customer service representative

actuary

software engineer

developmental disabilities case manager

claims examiner

Canada Life

There's nothing I can say against the best intentions of the people I worked with at Freedom 55, or the company or the industry as a whole. That being said, my moral, ethical, and epistemological framework was simply incompatible with the position in which I found myself as a Financial Adviser.

Certainly there was ample opportunity for me to be successful and earn a lot of money, the truth of which I was rightly, repeatedly reminded The problem was I wasn't a person motivated by earning gobs of money. I entered the industry to help people, in particular good, hardworking, middle-class Canadians. I saw this as a noble effort in and of itself, helping to work to ensure the prominence of the middle class and thereby the efficacy of liberal democracy, liberty, freedom, and the values for which Canadians hold dear to their hearts. I thought working towards such would provide for a sense of fulfillment in my life as a whole, as I would be acting to improve people's lives and help society as a whole.

I saw there was pressing need for someone like me in the industry, especially in light of the financial crisis of 2008 and how the prominence of the middle class all over the world was under attack. The systemic deficiencies that caused the crisis I thought were being resolved as I entered the industry; that the financial sector was changing, and that there might be great opportunity, then, for someone like me. I was looking forward to affecting positive change according to ethics, integrity, in a respected career as a trusted, fiduciary agent for people I care about.

In entering the profession and undergoing training, studying deeply and incorporating past knowledge of foreign markets into my conceptual framework, and in light of the Euro-zone sovereign credit crisis that was ongoing at the time, I didn't learn anything that convinced me that the systemic deficiencies which caused the 2008 financial crisis had been resolved. I was simply not able, therefore, to recommend any market-based financial products to any would-be clients, and could only bring myself to recommend guaranteed investments like GICs, or insurance-based products like permanent life insurance, and, to some extent, segregated funds, etc...To cut a long story short, then, without confidence (short or long-term) in market-sensitive investments, I was very limited in the the investment packages that I felt comfortable offering to potential clients.

Now, as the compensation model was primarily commission-based without any base-salary, I felt I would not be able to earn enough without offering market-sensitive investments. I felt the pressure then, not by the company or anyone in particular, but by the compensation model itself, to promote that which I was not really all that confident in promoting, and, as such, I felt I was in a conflict of interest. For me to be in a position where to earn enough money I would necessarily have to recommend instruments that I was not confident in offering was unacceptable and I had to leave to position.

I would have loved to help people I care about, but would not do so under a commission-based incentive model. I searched out other positions in the industry, which were salary-based, but was unsuccessful in gaining employment. I would be interested in entering the profession again under a salary-based incentive model, but such positions just don't seem to be available. Perhaps it is this very prevalence for commission-based incentive compensation models across the industry which is in and of itself just one of the many systemic deficiencies that needs to be remedied in order to restore confidence to investors? Food for thought.

Read this before even thinking of applying to this job.

First off - this is a one year temporary contract with no guarantee of getting hired on. I can almost guarantee that probably at least 80% of the candidates who get hired end up being let go. No matter how hard you work, you always feel like it's never enough. There's always a TA or supervisor looking over your shoulder or being on your case about meeting goals. Even if you are .5% off your goal, they will still drill you about it. Not only is this job mentally draining, but the quality and productivity goals you are expected to meet are ridiculous and unrealistic. The only way you can possibly meet the goals is if you put in extra time without getting paid for it. At $14.69/hr, I certainly wasn't going to put in extra time for nothing when I knew my efforts were still going to remain unnoticed. It's bad enough that $105/mth went to parking alone - and even worse, in a lot 10-15 minutes away from my building. I had to walk to and from work 10-15 minutes every single day... I don't even want to know what Winters are like there. It's funny how much they expect from their employees and how badly they treat you once you're not meeting their expectations.

This department is a joke and has a high employee turnover rate. I didn't learn about this fact until a couple of months into the role. I didn't even last 6 months into the role. They don't even give you a warning when they plan on letting you go. One day, you're taken into an office where you sit with your direct supervisor and the senior manager. The supervisor repeats many of the things already discussed in prior one-on-one meetings/coaching sessions. Then you're asked if you need a box to pack your things because you're contract is ending and you will no longer be working there as of that day. The senior manager doesn't even say a word to you or wish you luck in your future endeavours.

The worst part is: throughout this contract, you always feel on edge and are waiting for the day when it's your turn to be let go. You never feel comfortable or secure. After work, I found myself always thinking about what's going to happen to me there. You eventually get so discouraged and lose motivation as the days go on, especially when you're not meeting the goals and are not provided with any support or words of encouragement. In all my years of working in the corporate world, I've never had a supervisor tell me to go apply to other companies because there's a chance I won't be around for much longer. Who does that? Instead of motivating your employees, you encourage them to look elsewhere? Very classy.

I hated having to associate with the TA I was assigned with. She talks to people like they're incompetent and most days you don't even want to ask questions about the claims you're working on just to avoid her. She makes an already miserable job that much more depressing. And if you don't ask questions, she'll rat you out to the supervisor. I'm not going to mention her name but I'm sure those who have worked as a Claims Processor will know exactly who I'm talking about.

I'm not giving up on the company and I can't judge it based on the experience of one specific department. I will be applying again at some point but I will never go back to the claims department. It's the worst area to be in, HANDS DOWN! Don't do it unless you want to lose brain cells and feel like you're working in your own jail cell in a sweatshop with no communication with the people around you.

A typical day at work involved being isolated at a computer, in a cubicle, doing highly repetitive work. As a Claims Processor you are given sufficient training, however the practice time is not enough before you hit the floor. The computer systems are out of date, therefore searching for information is tedious which increases the chance of mistakes.
I found the management condescending and witnessed a lot of passive aggressive talking down to employees who were not deemed "super stars". There is a quota to meet and quality expectations which reflect on your team, so they are constantly having meetings about your performance. This would be acceptable except for the weekly meeting in which they hand you a quality certificate ceremoniously in front of your other teammates, much in the same way a mother would give her favorite child a treat. I'm sure it's suppose to be positive but it feels demeaning and embarrassing.
If you are okay with repetitive, uninspiring work and like to work alone than this job is okay. The job itself is much like working in a factory but with the front of a professional environment. The pay is average, but with all the deductions they rope you into, including their pricey insurance, which you can only opt out of during the month of May (unfortunate if you start after that), you end up making significantly less than your wage (approx $2/hr). Also you are not paid for your 1/2 hr of lunch and are expected to come in and make up time missed from Dr.'s appt's etc. (no big deal, just something to consider).
The main building is beautiful and they take you for a tour of the restaurant (5 star chef), gym (brand new, cheap but not free membership), Tim Hortons, art gallery, nurses station, and solarium on the first day. After the tour of the beautiful facilities (which house management and upper administrative offices), they ship you off to their satellite location downtown which is only accessible by bus as parking is too expensive. Thus, by the time you finish work (8 hrs/more if you take OT), you must take two buses to get to the main building. Most people never see the main building, or the beautiful amenities that are housed there, after the first day.
I was surprised to see so many positive reviews of this company on Indeed and suspect that they must have been written by people with higher level jobs or by HR themselves.
The most enjoyable part of the job was the clean and well maintained building and the training staff. The main building would have been nice if I would have had time to access it.

Working here is such a nightmare...  People are unprofessional, some of them are like high school students playing tricks and having their own little circle.  Most of the employees are miserable because the environment is so toxic and overwhelming, so people dislike what they are doing and some of them do not even care to do their work.  The support of the job is very minimal.  The system and equipment are very old and outdated.  For example, the software that we are using is like from early 2000... They always break down and have issues with the software, equipment, and internal network.  No matter how much feedback you gave to the upper managements, they just do not really care and put them into priority.  The words and actions from the company are also not in agreement.  For example, they always promote customer centric business and caring for their own employees’ well being, but they never fulfilled them really.  Our customers always mad and disappointed about our service especially the call centre service.  The customers always have to wait more than a hour to get served.  Sometimes they also have to call at least 3 or 4 times to connect with a representative.  Some of the customers even said they got hang up after few hours of waiting...  The company just does not care to take the service seriously.  The company also threw out a lot of useless events and employees’ breakfast or lunch to make you feel like they really care about you, and those are the only things they do to maintain the culture and the positivity.  Once something happened, they will not do anything to solve or improve.  They will only push all the responsibilities to you and throw you under the bus...  The company and senior managers are very good in giving fake promises and empty words.  They only use their mouths to do their jobs...  Finally, the pay is very low, and you have to handle so much stress and drama.  It is totally not worth it.  If you would like to experience toxic corporate culture with all the politics without getting any recognition and appreciation.  Come join Canada Life and experience fully!!  Once you are here you will know how miserable the corporate life is, what are the real politics and bureaucracy, and what is the real Canadian culture that make our country so great… (ironical)

This is certainly a great place to start your career - a reasonably professional office atmosphere with good branding behind it. 
You can also grow your career here too - there is some room for advancement if you are ambitious and very driven.

The work life balance is ok - at least on par with other reputable companies - but it's not as extraordinary as the company would want you to think. All the same, no big problems for normal situations. 

BUT - 

The work volume can become overwhelming, and does burn people out fairly quickly - particularly in lower level positions. This is exacerbated by high turnover.

Office culture is very chilly - and about as cliquish an environment as I have seen in a workplace. It can and does have an impersonal feel. While the business is based on relationships, its model is very structured and contrived. The result is that (almost) everyone interacts on a very superficial and less than genuine level. This is a problem in that it prevents the creation of fully functional teams, and to help individuals who may be experiencing a difficult time to get back to full performance.

The pay is fairly low in comparison to other employers for similar work. 

The company can be aggravatingly slavish to procedures and internal protocols. If you like everything structured and rules-based then this is the place for you. If you have an entrepreneurial or creative spirit about you - or if you want things to simply be efficient and reasonably sensible - then GWL will drive you nuts. 

While the company demands long-term commitment from staff (as traditionally people would stay with this this company their entire careers), GWL does not always repay this loyalty with appropriate pay increases or bonuses unless you perform at an exceeding level. Mass layoffs and restructuring also occur periodically. 

Bottom line: the company is worthwhile to get a start in, but don't misplace your loyalty - consider looking for better opportunities elsewhere after putting in a couple years of experience if you are not already in an upward trajectory.

People who are promoted are only employees of London Life or Great West Life.  Canada Life employees who moved to London from Toronto do not get a fair shake, and infrequently considered for future advancement.  GWL itself has still not settled the Pension issue with respect to the takeover of CL -- a significant transaction that would not have made GWL the premier financial service provider had it not been purchased by GWL.  We would have been better off being bought by Manulife via hostile takeover.  At least there would be no brand and customer segment confusion.  The products are all the same with the exception of the brand on the paperwork.  The work group setting is very cliquish - so much so that it matters more on who you know instead of what you know, and customer service is not client focussed at all.  Customer Service is defined on how much work you can process. The "definition" of a typical day at work is to load you up with business processing, little or no empowerment over how it's handled, and other teammates will "dump" on you what they won't do -- this happens frequently.  People will "steel" ideas and call them their own. Participative leadership is defined as getting your buy-in on changes already decided upon by management with the misconception that work members have impact or input to change management.  Leaders micro-manage workers so much they cannot make their own decisions on day-to-day variety of customer situations and the structure is so flat that the leaders themselves have no room for advancement either.  Their only out is to retire.  Given the average employment is 30-40 years service -- don't bank on a management job if you work in a department with one of these leaders.  As a result, the overall work environment is very cut-throat.  If you're not part of the clique then you're SOL -- and you may be the most talented of the group you're working in!  A recent graduate with a lot to offer!  

My typical work-day consists of participating in the daily Scrum meetings, planning for the requirements meetings in the week or next as soon as there is a need by identifying and inviting the relevant stakeholders with the defined agenda. Interaction with Enterprise Architects, Solution developers on requirements clarification and solution design. Iteration planning and Iteration demo meetings, Effort estimation by T-shirt sizing and planning poker sessions.  Documentation of the requirements discussions 

Every day, there is so much of learning in terms of designing new experience for the Customers as it calls for innovation in terms of designing system efficient processes, interaction with Business to understand Business, Data Analysis to infer something to provide as a basis for Business decision etc.., 

My co-workers are absolutely great. There is so much of fun while working on things together. It gives me a chance to view somebody else’s work-life and see how things are planned and done from various stand points. There is a lot of give and take. 

I think the hardest part is building rapport and trust with new stakeholders as I come across them. My interactions paves the way for future communication and system requirements. I think it’s hard and at the same time very enjoyable and a chance to expand my world. I should also agree that the hardest part is resolving issues which are right from both the party’s stand points. Drawing a fine line is very hard.

The most enjoyable part of my job is interacting with the people who I need to work with. Some people amaze me and exhibit unique traits which are worth inculcating. I look forward to such interactions.

The company should seriously consider investigating some of the managers there. They will get the answer as to why the turnover is so high.

Typical CSS has a high school or college degree. If you have a university degree you're over qualified. Make sure to negotiate your starting salary. Do not accept anything under 60k. The average salary increase will be 1-2% regardless of your performance. Be aware they will hold anything against you to justify it.

Average tenure is a year. Turnover is very high due to poor salary, bad conditions no advancement opportunities and just blatantly bad managers. If you over perform they'll take advantage of your knowledge and skills and ask you to train less qualified employees with no recognition or compensation. You will be asked to take on the load of your colleagues on disability or vacation but won't be compensated for working basically the jobs of 2 people. Do not show your bosses that you can do more. Do not accept any disrespect or bullying from the bosses. Know your worth on the market.

Bottom line is do your research before accepting an offer. Ask to talk to former and current employees if you can and make note of what they have to say about the current manager. During the interview process ask why the job is permanently opened. Ask yourself why they need to specify in the job description that the ideal candidate must have a positive attitude.

Benefits are great but again you can get the same thing somewhere else. Pension plan is mediocre and not competitive.

A bad manager and bad company can have serious impact on your mental health and your career.

In the BPO...Benefit Payment Office (handling health & dental claims at max speed/accuracy), the atmosphere is grim and bleak.  Mgmt there is cowardly and cliquish, afraid to do anything but the status quo and cover their butts at all times.  When mgmt finally DOES decide to change something, it's generally done without consulting frontline staff who are impacted and who actually know what the *detailed* repercussions to the change will be.   Mgmt WILL consult staff for trivialities like how we should decorate the department walls for Halloween (basically like how a Grade 4 teacher treats their class of little kids) - and act like inviting your opinion on this is some big favour.   Heck, you can't even ask your coworkers job-related 'what process do we follow in THIS situation?' type questions, you have to SAVE the question for a Tuesday or Thursday when the team assistant goes from desk to desk to answer questions!!  So you have row after row of silent zombies working frantically on their computers afraid to talk to each other except at breaks.   In contrast, in the more corporate areas of Head Office, the atmosphere between you and other staff and mgmt is mostly cordial/relaxed, yet professional, and you FEEL more respected, you can consult with/be consulted by your coworkers...most of the jobs are not so repetitive, you're more likely to be noticed for good ideas and innovations.  Basically, the BPO is soul-suckingly dreary whereas the more corporate departments (say underwriting, marketing, etc) are actually enjoyable, less stressful and more validating for the worker.  Night and day.  BPO 1 star, *anywhere else* 4-5 stars.

Great West Life is a great company however was very rigid with the employees ( limited flexibility with work/life consideration) .
I had to sign on at 9:00am  promptly I could not deviate by one second. however if the call should exceed 5:00 pm there was no compensation or appreciation for the extra time unless the call exceeded 20 minutes.
The Verbiage was so rigid that I was dinged for saying have a nice day instead of a solid good by at the end of the call.
I was shocked that they adapted to a very cold uncaring manner on a call rather then a friendly caring manner.   .  
I felt that  after working for Sun Life financial I could not stop comparing the two companies and felt that Great West Life was a  very little fish swimming in a very big Insurance pond and could not match to the level of professionalism Sun Life Financial offered.
Management was not supportive of the employees never gave us the
benefit of the doubt.
I was accused of hanging up on a caller when that was not the case I searched and found PROOF to the contrary and  when the proof was provided I did not receive the apology I was awarded. 
They have a week training team and Managers.
My co-workers were friendly and worked with their heads down low to keep out of managements radar.
I didn't like the way the people where treated there.
The best part of the job was the pleasant co-workers( excluding
 management) people felt very depreciated in this company.

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