Pros
Guaranteed vacation/sick time based on years of service, Christmas bonus = 2 weeks pay, profitability bonus, benefits, and loads of employee discounts. Promotion from within encouraged. It is possible to work your way up with only a high school degree (pro & con depending on who you ask). If you are punctual and don't mind clocking in/out and leaving at exactly 4:45, this is the place for a weekly pay check. If you don't mind getting overly worked and verbally abused day after day, Claims is the place to be. If you don't mind pushing paper, keeping your nose down, and enjoy NOT talking to people, Underwriting is the place to be. IT Contractors appear to have a flexible, collaborative environment. Most employees complain there's "no opportunity for advancement" however, a good manager (extremely rare) will help you get to where you want to be.
Cons
Very political - hopefully your manager knows the game and plays on the right side or the whole department suffers. Unfortunately, that's the reality. Most, if not all, of upper management does NOT have graduate degrees or ability to put personal agendas aside for the success of the company. Many worked their way up and appear to take their positions for granted because they've been at the company so long. Besides the last Claims VP, who came from another company and was well educated, it is rare to see anyone in management get fired. Basically they are uninspiring, do what they want and treat their employees how they want. Lots of staff do not have much experience outside Mercury so it's a lot like high school. People who complain to HR are encouraged to work it out with their managers who ultimately make it so bad for the employee that they usually quit. Many employees have been with company 15+ yrs with no intentions of leaving. Although old school mentality honors longevity, it's looked down upon in today's world and discouraging if you aspire for more professional success. Look around the halls and people look like zombies - they are miserable!