Great-West Life & Annuity Reviews in Denver, CO Area

Pros

-Management does their best to support the mental well-being of their employees
-Time in between calls to do your own thing
-Pay is good
-Benefits are good
-Positive atmosphere
-Nice working space

Cons

-Being in a call-center is never fun
-30 min lunches and strict attendance/tardy policy
-It can get very noisy, not a lot of privacy

Advice to Senior Management

-Offer additional flex-time and work from home opportunities
-Keep up the good work!

Pros

Most people there are congenial.

Cons

Traditionally a serious old-boy network.

Advice to Senior Management

increase integrity. need to somehow breach the huge number of layers between upper management and the people who service your customers.

Pros

The company provides good benefits, onsite gym, cafeteria and company store, Denver Tech Center location, and very reasonable work hours; Company treats employees to annual summer picnic and holiday luncheon.

Cons

Not sure if it's easy to move around the company as I have not applied for a job outside my department yet; I have seen people leave the company because they were denied opportunities for growth; cafeteria food is expensive; very few choices in this area of DTC for lunch

Advice to Senior Management

Say hello to your employees.

Pros

Many good people who have learned to excel without management involvement and decent work/life balance. Free parking. For anyone wanting a steady 9 - 5 with little pressure, this is the place.

Cons

Opportunities for advancement so limited as to be nearly non-existent. Education opportunities are at employee expense with some minor reimbursement at completion; however, there is no advancement even for a relevant professional designation or graduate degree. Senior management is utterly disconnected from the rank and file.

Advice to Senior Management

Try walking around and talking to the people who work here. You might actually learn what it is your company does.

Pros

The training program at Great-West is remarkable and the contact with customers helps to build knowledge quickly.

Cons

Half hour lunches really wear on you.

Pros

Headquartered in the Denver Tech Center. Very few companies are headquartered here. Leader in the Retirement Services industy. Consistently pays out bonuses, merit increases. Longevity - over 100 years in business. Experiencing growth - no layoffs related to economic performance over the last five years. Opportunity for growth if you're a good performer.

Cons

No casual Fridays. More conservative culture. Change is slow but it is done with a lot of analysis which in the long run is a good thing I think. Patience is needed for growth - no fast tracking.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to work with careful analysis. Allow for more telecommuting options. Look at ways to be more technologically on the front lines (although this has started to change).

Pros

Very good people to work with. Relaxed atmosphere. As long as work is being completed at a high level of satisfaction then I can come and go as I please.

Cons

Low compensation compared to other IW positions at other companies. Too much admin work and not enough wholesaling. This position can easily be accomplished from home.

Advice to Senior Management

Changing the bonus frequency and making the position very effective from a work from home situation.

Pros

Generous amount of time off.
Market salary rate.
Decent benefits.
Good co-workers and middle management.
Stable company with few layoffs.

Cons

Rather old-fashioned corporate culture.
Dress code is stricter than most software organizations.
Job is mostly software maintenance, which could be good or bad, depending on the individual.
Occasional on-call is required.

Advice to Senior Management

No real complaints. Try to avoid a culture of micro-management. Be careful not to burn out your employees while attaining aggressive growth rates.

Pros

Good benefits and a competitive salary. A very nice campus with cafeteria, workout room and company store. Reasonable paid time off.

Cons

Often long hours with expectation to put the job before family. Development teams tend to work in silos with little cooperation between them. Requirements and project planning haphazard leading to little confidence in project management. Environment is chaotic rather than proactive.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees. Your most dedicated employees are always passed over for the president's award and you don't even know who they are.

Pros

work life balance, paid leave, friendly colleagues and managers, acceptable benefits, 40 hour work week, covered parking, small gym, onsite cafeteria, fun, job security, if you hire in at a high enough level you will be well paid.

Cons

Poorly designed and complex legacy software that's mostly in maintenance mode. Unwillingness to allow or accept telecommuting. Silos and lack of cooperation across teams. Some teams have people doing nothing and soaking up a paycheck, others are overworked and understaffed. A bizzare mix of inane bureaucratic policies and a cowboy approach. Entrenched mindset of doing things the way they've always been done.