In claims, they are incredibly reactionary when it comes to productivity metrics and it breeds problems. Rather than keeping somewhat consistent staffing levels, they immediately move people if they have a dip in volume in one area to cover some other area that may be having a spike. On paper that might sound like a good idea but it amounts to medical reps being assigned first party damage claims and upper level injury reps being given homeowner losses. In the end, you have the wrong person often handling the file or trying to handle it and frustration for the employees as well as the customers. The multiple transfers was a frequent complaint from customers.
Not long before I left, they were also becoming rather fanatical about customer surveys. It if wasn't a fantastic review, the sky was falling. What change those surveys were creating and what justified the reactions, I'm not sure since most seem to be centered around the things that most insureds complain about: (1) you didn't pay me enough, (2) you paid the other person too much, (3) it wasn't my fault but you want to raise my rates, and (4) no one ever called me. The company is not going to change policy based on these responses and the last one is often a bit of a fabrication by someone seeking to reach a point up the chain to change #1. The real problems, reps not making callbacks or making wrong decisions are typically known without the help of the survey. If a survey is the first indication of those kinds of problems, shame on the immediate manager. With Travelers, you also ran the risk of getting a bad survey because the file had touched so many hands but it happened to land in yours when it was filled out.
Workloads are excessive more often than not. Claims is never a 40hr a week job, everyone knows that, but because reps will come in early, eat lunch at their desk and stay after-hours does not mean that the target file counts should be stretched by regularly 50% or more. It was just a classic situation of having to work the hours to keep your head above water but by doing so you set the expectation with management that you were ok with it. I did not feel that this was the mindset of immediate management but I also don't think they realized the hours that individuals were putting in.
