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Western Financial Group Reviews
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    Western Financial Group Reviews

    Updated 15 May, 2018
    94 reviews

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    3.5
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    Western Financial Group President and CEO Kenny Nicholls
    Kenny Nicholls
    28 Ratings

    94 Employee Reviews

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    Pros

    • "We have really good benefits, 3 weeks of vacation days/year to start along with flex days and sick days" (in 7 reviews)

    • "They realize there has to be a fair work/life balance" (in 4 reviews)

    Cons

    • "No training although head office wants to believe they have the best training" (in 7 reviews)

    • "The micro management and cancerous environment brought about at the mid management level made the environment extremely toxic" (in 4 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons
    1. Featured Review

      "My branch has been a great place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      Current Employee - Insurance Advisor in Medicine Hat, AB
      Current Employee - Insurance Advisor in Medicine Hat, AB
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I have been working at Western Financial Group full-time

      Pros

      I have read many of the reviews, some very negative. I can only speak from my experience. I am still fairly new to Western and to the insurance field but my experience has been nothing but positive and supportive. The branch management team has supported my growth, they see my success as success for the company.

      Training has been very structured and well paced. The office environment has been good, this branch really does feel like a family (and yes, every family has some dysfunction, but compared to other places I have worked this is minor).

      The pay and benefits are competitive, I have heard that the starting salary is a little lower than other brokerages but the increased vacation and benefits offsets this.

      One of the things about Western that was most appealing to me is the focus on local community and the push to be involved, whether with fundraising efforts, volunteering, or supporting in other ways. Insurance is very much a corporate endeavor, so if being involved in your community and giving back is also important to you, Western is a great place to do that.

      Cons

      I am still new to Western, I have not come across much in the way of negatives yet.

      Advice to Management

      Read through the reviews. Clearly there are some issues in some (perhaps many) of the branches, but not all. Find what is working well, try to replicate it in places where things are not going well. You don't need to reinvent the wheel.

      Western Financial Group Response

      8 Feb, 2018 – Digital Media Specialist

      Thanks for taking the time to review us. We appreciate it!

    2. "Great Company & Culture"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Western Financial Group full-time

      Pros

      - Positive work environment encouraging growth and learning;
      - Competitive salaries;
      - Engaged leadership team who are not afraid to work hard;

      Cons

      - Commute is not easy if you do not have your own vehicle.

      Advice to Management

      Keep doing what you're doing.

      3. Join the Western Financial Group team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "Interesting work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Western Financial Group full-time

      Pros

      The variety of project types has kept me her for 5+ years.

      Cons

      The drive from the city- it is long

    4. "Had enough"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend

      I have been working at Western Financial Group full-time

      Pros

      I'm sure there are some out there but my experience has been overwhelmingly negative

      Cons

      Where do I start.

      - Unreasonable expectations/workload
      - Huge amounts of inconsistency between departments and even within departments - you can get 5 different answers to the same question without looking very hard and no matter which way you do it you will get in trouble from the other 4 people for doing it wrong.
      - Managers appear to be able to get away with anything, and if an employee makes a complaint head office sides with the manager without question (and usually without even looking into the situation)
      - I could go on and on, but I'll just leave it with this advice: work elsewhere unless you're prepared to hold your tongue and never question anything while putting up with mistreatment that borders on abuse.

      Advice to Management

      Judging from these reviews, every one at the Medicine Hat branch is happy (and decided to report this on the same day as each other), perhaps you should model everything after that branch.

      Western Financial Group Response

      29 May, 2018 – Social Media Specialist

      Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns. We’re glad to hear that there are some pros of the job, however, we were disappointed to hear that you’ve been having a tough time with your... More

    5. "Very quite quite company - no hustle bussle"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Accounting in High River, AB
      Former Employee - Accounting in High River, AB

      I worked at Western Financial Group full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Fair workload, no unnecessary dump of work. A very calm and quite atmosphere to work. Eases good amount of pressure off you with it. And 37.5 hrs a week is also appreciable.

      Cons

      Very closed like culture. No major discussions around. Improvement ideas are not valued.

      Advice to Management

      Please have transparency in the management.

    6. "Not good"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at Western Financial Group full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Pay and benefits are good for a small town

      Cons

      Worst micromanagement. Upper management has no idea how employees in branches really feel because they only hear from their managers. No training although head office wants to believe they have the best training. Fairness is one of the key items they note in everything they do but doesn't apply at all to employees.

      Advice to Management

      Management doesn't want to hear from employees.

      Western Financial Group Response

      23 May, 2018 – Social Media Specialist

      Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. I am sorry to learn that your experience lately has not matched our intention of being a great place to work and, values that include... More

    7. "can make either great money or pretty much minimum wage"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Western Financial Group full-time

      Pros

      Good pay if u sell alot. All phone sales. good benefits. (must enjoy cold calling companies all day everyday)

      Cons

      If you don't sell every month (most don't) you dont work there anymore. Very high turnover (reps and mgmnt). Senior management is out to lunch

    8. "Account Executive"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Account Executive in Medicine Hat, AB
      Current Employee - Account Executive in Medicine Hat, AB
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Western Financial Group full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Great work environment. Supported 100% by management. Lots of room to grow in your career. Great guiding principles.

      Cons

      Every job has its mundane tasks - nothing really to note

      Western Financial Group Response

      8 Feb, 2018 – Digital Media Specialist

      We appreciate you taking the time to review us!

    9. "Great company to work for"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Insurance Broker in Medicine Hat, AB
      Current Employee - Insurance Broker in Medicine Hat, AB
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Western Financial Group full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Stable company, lots of opportunity for advancement, company allows for good balance between family and work.

      Cons

      Training can be slow, tons to learn to understand the industry

      Western Financial Group Response

      8 Feb, 2018 – Digital Media Specialist

      Thanks for taking the time to review Western.

    10. "Great Place to Work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Medicine Hat, AB
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Medicine Hat, AB
      Recommends

      I have been working at Western Financial Group full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Western Financial Group is a great employer. We have really good benefits, 3 weeks of vacation days/year to start along with flex days and sick days. If you contribute to RRSP's or ESOP's through them, they will match up to a certain %. They realize there has to be a fair work/life balance. Our branch is like an extended family. We all come together to help a colleague during a hard time. I truly believe you should love your job and I'm lucky to love mine.

      Cons

      You must have or pass your level 1 exam within the probationary period to keep your job.

      Western Financial Group Response

      8 Mar, 2018 – Digital Media Specialist

      Thanks for the review. It's great to hear that you love your job with Western!

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