The Problem With The Hartford (Disability Claims) 4 Points
Pros
It is a growing company with lots of good benefits. For the most part the people that work here are good people with some bad apples (like anywhere). If you are interested in working remotely then this might be the company to look into. Wage wise you could get lucky as some are paid significantly more than others doing the same role. They do offer annual bonuses and merit increases (which is rare in this type of position). However please read on to the Cons.
Cons
There are 4 specific cons. Please note you will need to attend a 7-week training class and must pass the final exam at the end. If you do not pass well… the job is not for you. However before you even apply to this position and waste your valuable time and energy really consider the following. This is a very high stress type of job and work environment. You must have thick skin and you must have a Type A personality. If you do not…move on and apply for something else. Please read on. Unrealistic expectations: The work environment will be that of being stressed out every single day. You will be monitored and scrutinized. The workload will be unreasonable and massive. Although you need to understand the policy and how it relates to the situation at hand as well as understand medical and financials and have good analytical skills… the job is truly task driven. You must complete your tasks within a certain time frame or else you are put on a list. Once on this list you will be harped on and looked on as if you are a non-performing employee. As soon as this happens micromanagement begins. Then the termination process. So either you understand the job or you do not. If you do not you will be terminated accordingly in a relatively short period of time (verbal warning – written warning). Upper management in disability claims only want Type A personalities working in their claim shop. You must perform. If you do not you will be fired. The mentality is the Company has no time to offer you extra training (“We put you through 7 weeks. You should know the job!”) or cut you any slack. Do not believe when management say they want to help you. Management does not. They have to put up an act. They use politically correct terms like “learning opportunities” to satisfy the EEOC. Management and “smart alcek” co-workers will state “USE KMT!” KMT. KMT is a way to push you off so management does not have to spend time with you. So ask yourself this: Do you have a Type A Personality? Are you able to handle high stress and high scrutiny from your boss? Are you able to handle your co-workers claims when they are out and handle your own at the same time (this is truly unrealistic and you will be thrown under the bus by your co-workers often)? Can you push yourself to the limits to get your tasks within standards in a 40hr week (You will be a non-exempt EE)? Are you OK with NO Work Life Balance? Poor Leadership: It is of the opinion of many employees who feel there are some senior leaders to managers to TLs that are not truly qualified for the role they are in. Senior leaders only want results. They DO NOT care about why the numbers are poor. They only want results. They want “instant gratification” so they can go back to the executives to show how well their org is doing. Thus it is communicated from the top down (TLs) that if someone is struggling with their job… terminate them. This type of leadership is something you do not want to experience. It creates a very highly pressurized work environment. It’s an every man and woman for themselves. Throw you under the bus" tactic is used often by many. When employees are openly discussing job searches and job interviews with competitors, being unhappy, comparing salary, comparing reviews you know there is an issue. Remote workforce: There are A LOT OF employees that work at home. This is a fatal flaw. In a claim shop you need to have people together and face to face. Sure they say we use Skype and video. It is not the same dynamic as going into a conference room with everyone sitting down in front of each other to discuss a claim. When you have to talk to someone in person face to face vs on Skype on video, trust me it is a different dynamic and definitely a different result. For the most part most do work in the office but there are certain claim areas that are fully remote. Not a good idea. They say hey it gets us different talent across the USA. BS I say (saving on costs). In order to have a highly productive and highly efficient claim shop – you need to have the workers in the shop working together face to face in person. Nuff said. Badging: The company has a certification program where if you meet certain criteria and a “board approves” you earn a digital badge on your company profile. Won’t go into the specifics but the concept is flawed. It is nice to be recognized for proven skills and accomplishments however the badging program has turned into a game where people try to out do each other. They say if you want to post internally you need certain badges. This turns into people treating others differently. Looking down on them if you do not have this badge or that badge or this advanced badge, etc… It creates a work environment where you must constantly prove yourself to everyone and then be treated differently. So know if you come here you will be pressured into getting all your badges. If you do not you will be looked down on and picked on (just like grade school). It’s just how it goes. Concept is flawed as it creates animosity, dirty competition, formal HR complaints and undue stress. You already got enough on your plate. Just be warned although you work in the disability claim shop you most likely will be going on disability yourself based on being stressed out 24/7/365. There are only a small percentage of people that can truly do this grueling style of work. Make sure you understand all of this before accepting a job offer for this role.