Auto-Owners Insurance Reviews

Pros

Job security (no layoffs in company history). Worthwhile benefits package. Facilities in good condition and typically in good locations. Enjoyable co-workers. Good vacation time and consistent December bonus, even in off years. Pension plan in addition to IRAs.

Cons

Overwhelming workload. The better you are at your job, the worse that gets, as the agents pick up on it very quickly and demand you by name. All are paid the same regardless of performance. Promotions / recognition are inconsistent in their application which frustrates employees. Compensation is below average, leading to turnover and the inability to hire experienced replacements, as they would have to accept a pay cut to come to A-O. Auto-Owners unofficial motto among my fellow employees? "We train other company's personnel". Always years behind other American companies in technology. Simple tools like Microsoft Office email and Powerpoint were not provided to the branches until years after they had been on the market. Internet usage is heavily restricted, due to mistrust of employees, which makes the job of underwriters in particular that much more slow and difficult as they try to research risks.

Advice to Senior Management

Read all the A-O comments on this website and do some reflection. As a former 18-year employee, I can attest that 90% of them are highly accurate. Is this what you want to be known for as a leader in the business world? There are about 125 insurance organizations on this website that have higher ratings than A-O, and I would bet the vast majority are growing and profitable, in addition to being regarded as better places to work. The "cons" have not always been there, but seem to have increased as the years go by. Do something to turn it around.

Pros

Best reason to work at AO is to gain experience at a fortune 500 company so you can make more money somewhere else.

Cons

inflexible, slow to change, lower pay than most other places, pay based on years worked not ability or job performance.

Pros

Experience gained and a perk to the resume.

Cons

Unappreciated, treated like a child, old school management.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the associates dealing with the agents. Start holding people accountable and firing them for poor performance. Then it would be possible to pay more to the folks that deserve it or get more staffing with the unreal workloads expected from associates.

Pros

You have plenty of authority to settle claims as you see fit.

Cons

Good company, unrealistic claim workload, low pay compared to the industry.

Pros

hours, supervision, vacation, life at work

Cons

senior management is going away from roots

Pros

It is stable. You can coast and will always have a job. The pension and retirement plans are adequate. They are flexible with vacation time and within reason, taking "appointment" time and making it up. After 10 years, the Christmas bonus is substantial, and vacation time accrues pretty rapidly. Cafeteria style health benefits are more than adequate.

Cons

Not firing people because of lack of performance, and not tying performance to raises/promotions, fosters a level of apathy. Promotions are based on time at the company, not ability. Raises seem to depend very little on workload performed, overtime put in or extra responsibilities assumed. High performers and low performers are paid very similar wages. There is no real motivating factor to make people work harder. It is more important that you wear a tie and show up between 8:00 and 4:30 than it is that you are competent at your job.

Advice to Senior Management

If you want to be the best, you need to retain your best employees. Not all employees are equal. Pay the high performers what it takes to keep them and don't be afraid to let some of the lower performers go. Don't tie time lines to promotions. There could be an employee with only 3 years of experience, working at AO, who could potentially be a hotshot manager, director etc. Get them into a position to make a difference. Don't make them wait until they have been there for 10, 15 or more years and have lost the fire to make a difference.

Pros

Job security. They also allow you to do your job without too much micromanaging

Cons

Work load. They pile too much work on each employee. They expect you to work overtime constantly without any compensation.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen more to employees on the front lines. Everything is not contained in a number.

Pros

Very stable financially secure company. They care about their assocaites and only promote from within. Good benefits. A company who has 10 core values and lives them in all they do. They offer great opportunities for all who are willing to work for those opportunities. Auto-Owners is a great place to work and I am feel very fortunte to work for such a fine company.

Cons

I can't really think of any downsides to working with Auto-Owners. Some do not like the business dress code but I don't even mind that.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you are doing. It has worked for 95 years and it will work for the next 95.

Pros

Very stable company. Although promotions are based on time vs. merit, if you stick it out and maintain good performance and are dependable, you will get recognized. I find co-workers and management help provide a great environment where you are trusted to do your job and not babysitted. Recognition, while slow at times, will eventually occur for emplloyees who are competent, hard working, and dependable.

Cons

Some pay scales are below industry average. I believe this is "made up for" with job security. Dress attire is too strict. Every male must wear a tie every day. There's not even a casual Friday thrown in once in awhile. The company expects employees to dress better than maybe their salary can afford. Also, the profit sharing plan was changed as soon as we had an outstanding year and bonuses would have been more than expected.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be nice to relax the the dress attire a bit. Also, "unfix" the incentive bonus plan so that bonuses actually rise when the combined ratio is below 99.

Pros

As others have already stated, the company's financials are incredibly sound. There are few companies in the world that can state such continued growth throughout their existence and to proudly state that they have not had to perform layoffs due to financial concerns.

In addition, the company provides very good benefits to their employees including bonuses that are not based on merit (for better or worse), 401K, and health benefits for a price that is hard to compete with in the industry.

Also, as an employee, I found that if I voiced my goals to my manager and worked hard to push myself professionally, my manager was able to help me achieve those goals and offer me further opportunities in my career.

Cons

Many of the same characteristics that have proven beneficial to the company financially have also proven a detriment to it's employee morale and ability to attract new talent. The company institutes a very conservative investment mentality which, unfortunately, has bled into their approach to managing their employees as well.

The pay scale here is not nearly as competitive as other companies offer. The management team will try to convince you that the other benefits more than offset the differences, but the truth of the matter is that for most average to above average employees, other companies compensate you at least equally, if not more so. Honestly, it is a disincentive to work hard here as the bonus is based nearly entirely on how long you've worked with the company and very little to do with whether you actually deserve it or not. That type of evaluation would take much more diligence for management to consider.

While the pay scale is a bit annoying, the most flagrant offense that you take as an employee is the prolific micromanagement that takes place. Several other people have discussed the check-ins from a management standpoint and using your tardiness as a performance evaluation tactic. I can say from experience that this truly is often a primary point of evaluation when an employee is being reviewed. There is a complete lack of consideration for what modern employees consider to be appropriate for a work environment. Requiring all employees to wear ties, even when their position has zero external contact, a one hour lunch that begins at exactly noon and ends at exactly one, and little-to-no educational assistance unless it is a part of the CPCU or FLMI educational track. So much for anyone looking to further a business career with an MBA.

These are just a few of the common complaint that most employees have. Unfortunately, many of these same employees settle for this environment instead of looking elsewhere. This fear of losing a job and/or being unsuccessful is what Auto-Owners seems to rely on. I've heard several managers say that "the grass isn't always greener" on the other side. Well, I can say from experience that... actually, yes it is.

Advice to Senior Management

Get out of the stone age. Time to accept that the corporate culture in America has evolved and that the company's existence will depend on their ability to attract the most talented employees going forward.