Erie Insurance Group Reviews

Pros

I was satisfied with management's flexibility in starting times and willingness to work with employee's when starting out. Did not require any overtime, only 37.5 hours per week.

Cons

Erie Insurance Group is a large company that is often inefficient. As a developer, I would often have to track people down from numerous different roles for clarification on requirements.

Advice to Senior Management

Allow more flexibility in work hours. Allow employees to work 4 ten hour days. Reward those who are most productive.

Pros

it's a paycheck and appears to be currently stable

Cons

horrific family work balance, no respect from management, it is apparent that you are not an asset to the company

Advice to Senior Management

I believe management has a major dis-connect with the employees that answer to them.

Pros

The benefits package is comparable to similiar companies
Community involvement is high
Job security is good
Building and grounds is pleasant and safe

Cons

Claims Department extremely micro-managed
Favoritism is shown towards local clients
Human Resource Department is uneffective
No work / personal life balance

Advice to Senior Management

What would Hirt say now if he came back to the Erie? Stop preaching about the perception of family culture and give some respect to those who really represent the company. Have more training centered on advancement. Revamp the education department for more dynamic classes and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Pros

The benefit package is great.

Cons

It takes a long time to get that third week of vacation time.

Advice to Senior Management

Give more employees a chance to succeed.

Pros

Friendly work environment; good compensation/benefits

Cons

Virtually no advancement opportunity due to tenure of employees

Advice to Senior Management

n/a

Pros

The industry of insuarance has a bad rap ---as boring. Working at ERIE is clearly not boring for those with a curious mind, desire to learn new things and drive to get results through influence and collaboration.

Cons

In can be a frustrating work environment for those who have a healthy impatience to deliver results when you are sometimes surrounded by people who are happy with the staus quo.

Advice to Senior Management

Be authentic and real with employees. Share your challenges and invite us to be part of a dialogue on the important issues ERIE and the industry face. Work hard at building an open mindset. Let go of control and allow others to step up and take risks and learn from their mistakes. Recognize leadership is a mindset not a position title and that is can come (must come) from any place in the company. As a recently read on a coffee cup and will pharaphrase here... "There are no passengers on planet (ERIE Insurance) we are all crew." Expect and demand the crew to step up, step out or step aside.

Pros

* If you can keep a low enough profile you can coast for years without ever having to produce

Cons

* Good performance is generally not rewarded with promotions or raises.
* Lately management seems more interested in hiring from the outside than looking within
* Management is very good at talking, not so good about performing
* No or very little career development opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

The company should get more serious about developing internal talent and rewarding people who actually produce results instead of talk a good game.

Pros

There are many divisions are ERIE that have exceptional leadership and other divisions leadership tends to be under qualified. Most ERIE employees are very loyal.

Cons

It can be very frustration working in certain divisions that do not have qualified leadership because management is afraid to make competent decisions.

Advice to Senior Management

If some of leadership issues are corrected, ERIE could become an even more profitable company. Focus needs to be put make on meeting the Agents needs.

Pros

1. Benefits package is very good.
2. Salary is not bad for the Erie, PA area
3. Well respected, stable company
4. They pay for education.
5. There are several areas that you could explore. They may not all be promotions (maybe just a lateral move) but the opportunities are there.

Cons

1. Management tends to make some questionable choices.
2. Constant pressure to attain sometimes unrealistic goals.
3. Constantly changing policies.

Advice to Senior Management

Involve the little guy in the decisions that are made. There is a wealth of knowledge that can be mined from people who speak to agents day in and day out. They can give you a feel for the general sense and feeling of agents, and, since ultimately, any plan that is formulated will have to be disseminated by underwriters, processors, etc, it will help to have them on your side by choice.

Pros

The company will promote from within. Layoffs are pretty much unheard of so you will have job security.

Cons

The managers in the company have a culture of not rocking the boat and not reporting bad news up through channels. Most are promoted from lower ranks and the sole criteria seems to be keeping the boss above them happy. Bad news is never welcome and they are never encouraged to offer alternate ideas - lest they be accused of not being a "team player". Employees are afraid to offer new ideas and afraid to let managers know when they see problems - since there is a "kill the messenger" mentality. This really stifles new ideas and creativity and makes working there difficult at times.

Advice to Senior Management

Erie need to reinvent itself. They need to truly encourage mid level managers to foster new ideas and be willing to listen to all opinions even dissenting ones. The managers need to think what is best for the company - not what is best for just themselves. Failure to do so is hurting the company.