Sentry reviews

3.8

74% would recommend to a friend

(676 total reviews)
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Pete G. McPartland

86% approve of CEO

85% positive business outlook

Sentry has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 676 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Sentry employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Insurance industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

676 reviews
1.0
Jun 17, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits package is above average and the company car is a nice perk. The sales training program is extensive and well run despite the fact that you have to go to Stevens Point, Wisconsin to conduct it. The company is well respected in certain areas of the country within most of the industries it serves.

Cons

The company is highly bureaucratic and slow to adapt. Their insurance pricing policies not competitive in every city or industry they serve and getting those prices changed is a long process. During my time at the company as a sales rep our prices were never even close to what competitors were charging. Sometimes our pricing was double the competition and management was not receptive to feedback from the field telling them this. Management lied to me on multiple occasions. Towards the end of my employment there I noticed my job was posted on a job search website. I called my manager and asked why this was done and he claimed it was a mistake and my job wasn't in jeopardy. A couple of days later I was contacted by a job applicant for my position who looked me up on the company website asking details about the job. At this point I contacted the human resources manager who also told me it was a mistake and they wouldn't advertise a current employee's job. One week later I was called on the phone by my manager and the human resources manager who both only worked two hours away and fired on the phone. When I confronted them about both lying to me they continued to deny it until I pushed the issue. When I threatened to file a public complaint about them they both relented and admitted they lied but weren't sorry about it. I immeadiately contacted the corporate headquarters and was brushed off by HR and senior management. The company showed complete disregard for me and the two years I worked my tail off for them trying to sell their uncompetively priced products. They lack integrity and quickness to adapt to the market.

2.0
Aug 28, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

WLB and relaxed culture is nice.

Cons

Massive tech debt, lack of skilled engineers, lack mature processes, messy code base with 10 - 20% code coverage in unit tests.

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Sentry Response
3y
I appreciate you taking the time to share this review. Our associates lay the foundation of success at our company, and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the work/life balance and culture within the team. I am proud of the work and innovation our Information Technology department has produced. This includes designing and building new unique business systems, cloud migration efforts, and has been awarded several patents. We couldn’t do this without the strong technical capabilities of our team. Jim Frank – Chief Information Officer
1.0
Apr 28, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Strong benefits and technology but that’s were it ends

Cons

If you are considering a position in direct writer look elsewhere. Sentry and Direct Writer is a company in search of identity. I’ve seen Sentry evolve over the years. Where they were once highly committed to their captive sales force, they have done a complete 180. We once heard that Sentry was “committed” to the direct writer, that rhetoric was completely dropped after they bought their first MGA. Don’t be fooled by some posts here that say The playing field is slanted heavily in the favor of the DW. It’s not! You will not only compete with other insurance companies, and agents you will find you’ll be competing against you own company. Next there is a very significant management experience quotient there. Be very careful and question the experience of your manager. They seem to have a penchant for hiring managers and producers with little to no insurance experience. I can’t imagine how you can thrive in a sales position working for someone that’s never sold an insurance policy. Whatever they say about training take with a grain of salt. It’s all about online training. Good luck with that! All said the culture at Sentry is toxic and leadership is weak. the money will seem attractive but don’t be fooled. The expectation will be heavily focused on activity and 401k production. If those components aren’t evident in short order expect a heavy dose of micromanagement. It’s all about process as opposed to results. I might sound jaded and disgruntled and would admit there’s a bit of resentment over what went down over the last 5 years. But, overall I’m grateful for the opportunity. If they just treated there people with respect and dignity the Narrative would be different. If you want to add more stress and frustration to your life take the job. If you want to thrive in an insurance sales career you would be best served looking elsewhere

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Sentry Response
4y
Your feedback is important to us and I appreciate the time you took to share a detailed review. I recognize our Direct Writer business unit has made some changes over the past few years. While we also sell insurance through independent agencies, we have processes in place to ensure business is handled fairly and appropriately. I encourage any associates with questions about the process to reach out to their managers, or even myself directly. Please know I also take your management feedback seriously and will take that back to the leadership team as we look for opportunities for improvement. Thank you again for sharing your feedback. John Hyland – President of Direct Writer and Life & Annuities
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