Travelers Companies Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Travelers Companies

Pros – During the past year there have been many changes in the business environment. Reorganization has eliminated some positions. Still, Travelers has kept many employees who would otherwise be laid off by moving and training them to new positions. This gives employees opportunity to learn new skills, stay employed in a tough economy, and perhaps advance in the long term.

Travelers supports the virtual office and working at home. Flexibility is great, benefits are great. I can't find too much to complain about since I set my own schedule, have a company provided car, internet, cell phone and am trusted to make decisions in the field.

Training is first rate. Claims University spares no expense to make sure adjuster's get the best training possible.

There is a good sense of team locally and across the country.

The company is stable and making loads of money. There is opportunity for bonus pay and the benefits are first rate - the PPO for my family is wonderful.

Cons – There is some "what have you done for me lately" style of file review. For example, you could settle a claim for $1, but have your filed "failed" for not checking off a box in the computer system - that's the wrong way to motivate an adjuster on a file that is 98% "A+" but fails on a technicality.

Travelers sometimes spends $$$ to settle a $ claim. "Beat the horse til it's dead" is the implied method of investigation, sometimes putting way too much effort into a small claim. On the flip side, however, concentration on doing the right thing every time assures that every file gets the proper attention. Small claims often turn into larger claims, so some of this anal behavior is justified.

Whatever the gripes of people that can't take the review process, my advice is "don't fight it." If the UM tells you "this is the way it is to be done," then do it that way. If you follow advice of your UM, you will do well. People that fight back and gripe are irritating to listen to and eventually quit.

There are not many places to work where everything is perfect. I've had managers at other companies give no review, and then pound you when something goes wrong. Travelers managers will always let you know how things are going.

Advice to Senior Management – Don't fail a file for the sake of a small error. Keep up the training. Keep communication going with line employees.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Travelers Companies

Pros – Great pay and benefits
Flexible schedule

Cons – Unorganized management
No clear vision or expectations
Sink or Swim environment

Advice to Senior Management – Listen to your employees, make time for those that make time for you

Former Employee – worked at Travelers Companies

Pros – Excellent Benefits
Constant Technology Improvements
Strong Financial Status
Large Company with Many Locations (More Opportunities Available)
Solid Senior Management Structure

Cons – Poor Morale of Workers
Not Much Corporate Culture
Not a Fun Place to Work
Subpar Middle Management
Easy to Get Discouraged with Little Direction Given at Times

Advice to Senior Management – I suggest that management stop wasting money on tacky promotional items for staff and select their middle management more wisely.

Current Employee – been working at Travelers Companies

Pros – There are great opportunities to learn how a large national company works
Great place to practice political savvy
Excellent financial performance

Cons – The company is highly silo'd
The company tends to be risk averse and is therefore a slow decision maker
Business unit heads do not work together with coordinated goals and objectives

Advice to Senior Management – Senior leadership needs to work on incentivizing business unit heads to work with each other to share processes, people and goals. The company is way too silo'd and it's causing higher operating costs and lower effectiveness - just look at our expense ratio compared to our competitors.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Travelers Companies

Pros – Travelers is a prudent and disciplined place but far from sleepy or complacent. Prudence and discipline has given it the strength of a market leader. Yet, the place embraces the necessity of change. Residual silo issues remain, as do an element of backward longing employees- but the enterprise move forward and is exciting for those who see the bridge to the land of opportunity.

Cons – Profit margin opportunities in P&C insurance is thin, and to exceed expectations you need a skilled and motivated workforce that is committed to long term investment of time to get it right for the business. For many, that requires great sacrifice of work-life balance. For many who remember a less demanding culture before the St Paul - Travelers merger, those demands are a threat to an order whose failure they refuse to see and whose perpetuation they see as an entitlement. For those who survive and thrive- and there are more than a few- there are rewards.

Advice to Senior Management – Be aware of the pain of too much change too fast for some can be a distraction to the progress of the place to its future state.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Travelers Companies

Pros – Great place to start your career and they offer great prgrams that help develop their employees into true leaders in the insurance industry

Cons – Some of the middle to upper level managers had responsibilites at various locations and it made it difficult to oversee the opperation

Advice to Senior Management – The Upper level management is one of the most competent group of people in the insurance industry and will continue to help travelers thrive

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Travelers Companies

Pros – Great benefits (medical, PTO, retirement)
Work well if time is needed off, no questions asked.
No weekends or holidays.
Compensation is fair.

Cons – There is way too much micro management.
Too many chief's, not enough indians.
Raises only once per year.
Compensation is not based on performance, but rather "how the economy is doing"

Advice to Senior Management – More recognition to people who perform their job well would be nice (more money).

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Travelers Companies

Pros – The comfort of working for a stable, conservative company that cares about developing their people.

Cons – Some of the management needs to improper on their managerial skills.

Advice to Senior Management – Need better people skills.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Travelers Companies

Pros – People are great to work with. Upper management very friendly and accessible. Lots of opportunity for career growth and development. Highly organized and passionate leadership development programs

Cons – Very prudent and conservative company. Lacks cohesive vision and culture. Workload was stressful and coworkers felt stretched thin. Constantly missing opportunities due to its conservative backwards approach to the industry.

Advice to Senior Management – Travelers has some great people and opportunities. Probably the best in the P&C industry. However the company needs a refined vision and should be less conservative. Management tends to overlook hard work and fails to give recognition and appreciation, despite Fishman's claim of a "meritocracy."

Current Employee – been working at Travelers Companies

Pros – Focus on more leadership development.

Cons – It is a 4 years program.

Advice to Senior Management – None

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend