At The Standard you’ll meet people from all walks of life. Some of us have come from other insurance or financial service companies; others joined us without prior industry experience… but there is one thing we all have in common. Together, we represent a community of knowledge and experience wholly dedicated to delivering the best customer experience in any industry. And we do it every day.
We’d like you to meet some of them.
Maura Potestio-Barajas |
I supervise a team of ten premium and billing department employees. I am responsible for maintaining work flow, accuracy, customer service, system process improvements, administrative issues, exception processing, team morale, performance management, and so forth.
I have been in the insurance industry most of my career, and The Standard has always been held in high esteem in our community.
Innovative, customer focused, employee focused. It’s always exciting and it’s rewarding to be working on a product that helps people in their lives.
That because it is an insurance company, it would be boring. Far from it!
That customer service is our focus.
The fact that we are headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Portland is an innovative city with a lot of local talent. We employ great people from a lot of different career backgrounds, even retail. The Standard takes the time to provide the training people need to succeed, and there’s an excellent approach to performance appraisals. You’re evaluated in a good way, so that if you want to learn and grow, the support is there.
The reputation is very good.
No need to.
Again, that the reputation is good, and that we are a community-focused team.
Long-term employees seem to be very happy with the stability of this company. Most employees are very happy with their work, and strive to do the best job they can.
Dependability, knowledge and sense of humor.
I always emphasize the stability and the ability to grow. Not many employers offer such a tremendous amount of growth potential. Individually, as an employee, you’re set up to succeed, not just left to figure everything out for yourself. The training is in place to let you excel at your job, so you have an understanding of everything you do, and you’re not just blindly following a process.
Tanetta Martin |
I supervise the calculation team and the renewal processors to ensure timely and accurate service for new and in-force business and renewals. I also supervise and participate in the training of section personnel to ensure effective, consistent utilization of evolving systems and processes.
A friend who had worked for the company for a long period of time referred me. My friend shared with me how good a company it was to work for. I started as an administrative coordinator who wanted to be a team leader, and I’ve worked my way through the company. I’m living proof of the fact that the company will promote from within, and develop people.
The Standard is a customer-focused, ‘people’ company. It’s not just about money-it’s about people. We give people service that shows we care, that we’re not just about selling products. We’re also involved in our community. We work with many nonprofit organizations, and people donate time to a number of these organizations. It helps us remain a community-based company that understands its roots.
We care about our customers and doing the right thing!
Great customer service and high levels of customer satisfaction. We always take the time to meet the customers’ needs, one customer at a time. We are never too busy to make sure things are done right.
They work hard. They’re focused on customers.
Good, open communication; integrity; unity and teamwork.
It’s a great company to work for. The company really promotes employee growth and development. Furthermore, it likes to promote from within, so you can make a career here.
The company is really focused on doing the right thing when it may not always be the popular or the thing to do. This focus enables us to serve our customers effectively.
Mickey Meyer |
I supervise the Central Region risk team for the National Account Groups-positions on the team include underwriters, contract analysts and underwriting analysts.
It has a community and customer orientation, as well as a family atmosphere among employees.
That they truly care about their customers (both policyholders and claimants).
Our expertise and integrity. We take the time to work with the customer so that they understand what we are doing and why.
Not sure I would.
When I first came to The Standard, it was just to get a job. But in working here, I’ve learned how great a place it is to work-otherwise I wouldn’t have stayed as long as I have.
Their sense of ethics and integrity, wanting to help customers and working with each other as a family.
Their sense of enjoying life and bringing that to the workplace, their ethics and wanting to do what’s right and their sense of caring for one another as well as their clients.
The fact that it felt like a family away from home. I’ve known people at The Standard more than half my life, and they truly feel like part of my close family.
Robert Zeiser |
Financial responsibility in the Retirement Plans Division.
The job itself, the people I interviewed with, and the company Web site. I’ve since moved to a different part of the company and they had the trust in me to allow the transition and shift in responsibilities.
The company has a positive energy. There’s an underlying feeling that we’re here to do more than just make money. We’re helping people achieve financial security, not just focusing on what will be profitable. Too many insurance companies focus only on what people will buy, not on what people need.
If you provide a service that people need and you manage your business well, you will make money. The difference between that and "we’ll do what we must to make money" is enormous, both for an employee and a client.
The focus on the customer. Customer service is seen as an end and not a means.
By making it a priority and creating a culture that encourages creativity and service.
They wonder how we can survive without making our employees work a 50 plus hour week. I’ve worked for insurance companies where long hours are expected, and there’s a drop-off in quality when people are just working to put in face time. If I have to work a few extra hours on a project at The Standard, I’m happier because my time is given, not demanded.
I wouldn’t. People learn when they’re ready to.
No big egos. The sincere appreciation of the importance of the work we do. Honesty.
Just how different it was from any other place I’ve worked. Being in Portland, it’s interesting to be part of a company that’s something of a landmark in the community, in a positive way. It’s a diverse group of people here.
