Service Corporation International Reviews

Pros

Benefits package overall were pretty good although the cost of premiums kept on rising
Interesting work environment
Variable job duties
Pretty flexible in the ability to take time off from work for personal commitments

Cons

Service Corporation was a good company to work for in the beginning. Made a good living while having a sense of purpose at work. Took a couple of months at the beginning to get going making commission, but after a few months I made some decent money. I really felt like the hours I put in were paying off in the end. The downfall at SCI is that when the economy was doing well, and sales were good they got greedy and kept on dramatically raising prices. When the economy tanked a lot of families began to feel ripped off. When I started, a couple could easily purchase side by side cemetery arrangements for under 25K and 2 funeral packages for 15k. Now those same cemetery arrangements would cost no less than 60K and funeral - 25k! I did well in the beginning because pricing was still reasonable and customers could manage the payments but at the end people were having a hard time investing this much money.
I didn't like all of the micro-managing at the end and low morale of the employees. There was so much drama each day it was hard to focus, and the managers didn't know how to manage.

Advice to Senior Management

The executive management is so far removed from their employees that it would be hard to sum up some advice. It's too bad, because the company could really be good to work for, I couldn't keep up with all of the BS.

Pros

You can feel that you make a real difference in people's lives in supporting them through loss. One day is never like another so the diversity in tasks is great.

Cons

I really enjoyed my time at SCI and would use their service for my loved ones. The main difficulty is in the very low level of pay considering the lifestyle compromise you make by being on call and the fact that there is no increase in compesation as you gain more educational credentials.

Advice to Senior Management

I have worked with many very talented and compassionate professionals who invariably leave or burnout due to the lack of career and salary progression. You never enter funeral service for the money but you should be able to pay your basic expenses with the cost of living being so high.

Pros

1) The way they treat families is second to none, unfortunately the way they treat their employees is at the other end of the spectrum.

2) They offer (so-so) benefits.

Cons

Where to begin???

1) NO overtime is allowed EVER! I was told by my location manager that when I came into embalm at night, I was NOT to clock in.
2) To much focus on Dignity Plans and Dignity take up rates! Most of the crap that is offered in the plans nobody wants OR needs!! I love seeing after care planners at garage sales for $1.00!!!
3) Its all about the company making money. I understand this however, maybe if you paid your employees a competative wage- we would try to become better "sales people!" not funeral directors.
6) Bottom Line: If you are not a religious person, regardless of how good a funeral director/embalmer you are, how much all your families appreciate you, how well your JD Powers survey scores are, or what your dignity take up rate is...... If your Location Manager feels threatened they will let you go for "no reason."

Advice to Senior Management

Maybe you should visit your locations more often, to see what is REALLY going on!!!

Pros

If your starving.. this is better for a short time..

Cons

No respect for the workforce.. Everyone is just a number abnd a name that can be easily crossed off a list.

Advice to Senior Management

You wouldnt listen anyway.

Pros

Anyone looking for an opportunity to help families should enjoy working for SCI; depending on one's location, the management can also be quite pleasant to work with.

Cons

The work environment is often lacking in communication and the employees lack any kind of positive raport with one another. Everyone from arrangers down is underpaid and little credit is given for extra work done around the offices. Anyone interested in joining the funeral industry is better off looking into a family-run business.

Advice to Senior Management

Management is friendly and wonderful 9 times out of 10, and marvelous people; however, they could use some work as far as issues like feedback and criticism (whether positive or negative).

Pros

Flexible schedule, overtime if available and needed. Not always busy. Time to catch up on your paperwork.

Cons

If SCI's CEO's and VP's and Management would follow their own written words and live their philosophy then they would be setting an example for others to follow and for employees to be proud to work for the company.

As written-Avoid unethical conduct/behavior that means we do NOT lie, cheat or steal and we don't turn our heads when others behave that way. Do Good ! Take the high road and do the right thing. Live this philosophy.

In summary, when things go wrong, never underestimate the power of an apology. A genuine and sincere apology is almost always appropriate. It is the decent and humane way to respond...NOT retaliation. It is consistent with the Dignity® Promise and our Company’s values, and it is simply the right thing to do.

When a manager tells you to "NOT give a kleenex tissue to a crying family member unless they ask for it" then that manager is obviously cold hearted and burned out. They should quit their job and move on. SCI is in the deathCARE industry. Your higher up's need compassion training along with some kind of spiritual renewal program.

Advice to Senior Management

See Cons above....

Pros

Management's recent initiatives to have more company events is a nice perk.

Finance and Accounting is in the process of rolling out new programs to facilitate cross-training and knowledge sharing between departments.

Cons

The only major concern is that salaries are not commensurate with job titles and do not reflect responsibilities, workloads, or complexity of work. The pay is substantially lower when compared to average salaries in the area for comparable positions.

Somewhat high turnover of employees.

Monthly healthcare seems costly when compared to benefits received.

