I’m not surprised by the news, I’m sure the othe Safeco folks that Mike brought over are looking over their shoulders. Then again, I’m sure they have nice packages waiting for them if they get let go from FFIC.
Mike let his Safeco buds run the place and they cut so many people since he was appointed. I was one of the worker bees cut in 2010. Hey, no red tag sale for Mike for sure — he and his Safeco Team leading Sales and Marketing are over their heads.
I was one of Safeco’s worker bees that was cut in ’07…my job was sent to India…Tata Corporation. I wonder what company LaRocco is going to have a hand in selling out next?
Well, I’m not surprised either, but that’s the end of our agreement. “Over his head”, is very doubtful. The problem that he ran into, was a carrier that’s still stuck in the 1970’s. He was speaking a foreign language to these FF employees. Things like, change, technology, immediacy, competitiveness, ease of use, etc. I recently attended a company meeting, and I’ll give them an A+ for the “round table” discussions. Breaking us down into groups of 8-10 and having a conversation was a Superior idea. Unfortunately, when it came to discussing real situations, instead of the easy platitudes, they retracted and went into their “we’re better” and that’s all you need to know, philosophy. They became very confrontational with the agency force, and that’s not a recipe for continued success. There attitude of “this is just the way we do it” is why the general insurance industry is continuing to eat into their HNW’s. They are getting younger every day, and an increasing percentage of those HNW’s will expect their transactions to be different. Fireman’s Fund corporat does not get that, and it’s too bad.
I tried to work with Mike to help bring some badly needed STP with underwritten quotes technology to FF. They are using 1990 technology trying to compete in today’s market. There seemed to be too many ‘fiefdoms’. I think our project was shot down simply because current tech would replace 50 or so underwriting/tech folks and they scuttled it. How do you succeed when your own people are working against you?
The field understood Mike. It was the home office that did not have a clue and could not lead in new technology. I was a 15 year employee and FFIC always talked about “breaking down the silos” mainly HO hiding out in HO. That is the real problem. The same incompetent people in HO have driven the company to ruin. Regarding the new leader Lori, it took her 3 years to visit the largest FFIC office in Walnut Creek, less than an hour away from Novato. WHen she did come out she basically blamed all the ills on the underwriters!! Good leadership. The culture is dead there and soon the company will follow.
I’m proud to work for a company that promotes from within and gives the CEO position to an African American female. We are very focused on doing what it takes to meet our agents and customers needs. It’s a great time to be at Fireman’s Fund!
Interesting – Did they “give” the position to Ms.Fouche because she is an African American female or did she earn that honor through her own hard work, irrespective of her gender or ethnicity? I’m so tired of the sex/ethno nonsense.
That question wouldn’t cross anyone’s mind if the newly named CEO was a white male as they have been at FF for the past 104 years. A CEO’s race and gender has absolutely no bearing on their ability to do the job. It’s unfortunate that “sips” and 13 others who liked this comment feels it’s necessary to doubt someone’s qualifications due to their race or gender, neither of which will help the CEO successfully run a company. What “sex/ethno nonsense” are you referring to ? I’m so tired of people who primarily judge others based on their gender or race.
Well, then Current Employee should not have brought it up to begin with. I think that’s why people liked sips’ comment. Male, female, white, black, or rainbow should not matter. Ability and results are the qualification that should be focused upon, and anytime somebody brings up the other fluff, they should be called on it. Like it or not…
Wow! What a great comment. By pretending to be a Neanderthal, racist moron, you cleverly highlighted how stupid people appear when they make ignorant comments like that. Very insightful Sips!
