The culture was grim. People regularly made half joking comments about just needing to survive long enough to be harder to get rid of. That tells you a lot about the level of trust and psychological safety. Most people did not seem to enjoy being there, and the general mood was more about coping than building.
The business feels run extremely lean, in a way that makes day to day work harder and increases pressure on everyone. There was a constant revolving door of staff, which created instability, knowledge loss, and a sense that people are replaceable.
Management of employee benefits function is seen as ruthless and not particularly people focused. The tone from the top felt transactional, with little genuine investment in developing and retaining good advisers.
For an employee benefits company, the employee benefits offering felt underwhelming. Pension contributions in particular felt below what I would expect compared with other employers in the sector.
Compliance processes were another major frustration. They felt poorly designed and overly obstructive, creating admin and delays that got in the way of giving clients the best advice. It often felt like the process mattered more than outcomes for clients.
If you are in the insurance industry, especially in employee benefits, I would seriously consider avoiding this employer.
