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Affirmative Risk Management

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Administrative - Anonymous employee Affirmative Risk Management Employee Review

2.0
Jan 28, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people to work with, it is really what keeps me going back each day. Pet and kid friendly, nice, very clean office. Company lunches, seems to be a lot of food brought in for different functions. Good to include family.

Cons

Be prepared to be micromanaged on all levels, sometimes by more than one person at a time. If you try to implement a process be prepared to be shot down even if it's just to help the checks and balances or to better a process. You may be hired in to do one thing but be prepared to possibly do things that are very far from in line with your career goals. There are some that abuse PTO and get away with it while others are made to follow the rules implemented because of one person's abuse. It is very common to be chastised for making mistakes while in the learning process. Very unrealistic expectations. Benefits are okay, they do not provide employer paid life insurance (I don't believe they realize the tax break and the fact that they would end up benefiting from it) or 401K. Salary and hourly both must clock in and out and this seems to be the focus of the entire company. Democratic supporters, if you believe anything else, it is recommended that you do not apply or be able to keep your mouth shut when it comes to politics. They will be brought up in the office. Professionalism is hit or miss. They tend to let some get away with things while others are scrutinized. A LOT of non-stop gossip. Be prepared to either stick to yourself or be part of the gossip if you so much as smile and say hello to people. Management will hold meetings and tell everyone not to do this or there will be consequences but they are the worst at times and there is no follow through. Owner yells quite a bit and you can often hear him throughout the building. There are managers who are allowed to act however they please without consequences. One manager was offered a promotion and increase in pay yet is the least professional person I have ever come in contact with not to mention the constant complaints that people have about him. I believe the focus of daily function is often overshadowed by small things that should not be given attention such as dress code. At one time, certain things were not allowed due to management's preference and not truly unprofessional attire. The high turnover is primarily due to the lack of acknowledging employee worth. Not everyone is treated equally. Not much credit is given where due. I learned two completely different processes along with two new programs in just a few months but was expected to not make a single mistake. If a mistake was made, as opposed to letting me fix it and learn, it was fixed, I was reprimanded and told not to make that mistake again. The pay is not up to industry standard for a TPA. Adjusters make a decent draw but their pay works differently than administration. They grossly overpay some employees while others are not compensated very well. You are definitely treated according to pay grade. Really bad area to work, across from a school that may be closing and a neighborhood that is on the decline. Crime is on the rise in the area, there is a gate at the entrance, however, that does not keep all crime at bay.

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Affirmative Risk Management Response
9y
Thank you for the feedback. I am sorry we did not get a chance to speak before you left the office so abruptly. I am glad I have now had the opportunity to hear your thoughts. Although I am saddened to hear some of your grievances, I wish we could have discussed this before you packed your desk early one morning. We like to have an open door policy at ARM and I would have been happy to discuss your concerns, ideas, and thoughts with you at any point while you were at ARM. We work hard to make the office as accommodating as possibly can be. As the company has grown, it is not as easy to be as accommodating as it once was. It is something that I will continually work on. I am glad you did notice some of the positives of the office and mentioned some of our efforts of being a family company. The meals and family function are just a few of the ways we like to support and give back to our employees. I would like to address some of the items you raised in your review. I would agree with you there is redundancy in our quality controls. However, it is the nature of our business. It is not something at ARM we specifically set out to do. It is quite the opposite. Our clients hold us accountable for accuracy and correctness. In turn, we have redundancy in quality controls. You are using the term micro management in a negative connotation. While it may feel or appear to be micro management, it is not our intention. I think you would agree with me, if something is truly important, it is best to have someone checking behind you. I place an extreme amount of value in our work so I certainly do not mind others on the management team checking behind me. I am not sure where there was misunderstanding in your job duties. We are a small company and sometimes we have to wear many different hats. While it is my vision to grow the company to where this does not happen, we are not quite there yet. In other cases, one job duty may have been phased out and because we value our employees and invest time and energy into their development, we would rather hold on to them in a different capacity rather than letting them go. During your short time of employment, there was a focus on the time clock and you know the reason why was because of the new overtime rules that were slated to begin late 2016. After all, it is one of the reasons we created the position for which you were hired. As a smaller company, we look for ways to give back with our employees and do so where we can with our benefits package. We pay 90% of the health insurance premiums for our employees which I think is a great benefit considering the high costs of health care. In addition to the healthcare, we pay for the dental coverage and a short term disability policy. I will look into your advice as to a potential tax savings with the life insurance. Any opportunity to save some money so I can give it back to our employees in another area sounds like a great opportunity. You referenced the company is all Democratic and this is not true. We welcome everyone and one’s party affiliation does not matter to us. You were with ARM during one of the more polarizing elections in recent history. I do not remember a specific time you and I discussed politics but, I would say your comment is misguided. During the election, we did ask to keep political discussions to a minimum but only because it was hindering work productivity and emotions were running high. In regards to our neighborhood, you are entitled to your opinion. In the 11 years at this location, we have not had one incident on our property. We are indeed across the street from an elementary school which I am not sure how that would be considered as bad. We partner with the elementary school every chance we get whether it is monetary, providing judges for talent shows, book reading, or hosting the choir at Christmas. As well as the elementary school, there is an outreach program behind our property that assists college bound children finding scholarships, ACT prep courses and a host of other items. We also partner with the outreach program as well. We look out for our surrounding neighbors who in turn watch over our property when the office is closed. We also have a neighborhood cleanup initiative to further assist our neighbors. As a company, we are active in the community and do our part to help. I wish you luck and good fortune in your future endeavors. I do hope you follow your career goals and achieve everything you set out to accomplish in life. Life is hard enough without worrying about work. Sometimes life gets in the way of work. I know this very well. I want to be as accommodating as possible when things do come up. Some of the things you might have seen with other employees you may not understand. I do not share an individual’s personal problems but will do what I can to help them in a time of need. Thanks again for sharing.

Explore other reviews about Affirmative Risk Management

5.0
Oct 13, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I love working for Affirmative Risk Management. I have been here longer than any other place. It is a great place to work. I love the pets in the office, and have the best coworkers. Very good pay, good benefits. The company is continuing to grow and expand, while keeping a certain family feel.

Cons

The nature of claims is a very stressful environment. ARM does a great job at helping alleviate this with pets in the office, paid time off commensurate with longevity at the company, free popcorn, free coffee. Lots of paid lunches and paid family activities as well as the usual potlucks and office festivities.

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Affirmative Risk Management Response
9y
Thank you for your review. We are very happy to hear that you enjoy working at ARM. It is nice to hear that you appreciate how management tries to make it an enjoyable atmosphere in the midst of the stress.
2.0
Jan 9, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

.......................Pet friendly, kid friendly, nice facility, nice break room, big bathrooms and fun company events that include your entire family or significant other.

Cons

Not enough training, unrealistic expectations, uneven workload among admin assistants. Not the best area or neighborhood. Across the street from elementary school. Very difficult traffic to deal with.

avatar
Affirmative Risk Management Response
9y
Thank you for your review. While the turnover rate for ARM was high in 2014 & 2015, it decreased for 2015 & 2016. ARM is now below the national average of employers in the United States. ARM management worked hard to stabilize the company, increase employee retention, and increase the positive culture in 2015 & 2016. Further ARM hired a training manager who can address training issues for both administrative and claims’ teams. Job descriptions and key result areas help define administrative duties and allow management to recognize uneven workloads in order to alleviate the issues mentioned above. ARM continuously strives to improve and welcomes your comments.
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