Pros
The benefits are generally pretty solid, with nice 401k/pension perks and a solid healthcare plan. Training is paid and relatively comprehensive. It could be better in many ways, but it still gives a good head start.
Kontras
Upper management ("leadership") makes decisions that lead to negative outcomes, then throw money/effort at the part of the equation that they control the least, creating unpleasant environments for employees and giving customers few incentives to stay with State Farm. The company's first-point-of-contact claims operation is a perfect example of upper management being unclear on what customers or employees need. After some time, the company decided to invest in training its front line to handle claims as well as record claim information in initial contacts, pivoting to create a more efficient, seamless interaction for policyholders and claimants alike. The major bonus of this change would be to shorten the lifespan of claims by resolving more issues during the company's first interaction the customer. Initially, claims employees reported that the program was a major success, allowing them to tailor claims experiences to individual customers and meet more needs in the initial call. These claims employees had a chance to shine and go the extra mile for customers, reinforcing State Farm's reputation for great service. In the following months, upper management squandered that momentum with a mixture of inadequate staffing, inexplicable scheduling decisions, and curious choices to expand the department's coverage before a reasonable equilibrium set in. Adding all these factors to the exacerbating workload of recent major storms and weather events has left a promising department full of stressed-out burnout risks. Concerns of overwork from front-line employees are generally overlooked, and with more states and licensing requirements being added for the position, "overworked" looks to be a descriptor for State Farm employees in the future. Pairing this stressful environment with an inconsistent promotion schedule and a performance grading system that varies wildly depending on the manager, it gives a demoralizing impression that employees should expect little advancement in exchange for their hard work. This management process/cycle appears to be present in other sections of the company and, in light of the company's recent struggles, it seems to be quite explanatory. The company's adoption of a points/accrual system for attendance has created an adversarial relationship between employee and company. In addition to PTO accrual being agonizingly slow compared to the previous Sick Leave and Time Off regimens, the new system has removed manager discretion from attendance matters, meaning that taking needed time off can be punitive and damaging to career prospects. More employees appear to come to work sick now than before the implementation of the new system because of the draconian points system.