American Family Insurance Reviews

Pros

No better place to learn to run a business, grow and develop a long and satisfying career.

Cons

Reaching out for help for miniscule tasks is frowned upon.

Advice to Senior Management

team projects are key!

Pros

Corporate training for new agents is good. Some middle managers are also helpful, but hard to find. They don't mind spending money when they make money. Stay up to date, for the most part, on technology trends.

Cons

They make you drink the corporate Kool-Aid in the beginning, only to realize later that it was sour milk. They basically churn and burn new agents, passing along their policies to the older agents who sit back and have policies handed to them. Managers definitely play favorites and are nothing more than puppets for corporate.

Advice to Senior Management

Instead of being sooo conservative, be more proactive. Here's a thought...actually offer new product/services training BEFORE the new product/service actually comes out.

Pros

Work family balance.

Director level through Executive ranks double their compensation 2008 - 2010. During the worst economy in a generation!? Primarily through "The Incentive bonus"..Hundreds of Thousands of dollars to each in rewards..!!! Verified by the State of Wisconsin..

Cons

No recognition of lower management positions and worked performed. The "incentive" bonuses are pitifull for the work these individual are mandated to do.

Advice to Senior Management

Recongize lower management efforts - Change the "incentive" programs to recognize their efforts.
Stop re-orgs every other year. Stop cutting employees and creating more Executive positions.

Pros

Great employee benefits, good hours, fun environment, good training, great place to be during school or as a "stepping stone" to a higher paying job.

Cons

Incompetent agency owners Agency owners weren't given enough "people" training. No room for growth, no raises, no feedback whatsoever regarding job performance, nor was there recognition and praise for good work. The game of "favorites" was played heavily throughout corporate and within agencies.

Advice to Senior Management

Get to know people before you hire them for management positions. Take time out to notice the others in the agency that contribute.

Pros

Some of the best people to work with. Flex schedule allowed for alternating 4 day work week every two weeks.

Cons

The flex schedule with the time off was a mirage. If you actually took that day off, your work load got so backed up that they would cancel your flex days. The only solution would be to work 10-12 hour days to gain the flex day.
They closed their local offices and are going the Gieco/Esurance route. Had people to relocate and then 2 years later closed those offices stranding people in remote locations with no prospect of employment.

Advice to Senior Management

Work a desk, handle a file and a phone. Come down off of your mountain.

Pros

They will move you all over the country if you are compliant with their plan and take the (from what I hear) are the endless lateral moves they offer their claims employees. So you get to see some new places.

Cons

Too many to list here. Basically, the lack of metrics to measure processes and the willingness to make knee-jerk changes will bode ill for the financial health of organization in the next 3-5 years. As employees you are given little to no information as to how your performance is impacting the work unit, office or oganization and then one day a meeting is held and you are told that 20 offices are shrinking to 6, sadly none in your state. But if you want to move and have acceptable performance...ugh.
And let's not forget the fact that some are seen as "more equal" than others.

Advice to Senior Management

Institute meaningful metrics that can be regularily discussed with employees at the desk level. Train employees for the state-specific issues they will encounter, and make sure that managers are trained not to discuss other employees performance issues with their direct reports, as well as beefs with other managers...the professionalism MUST improve.

Pros

American Family Insurance has generous benefits and some formal training in personal lines insurance subject matter. There is also a formal committee set up to improve employee morale.

Cons

American Family Insurance appears to be trending toward less experienced workers.This could lead to higher claim costs and fewer insureds( as rates have to be taken to offset rising claim severities due steep learning curve encountered with inexpericed employees ) in the near future.

Advice to Senior Management

Find a way to retain and enhance your Subject Matter Experts. SMEs can be a great resource for inexperienced Managers.

Pros

Benefits- salary, bonus, 401 and pension coompetative with local area
Flex Schedule and freedom
Working conditions
Beautiful campus and parking

Cons

Lack of communication
Disconnect between upper management and middle management

Advice to Senior Management

Make sure lower levels of management "get it" many do not. Need to make sure the right message is being implemented and not just sent down from the top

Pros

Quality company with good leadership and support. Friendly co-workers always willing to help in any way possible. Not a bad company.

Cons

I had problems with a bad economy, dying market, and too high of rates. My agency went under in 1.5 years.

Advice to Senior Management

My sales manager and state sales director were very helpful.

Pros

American Family is a great place to work while in school, or training for a higher degree. It has great hours, kind and helpful people, and good benefits. All employees/agents get along great. Its a family oriented environment.

Cons

The pay is too low for the amount of responsibility and required licensing.