Pros
The very best reason to work at Farmers is knowing that you will not be there forever. Farmers, during the recruitment process, will promise you the world. Great salary, great benefits, free car, virtual office, pension plan with no end in sight, cash day, career growth...and the list goes on. These reasons could definitely be confused as the 'best reasons to work at Farmers' until you actually work at Farmers and see how they quickly fall short.
Cons
Workload for property adjusters can be unbearable. Inconsistent claims volume from adjuster to adjuster. One adjuster may have received 9 claims in a week while another adjuster in the same office, during the same week, will have received two claims and yet both adjusters will be graded on the same standards. Office politics are abundant, especially in the Houston office. Do not trust management as they do not trust you. Expectations change from week to week and you are penalized for everything that does not meet their standards. Also, doing a good job will only hurt you here. If you are a decent performer, you will be given more claims, more work, and treated more like the Excel Spreadsheet # that you are to them. This is a dead end job, regardless of where you go in the company. For the sake of yourself, your sanity, your safety, and that of your family, DO NOT WORK HERE. Keep in mind that the pension plan is no longer an option in 2009 (the same pension plan that was PRAISED by management during the interviews and recruitment process). Profit sharing (also praised by management in the interviews) is also ending in 2009. Most folks I worked with signed with Farmers because of these two things. Now Farmers is going to the basic 401k plan (Total Rewards) and has tried to brainwash the employees of how 'revolutionary' this program is. Basically, they are just blowing more smoke up your rear to hide the fact that they are cutting your benefits and profiting from it. You are given a free car, laptop, and cell phone. Sound pretty neat? You are essentially driving around a target and billboard for this company. How about denying a claim, having someone scream at you and kick you out of their house, and then driving a branded car around the same city in which you have angered more people than can be counted. Thankfully, these people now know what you drive in case they ever want to take anything out on you...while at the same time providing free advertising for the company. The same angry people also have your cell phone # and email address to keep your life more stressful than the job duties alone have already made it. The office has cliques throughout and those that are fake buddy-buddy with managers will have 'opportunities' to go on MiniCat assignments and possibly horizontally 'promote' to other areas. Talk to most employees candidly, outside of work, and you will see how much they dread their job and wish they worked elsewhere. I can personally say that I have never been more miserable than my time with them and leaving them was the best thing I could have ever done for myself and my family.