not for everyone, and as a large organization Farmers has many employees (in all roles) who decide Farmers Group, a major corporation is not the best fit. I have been with this company for quite some time and have been very happy with the training, promotional opportunities and my co-workers. Like any company there are some things I would change, but overall I believe that management cares and listens to the staff. I would tell any of my family or friends to work for Farmers Group because we are growing and take care of our employees.

The claims "organization" is a freakin' joke; management (from mid-level all the way to the top) is comprised of baffoons that could not manage their way out of a wet paper bag. Employees are treated only as well as their numbers for that day, week or month. Adjusters are forced to settle claims as quickly as possible and if they are unable to settle injury claims within a certain period (60 days) they will be placed on "performance management" by their incompetent supervisor. The way Farmers handles 3rd party claims straddles the ethical fence and this is evident because the same expectations are not applied to 1st party claims.

Bottom line: pay is decent, work load is more than can be completed in an 8hr work day, management is a joke, office morale stinks like burnt hair and once the economy turns employees will be running for the hills.

I have been a career agent with Farmers for over 1 year. It has been great so far. I am shocked at how negative everyone is. I can only comment as an agent but when I started I got great training (almost too much). The training was scheduled weekly for the most part and there were people around always willing to lend a hand. I received tons of leads through the district office. Other than paying out a bit of money for networking groups, I haven't spent a dime. I am just now looking to open my own office which makes me a bit nervous but with what I have made in commission and subsidy (very little I have to pay back) it shouldn't be a big deal. Honestly, I have always wanted to run a business. Yes it has been very stressful at times and some very long hours but I know that in a few more years, I will be able to set my own hours and provide a great income for my family. I am just very surprised at some of the people on here talking about how they didn't hit their numbers and were forced out. The numbers were so easy. Sure there were a couple tough months here and there but overall, I almost doubled the minimum requirement each quarter. I guess some people just take to certain careers more than others.

Geez, I though this company sucked when I quit my claims management position years ago . The comments here suggest things have gotten far worse. These comments are supported by accounts from people I know who stayed for their pension and profit-sharing. In an industry where most major carriers get poor reviews, Farmers stands out like a turd in a punch bowl.

This is by far the worst company I've had the displeasure of working for. Coming from the 21st Century/ AIG side, I, like my equally unlucky cohorts, didn't even want to work for this sh*tty company, but due to a bad economy and need for a paycheck, I was forced to begin the uphill battle of adhering to their ridiculous expectations instead of gladly leaving for sunnier pastures. Farmers started off right away by letting everyone know how expendable we all were and our jobs are held over our heads daily. We've taken written tests for our jobs. That's right. People have worked for this company 20 + years and now they have to pass a written test to keep their jobs. Their "normal" expectations are extremely unattainable, and when we ultimately cannot meet them, then its performance management, memos, and ultimately being fired and a denial of your unemployment claim. They justify their expectations by saying that all share the same expectations- employees and mgmt. Ha! Ok! First of all, when this ridiculously disorganized company started promoting "the lucky ones" to CRN then the rest of us were left to pick up the pieces and take on 3-4x more claims all at once and no OT was allowed. So ultimately, when handling 9-12 claims a day and endless q calls because other adjusters were not fairly taking their share (because they were just trying to get their own work done!) I ended up with a justified DOI complaint and a final warning. Hmm... well let's see their prized CRN employees take on that much work, or the managers work a phone for once, and see what their desk looks like! When 5 employees go on stress leave, and more are fired and quit in one office in a matter of 4 months, I think that shows that this company cannot be taken seriously. Ultimately it is our customers who suffer, and then they end up abusing the poor adjusters even more because they cannot get their claim resolved in a reasonable amount of time. Nothing good can be said about this company. And in reading the endless reviews, I see an overwhelming majority agree.

Claims jobs in general suck, but it doesn't have to be that way. I wish that CEO's and the old farts who make up these ridiculous expectations could see that a happy employee equals a profitable company. I came from a company where they worked hard to keep their employees happy and in return, the employees worked hard for them. This company has a great reputation and is very lucrative. If more insurance companies would adopt that mentality, really good things could come. I've worked long enough in claims to know that it will remain like this, so I'm working on changing my career choice. I'm just biding my time and hoping to at least keep my crappy Farmers paycheck until I can get that new career going.

In closing, the only good thing that has come out of this experience is now I will know to appreciate things more and not complain. You really have to see the worst to appreciate the best.

Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/

The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the Office of the Labor Commissioner were established to adjudicate wage claims, investigate discrimination and public works complaints, and enforce Labor Code statutes and Industrial Welfare Commission orders.