Don't ever ever ever do this job - Claims Specialist State Farm Employee Review

This review is for Claims Specialist/Adjuster only. SF is a good company is you stay on its good side, follow all the policies and don't mind constant anxiety and headaches from the unrealistic expectations. I was fired for working off the clock from home. We were all home due to COVID. Maybe I was naive or stupid, but I did not think simply spending time reviewing job resources outside working hours so that I could better understand what the heck I was supposed to be doing would cost me my job. It did. The company had been monitoring whenever I was unlocking my comp and was considering it all working time. For what its worth they did pay me for that time, and my accumulated PTO, when they fired me. I was a Claims Associate for a short time then I was promoted to Specialist. I loved my job as an Associate but was ready for more of a challenge. The challenge I got as a Specialist was far more than I was trained to handle. I ended my virtual COVID training in June, which btw was frankly very basic and generic and did not prepare me at all for what I would be doing. Most people would refrain from giving specific advice on how to handle a claim to protect themselves, so I was left with trying to figure out how to investigate coverage questions, determine liability, evaluate complicated injury claims (sometimes reading through hundreds of pages of medical reports full of medical terminology with zero training), negotiate settlements with attorneys and manage claims that go to suit (again, no real training in any of these aspects other than watching an 8 minute video and the occasional assistance from a coworker). Worse yet, I would periodically get reassigned claims from other handlers that didn't make it (at least once a month and often once a week, someone from the team would either quit, be fired, or go on long term leave and have their claims reassigned to whoever remained on the team). These claims were usually in pretty bad shape. Tough. Up to you to figure it out. Nobody can really give you specific advice. You also are expected to be on phones for two hours each day to take incoming calls for other reps. And also work their calendars, file notes, etc.. Completely unrealistic expectations, especially for new employees. By November I had over 190 claims. I barely knew what the heck I was doing and with such an inventory and limited time I felt the need to study off the clock. They fired me for it. I think I have all the tools to be a fantastic claims handler and very shortly would have been but I really wasn't given the opportunity. Call it COVID, call it SF not being understanding or helpful whatever, but either way I'm out of a job and SF is out of a dedicated and intelligent employee. I do think that if COVID hadn't hit it would be a different story. For what it is worth my coworkers and supervisors were all very nice and intelligent and I think they wanted the best for me. I think they had no choice but to let me go for violating policy. Pros Benefits, coworkers, big company