A typical day involved multiple meetings, many of which could have been handled via email. Frequent interruptions and context switching made it difficult to focus on primary tasks. There was a lot of after-hours work, including 4 AM releases every two weeks, and at times, you were expected to work overnight and then a full shift the next day. I was often called into work while on PTO as well, which made achieving a work-life balance challenging.
Another major issue is the lack of a proper onboarding process for new employees to understand the complexities of the insurance industry. This responsibility often fell on the veteran IT team members, who had to teach the business side to others in addition to their primary roles. They attempt to follow Agile methodologies, but deadlines are often pre-decided or ignored when developers provide estimations. Horizontal teams are overburdened and understaffed to meet the demands of the vertical teams, which creates additional stress. Upper IT leadership was difficult to access, resistant to alternative opinions, and prioritized profitable teams over others. Promotions typically required proving yourself by doing the work of the next level for years before being considered.