Sentry Insurance – “This could be a great job if the company had more integrity and less bureaucracy.”

Pros

The benefits package is above average and the company car is a nice perk. The sales training program is extensive and well run despite the fact that you have to go to Stevens Point, Wisconsin to conduct it. The company is well respected in certain areas of the country within most of the industries it serves.

Cons

The company is highly bureaucratic and slow to adapt. Their insurance pricing policies not competitive in every city or industry they serve and getting those prices changed is a long process. During my time at the company as a sales rep our prices were never even close to what competitors were charging. Sometimes our pricing was double the competition and management was not receptive to feedback from the field telling them this.
Management lied to me on multiple occasions. Towards the end of my employment there I noticed my job was posted on a job search website. I called my manager and asked why this was done and he claimed it was a mistake and my job wasn't in jeopardy. A couple of days later I was contacted by a job applicant for my position who looked me up on the company website asking details about the job. At this point I contacted the human resources manager who also told me it was a mistake and they wouldn't advertise a current employee's job. One week later I was called on the phone by my manager and the human resources manager who both only worked two hours away and fired on the phone. When I confronted them about both lying to me they continued to deny it until I pushed the issue. When I threatened to file a public complaint about them they both relented and admitted they lied but weren't sorry about it. I immeadiately contacted the corporate headquarters and was brushed off by HR and senior management.
The company showed complete disregard for me and the two years I worked my tail off for them trying to sell their uncompetively priced products. They lack integrity and quickness to adapt to the market.

Advice to Senior Management

Integrity is a value that should be enforced at the lowest level. You can't retain good employees if you do not provide them with a competive product and are dishonest to them. The position I took over had seen two sales reps rotate through within three years before I got there and two more within two years after I left. You have to provide sales reps the opportunity to make sales or they will leave. Sentry will never be a great company without improving their market adaptability and integrity.