Execs are spending and spinning out of control
Pros
Employees with some longevity are genuinely nice and would like to partner with others to build a sutstainable, successful company.
Cons
Execs are 97% white men who all worked together elsewhere before coming to Symetra. They don't have great reputations in the industry, so that puts a cloud over Symetra. (There is a buzz throughout the industry, but they are too arrogant to listen or to care.) They pay each other very well and do a LOT of wining and dining each other at sporting events. The managers are not leaders; they were handed the positions by their friends, so they have no idea what it means to empower employees or foster a positive work environment. New employees actually make comments that they were hired because they are "smarter and better". In reality, they are arrogant and rude, and don't have a clue about this business. HR violations take place on a daily basis, but nobody cares. Leaders yell and curse at employees on a daily basis as well. Everyone knows not to even talk to HR because management is called within seconds of an employee reporting a complaint. Retaliations runs rampant. That is the undercurrent of the new culture at Symetra. Fear and intimidation define the culture. It's sad.