Pros
1. For the work, there is SO MUCH availability for benefits. Health insurance is top tier, life insurance, disability insurance, PET INSURANCE. And they're all reasonably priced, considering.
2. Career Advancement is readily available if you have the qualifications. Certain departments play more fast and loose with qualification requirements for internal hires, but some can't afford to do so. Career advancement is available 6 months after hire/movement into another role.
3. Individual managers tend to be very responsive, empathetic, and flexible. I've worked under 4 different managers in my time here, and 3 of them were/are the best managers I've had in any industry; the other one (not current) was still a pretty good one.
4. Despite the communication issues, the transparency of upper management when asked a simple clarifying question is completely incomparable. NEVER, before this company, have I faced such an openness from upper management to explain things without facing a hierarchy of communication. The hierarchy still exists for some things, but many things are open wide.
5. Before my current role, I was on the "floor," so to speak, answering calls with Member Support (many of the upper roles came from Member Support). While there are always problematic callers, by and large, most callers are very relatable and understanding. Most calls are very friendly, with callers looking to talk with you for longer! Patience is, of course, required for the elderly clientele, but it is a very rewarding experience, especially when you receive a call from someone thanking you for the service that helped save a life.
6. The camaraderie within the business is amazingly rewarding. I have friends from several departments, including those who have become friends outside of work (which is not something that is common for me).
7. The company is VERY LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC friendly, with optional pronouns available in signatures and continuous practices in line with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Disabilities are often accommodated within reason.
Cons
1. In upper levels and in a project sense, many changes that are made aren't really communicated or communicated well to the ground-level workers. This is a bad habit many companies have, not exclusive to Medical Guardian, but I believe Medical Guardian can do better. Many issues like this can be easily explained by timetables that are too short, or a need to adapt to changes as they come, but there is always a way to adapt in a way that communicates these things to people. A company is made by the people who make it up, and the lack of communication (not a lack of transparency; if you ask a senior manager, they will answer) paints a picture of the company that is contrary to what they want. I personally have done my best to keep up with this, but it's more of a systemic change that needs to be made rather than any individual's effort.
2. A common HR practice across all industries is to tell people they are moving to the next stages of interviews, only to not schedule them when they are being rejected. This HR department does the same, so stay in close communication with HR if you're getting an interview. Transparency and honesty should start in HR, especially when the referral was a family member. This cut me deeply, personally.
3. The politics of corporate office is present and suffocating. Lots of toxic positivity in upper management regarding projects that don't actually land well at all, and projects that are pushed way too fast to land well. Projects need to be longer, but upper management won't allow those projects enough time to really be developed, and it ends with not even a stumble, but a full-on collapse. This might be because of shareholders' and investors' expectations, but investors SHOULD feel honored to invest in the fastest-growing company in the PERS space and expect that projects will be completed in a competent way.