So many folks bust their tails to achieve something at Allstate and for what? To get treated like expendable pawns, walked all over, and eventually tossed aside like yesterday's trash. This place has lost its way. It's stuck in this perpetual transition mode and heading toward oblivion because those who genuinely give a damn are all packing up and leaving.
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Big corporations have changed over the past 40 years. Used to be employees were enticed with great benefits and a pension to work for. It created great loyalty and it was very common to see 30-40 year employees who would bleed for their company.
That has all shifted such that only those at the top reap the golden parachutes and employees became expenses that companies would constantly look to see how much spiffs they could shave off without outright losing their workforce. Job hopping, contract gigs, and offshore cost savings have replaced the loyalists.
If you want to go where the money and appreciation for your work lies then you need to either start your own business or work for a smaller family-owned operation.
So with all the complaining about how poorly this monstrosity is being run you have to recognize that if you have the talent that exceeds their appreciation that you are also missing out on your opportunity to utilize it somewhere that would.
Fear of the unknown is a tough pill to swallow but is it that much different from staying where you are at? Most of us see this ship we are on sinking slowly....a few lifeboats have already been put in the ocean and there are still some on the ship but surely not enough to save everyone. Do you get off now? Wait for the last lifeboat? Go down with the ship? Or think the hole can be repaired before it takes on too much water?
Sadly, Allstate is not alone in how they treat employees these days. I haven't been there as long as others, but I am told this current behavior is relatively new. It's rough out there and companies are just looking at employees as numbers. At least Allstate continues to provide severance when they RIF - an alarming number of companies just cut with no warning or severance. Work for a company you like, doing what you are good at, with people you enjoy working with - don't look for a company to view you as anything more than you view them. They want shareholder value - you want to pay your bills in the best way possible.
Step away from the drama, and enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving (US folks) with your family. That's what's important.
Treat the execs and shareholders as they treat you. don't stress, just do what you have to do to keep the paycheck coming in. Do not give any more than that because even if you are better than expected rating you are destined to eventually be tossed aside for foreign workers making 1/4 of what you do. And if that doesn't happen then your position will just be eliminated as a part of the failed and disgraced Transformative Growth and you will be sacrificed as a cost cutting so Wilson and Rizzo can keep making bank.
This company is not worth the stress. just do what is required minimally for that deposit every two weeks. Remember that those who should care don't so why should you?
The ASC engineer is 100% on the mark. What drives our tech development isn't customer centric, cost efficient development but old fashioned 'carrot and stick', put project milestones in the ground and flog teams to meet them project management. Allstate can no more pivot efficiently to meet market demand than a battleship can turn. People's bonus checks are driven by hitting milestone dates and THAT'S what determines priority. The customer and the market never enter the picture because the cliques think they know better than the market. Add to that they are insulated almost completely from the day to day reality of what it takes to deliver anything semi-efficiently and here we are today.
That all said, in response to the original post: It's a soulless multi-national corporation. Of course we're all just numbers. That's the reality in most medium or larger organizations. They don't care. If you're just now realizing that, I pity you.
Still whining and collecting a paycheck. Sounds like the 30 years of tenure crew who add nothing to this company with their outdated ideas and cliques.
Now go give someone applause points or a connections meeting yoga session
The pain this company has caused can only be viewed positively as we recall how strong it’s made our resolve. They don’t care about people. The way they’ve made everyone “feel” is lasting. We need people with a high level of emotional intelligence running things. Where have all the good idealistic motivating and inspiring leaders gone? We whine because we don’t see these qualities at any level of management. People crave leadership. This place ain’t got none.
The Board and current leadership have failed miserably to guide the company to profitability. The TG initiative has failed! Look at the numbers: minimal financial gain at the expense of good service for our customers and agents.
New technology capabilities at a significantly reduced cost is the way forward for Allstate. IT leadership however has been a complete failure in helping business partners leverage new tech capabilities. The CIO has failed for thirteen straight years to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Every couple of years, we have new initiatives that eventually fizzle after having wasted millions of dollars, resulting in countless layoffs. The "new" CIO is part of the same clique and continues with disastrous policies. Classic applications are outdated and highly costly.
ASC is a complete mess; DCIOs care more about UI experience and speeding up some processes than reducing the cost of technology. Technology spending is rampant, and there is no connection to profitability. It is time that "leaders" are held accountable! Out with the CIO and business executives who have allowed the acquisition of companies that add nothing to the Allstate portfolio, have facilitated the devastation of IT, and continue to allow the waste of capital on projects that never end(ASC).
IT Leaders(CIO/DCIOs), with some notable exceptions, don't have a clue about running IT in a business-like manner. The reason is largely that they have not come up through the ranks and never developed the requisite experience.
The clique rewards and promotes members who are unqualified to lead Allstate IT. Better IT leadership is what we need to get out of the mess that we are in as a company. There are so many good CIOs out there; why can't we move away from the current hostile caste /clique environment that stifles open communications, limits innovation and exchange of ideas, and finally makes the change the company desperately needs? Why has our CEO allowed the formation of this dangerous caste/clique in IT?
If you have not guessed it yet, I am an engineer assigned to the ASC program. I live through the craziness daily.
It’s a holiday week. Stop whining and enjoy time with your friends - unless they are whiners too.