Pacific Life Reviews

Pros

Supportive of gaining industry designations. Overall benefits package good. Easy to work with other departments. Decent opportunuties for bonuses. Management is easily approachable.

Cons

Not much room for advancement depending on the location. No vision coverage, medical and dental options not as good as I've seen at other insurance companies. Sometimes get the reasoning "things have always been done that way" and it seems a waste to suggest new ideas.

Pros

Everyone is really friendly. Great learning experience. Location is amazing.

Cons

Very conservative. Not enough younger people.

Pros

- You get to "buy" a week of vacation and have the opportunity to sell back any unused days at the end of the year
- Nice, new building (if you're in the Life Division) -- The Newport location is in a better location, though
- Flexible work hours/vanpool

Cons

As my headline indicates, this is what one of my bosses told me. That boss was the epitome of it! Most (if not all) the supervisors in my department don't even know the business. Several of them are in their manager's office every day, showering them with flowers and praise. Guess that's how they get cushy pay increases and maintain their jobs (although I'd like to know exactly what they do all day because helping their associates is NOT one of them!).

There was a new supervisor job posting and one person who didn't get the job was told by senior management that this person would be on the side of the associates, NOT management. It's apparent that the hourly workers are looked way down upon by the almighty senior management.

Those who work the most, get paid the least and are the least respected.

Advice to Senior Management

You all should realize that change is sometimes a necessity. Hiring "yes" men and brown-nosers is not the way to run a successful department/company. I believe in karma. So, if you like screwing over the worthy associates, then expect to get yours some day.

Pros

Work-life balance; stable, profitable business; great internal, cross-divisional jobs posting board.

Cons

Career path/professional growth opportunities not always clear.

Pros

EVT - you're able to buy 40hrs of vacation time every year

Cons

The Annuity Customer Service department is like working in a sweatshop, yeah, a beautiful sweat shop in Newport Beach. If you like being micro-managed to the point that your bathroom breaks are timed, then this is the place for you!

The bottom line this place is nothing more than a call center and you are considered a machine, nothing more than a rat spinning on a wheel signed on to your phone 7.35 hours day. If you are signed on even 1 minute late, it goes in your file and if this happens more than 6 times in a rolling 12 month period, you will be written up and it will be part of your permanent record.

God forgive you if an emergency comes up or you get sick and ask to go home. That will cost you too big time! 1 of your allowable 6 occurrence for that same rolling 12 month period. You are not allowed to stay home and actually get well with such limitations, so everyone continues coming in sick and spreading their germs around until we are all sick which means, you guessed it, written up because you went passed the allowable sacred 6.

REMEMBER...you are not a human in this department but a producing machine that better not break down because management can't keep the department fully staffed and they need you to be on the phones every second of the day until you are sucked dry.

Here’s a snip it of what your day will look like:

You will take 99 plus calls in a very complicated environment where the rules change on daily basis
You will need to know massive amounts of information without missing a beat
You must say the caller's name thought-out the call but nobody will tell what that number actually is, how convenient, they can downgrade your call with a whim
You must acknowledge the caller and you’d better use the word "happy" or guess what, that's right, the caller's experience will be tainted (as well as your file)
You must do a three-part close even when the caller tells you they don’t need anything else
If you need to use the restroom more that twice in one day you are wrecked and won't make the required UT
All calls must be P-E-R-F-E-C-T

You are required to respond to every question within 20 seconds or a 3 minute hold, and with the amount of information you need to know, it is impossible and keeps growing and changing on a daily basis. Don’t dare complain or put up the white flag either, management doesn’t care, it’s the expectation of your job.

Oh yeah, management wants everyone to sit the entire day while taking calls for 7.35 hours too. I am not kidding, they tell you not to stand up!!! You are expected to sit on your rear until they turns numb. When your legs ache and start to cramp you are fearful mgmt will spot you stretching. Customer Service peeps are the red-headed step children of Pacific Life.

We are never allowed to participate with other parts of the company because they can't afford to give you time away from the phone. Recently the entire company had a ice cream event for 1 hour but we were only allow 10 precious minutes to get down, crab a cone and race back to the 4th floor to take more calls.

Don't ever complain or try to stand up for yourself, because if you do, you will end up on the "you are a trouble marker" list F-O-R-E-V-E-R! Basically we all learn early on to just shut down and be quiet !

Good luck ever getting out of this department too, but that's how HR bates you excepting the position in the first place. Making statements like, CS is a stepping stone to other opportunities within the company and a great place to get your foot into the door. DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! All lies!!! Maybe 1% actually get out of this dept!

That place and the entire department is basically the most depressing atmosphere I have ever had to endure and I can‘t wait until the economy picks up so I can adios-amigos!

I'm actually fearful of someone going ballistic in that place before I get the heck out. I hope to God I call in sick THAT day! (and it’s my 7th occurrence haha). If you are ever desperate enough to still considering working for Annuity CS, then count yourself warned!

Advice to Senior Management

Why bother? They don't listen anyway! Just sour faces walking around all day!

Pros

Great health and other benefits. Job perks and health fairs with promoting healthful life habits. Flexibility in work hours. Nice location. Beautiful building and environment with wonderful cafeteria.

Cons

The morale was going down with management changes. It was like a virus infecting everyone. I saw it across the division and it was depressing. I heard management talk to employees in the most unprofessional manner. There was a major issue where new rules were made up on the fly and the employees were expected to keep them all straight. After all the pro physical health efforts, it is certainly not a not a mentally healthy place to work.

Advice to Senior Management

The Golden Rule - treat your employees the way you want to be treated. I am not sure Jim Morris is aware of the ongoings since he was promoted. Nothing bad to say about Jim Morris - But Mike Bell is doing a horrible job in the people skill/employee relations area.

Pros

Good benefits: health and 401(k). That said, with the exception of the 401A, standard issue for a large company.

Cons

Terrible supervisors. And all women in annuity services -- customer service. They gossip endlessly and gang up on workers they don't care for. My supe is older and so proud of herself and her quick rise. She talks about it endlessly. Bottom line, she may be paid well but is still just in customer service. It is a joyless atmosphere. They have food days and you have to eat at your desk while you take calls -- DUH! AND, on jeans days, you can only dress down if you wear one of the prison-issued Pacific Life tee-shirts. How generous!!!!

Advice to Senior Management

Let people have a little fun. Let us try a day in another department. One day off the phones won't kill anyone. It is a boring industry and you guys just make everything even more dismal and bleak!

Pros

Employees are generally very nice and PL is very concerned about employee perceptions on most issues. Fairly stable place to work and not given to rapid changes since they are not a publicly traded company.

Cons

Sometimes I think I am in the twilight zone at PL. Sometimes people get promoted into senior positions without adequate experience. It sometimes seems people are more impressed about your ability to talk a good game or put together a good presentation but completely unaware of your inability to produce anything. In addition, some senior managers are completely tone deaf to some employees inability to get along with almost anyone and don't appreciate the damage that does.

Advice to Senior Management

Recognize that a company is, by necessity, made up of people with a variety of talents. Stop with the arrogance about being an actuary or coming from a consulting background. We don't care and neither one is a predictor of success.

Pros

Good benefits and management understanding of personal matters.

Cons

Corporate lifestyle- you're just a number to them.

Pros

Top tier company with opportunity to work with the best in the life insurance industry. Difficult to advance there, if not part of inner circle.

Cons

Cost of living in So. Cal. is an issue. New senior leadership is still finding its way, which is somewhat disruptive.

Advice to Senior Management

Company cannot be all things to all people. Management needs to pick a target market and cater to that market. High service model is too expensive for low cost sales.