Advice to Senior Management

Consider paying employees based on performance and workload. Have HR research salaries to ensure they are competitive with the local market.

Pros

In this "booming" service business, the family service counselor is the front line soldier for this company. By the very nature of this business, it is a very spirtually rewarding experience to help people who are in need. The family service counselor is the central person (other than a funeral director) serving the families with existing needs and preneed business. It's a good feeling to know you make a difference in the lives of those you serve. And, without you and all the others in your position, the company depends on your sales and service to existing customers. You are the soldier of fortune. You serve and protect those in need while working for the largest deathcare corporation in the world!

Cons

This job has endless spiritual rewards for the genuinely caring, relationship-building sales professional. But, it's impossible to manage the excessive amounts of paperwork, cemetery checks, at need funerals (most of which are already paid for) and service requests from unhappy customers. Therefore, it is one of the most spiritually rewarding, but financially devasting careers you can imagine. Again, Spiritually Rewarding and FINANCIALLY DEVASTATING. A no win situation with so much anxiety once you become enrolled in the health benifits and insurance. It took 3 months after employment to have the complicated commission structure explained. This commision structure clearly worked Pre-recession! The only way to swim and not sink is to modify everything you are taught to do for excellence in customer service and minimulize every moment spent in front a person so that you can go on to the next potential sale as quickly as possible. You will not be able to spend time with families who have prepaid, unless can see a potential sale. There is no time to build relationships. The training is intensive so expect to survive for 3+ months on the base salary. If you survive more than a year, you will have to become neutral and somewhat emotionless while serving people facing the worst. The management also requires logging every client into a client management system as well as logging in every outside phone call into the do not call system. You will transform into a machine. The sales manager is paid based on what you earn beyond the $8.00 hourly base. Expect to be micro-managed and asked daily for status reports. Don't even think about getting paid if you work more than 40 hours a week. Overtime is not allowed. You will face allot of addional expenses; gas, cell phone, nice business suits and clothing, and shoes. Endless hours will be spent in the cemetery standing services in all kinds of weather, snow, rain, hot and cold. Be prepared to held accountable for low customer survey scores, unhappy customers and wrongful burials. Because, as the family service (soldier of fortune) you are expected to balance your scheduled duty days with large amounts of paperwork and complicated internment processes, meeting with grieving people, looking for preneed sales, evening prospecting and sales calls, post care meetings with every family you serve, service orders and more. God help you if your location is understaffed. Don't ever make a mistake on a contract, order or authorization because you will have to rewrite it until it's perfect. Most locations are understaffed because of the turnover. The employment advertisements for this job state an average income (in the 40K range) that is not easily obtained, even by the most experienced family counselors. All this while being considered the most important employee to the corporate organization.

Advice to Senior Management

SCI leadership can change what's happening on thier frontlines and make changes that would make this business better. If they would take a hard look at the processes involved with this job. The commission structure worked in a pre-recession economy. The funeral and death care industry is changing and transforming right before their eyes and this company is missing the boat. If evaluated honestly, leadership would see that their most integral people on the frontlines of their business are not able to support their familes. If a family counselor cannot afford to buy lunch out and new shoes, how are they performing on the frontlines? Turnover in counselors and sales managers is further evidence that the upper leadership of SCi needs a wake up call. Worldwide,we are facing the largest boom in end of life services. But consumers are streamlining, rethinking more cost effective alternative and turning to cremation instead of ground burials because of the rising costs. This is a vital and growing service industry. Management needs to recognize that their counselors on the frontlines of their business need to be able to earn an honest living so that they can provide the best service. The company should employee outside expersts like Kenexa to evaluate their compensation, commission structures and benefits.

Pros

Flexible hours, good benefits and I think that' all the good I have to say about this company. No more no less.

Cons

No respect for employees, this company has the biggest revolving door I never seen in my life. New sales people are usually working their butts off so they can money but, at the end, the ones taking advantage of the new employees are the old sales people who spend years after years waiting for the clients to comeback to them without them moving a finger o doing any work, "the old counselors" sit and wait untill the new "counselors" bring the families back to get service, after days, weeks or even months of hard work so the "old couselors" can sign the new contracts and get pay for, doing nothing but sit and wait. Managers promote very unnethical behavior from "Senior Counselors" against new Counselors. This company is not for people who wants to make money to have decent a living, if you want to be in financial problem in a few months this is the right place to work for.

Advice to Senior Management

Respect your employees, stop any unethical behavior from managers to counselors, stop over -promising, stop deceiving people in the interviews, and please to not placed family members to work in the same location specially if they are related to managers or genaral managers.

Pros

It is a wonderful concept to help people pre plan and it is fulfilling working with families through a difficult time.

Cons

Too little staff, not enough communication, management tries to cheapskate their way to success, is not hones with employees - will say anything to keep stringing the employees along

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest with the employees, communicate changes well ahead of time, not last minute. Quit trying to fit square pegs into round holes.