That is BS. Promotes from within?? “It’s a great time to work at FFIC????? Please. The only people who get promoted at ffic are home office people and most do not have a clue what the u/w’s are doing or how to underwrite. Before I left the company (recently) I wrote a HUGE account that I had to bully the HO on as they were scared to write it. I spent over a week working on this account and when I wrote it I was repremanded for not changing my vm from the previous day. FFIC has been internalized for the last 5 years and only focuses on the negative. You must be in Novato because you are completely out of touch with the missery that the underwriters are going through as well as the comments the agents are saying, most will not place business with FFIC. PS I am not taking all the good accounts from FFIC…like taking candy from a baby :)
I see the opinions are varied, but I believe this change should be received to signify a change in prior direction at FFIC. Fouche’s expertise is commercial and high niche markets, which is FFIC’s traditional strength. I believe you will see additional attention given to the opinion of our agents as the focus is applied to our traditional business. I cannot comment on the new ceo from an ‘earned it or not’ point of view. I can comment that those who work with her have consistently found her engaged and in control. Not every company needs to be a player in general market; it’s not this company’s forte at this point. There are some real strengths; those should be focused on going forward. Number one will be repairing relationships with agents who have been disappointed.
Those who work with her are all home office yes men and women, who for years have been hiding out down in Novato. Trust me when I say, the underwriters dislike her with a passion. The company has internalized and forgotten about the agent. She has no idea how to work with the everyday worker (underwriter). IF she did, they would not all be so unhappy and trying to leave.
yes, that is not the “main HQ” but a smaller office I suppose; 6 others, some will take thru the end of 2012 to close due to leases; I don’t recall all locations but Lisle, Illinois, Denver, and KC are 3 I recall in addition to the SF office.
The Fund closing those offices for a reason. They are all small offices with very large real estate costs associated with them. It makes no sense to keep an office open with only 12 employees when the exact same work is done out of one of the service centers with over 500 employees. The jobs are not being “lost”, they are being relocated. Paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for brick and mortar when it isn’t necessary is foolish. This change should have been made 5 years ago when their service centers were starting.
The change at the top will prove to be what FFIC needs. It is time the AGENTS came first and I believe Lori will be the person to make that happen. LaRocco made a lot of promises, but anyone within the organization will tell you his leadership ability was questioned from day one and his approval ratings by the employees dropped on a quarterly basis. Lori commands respect and she doesn’t pull any punches. This is the best thing that could have happened to Fireman’s Fund since Allianz purchased them.
What you say is interesting. I understand, however, that over 200 people that did not take early retirement are being cut. Call it what you will but “relocation” will result in people out of work. The Fund leaving SF has particular interest given their history. Amex started the problem by selling the real estate on California St. and moving to Novato. Insular location where everyone in the big fancy building can tell each other how well they are doing with no real input from the marketplace. I do hope for the best in the future but if you think a service center with 500 employees will have a better result than offices where agents are located then this represents a paradigm shift. Call it Esurance.
this is not a new concept, it more of a move to efficiency. the 500 count in STL has been present since approx oct 2009; and prior to that, it’s been 300 plus since 2006 in another, smaller location.
operating small offices cost more dollars; many of those closures are being offered the oppo to work from home. The actual reduction is small, and many will have the opp to apply for other roles. But there is a reduction. FFIC has operated with a large central claims office concept since 2003 or so for pd losses.
Speaking as a former Safeco leader who worked with LaRocco, this isn’t surprising. I think there was some partying when he left Safeco for FF. He lacked leadership then & he actually didn’t take “Safeco” people to FF, he took the previously Geico folks he brought to Safeco with him then, to FF. True blue Safeco leadership didn’t operate with that style.
I had a chance to meet Mike while I worked at FFIC and he seemed very personable, engaging and I genuinely liked him and his philosophy. I also had a chance to meet Lori Fouche and she was nice – ALOT more hands-off than Mike was. The problem FFIC has is they change their “focus” every 2 years. A couple years ago, the emphasis was middle market. Push, push, push middle market. Then it changed to small business. Grow ABC policies. Push, push, push…forget middle market. Due to the size of FFIC and it’s presence in the US – they really need to find and stay in their “niche market” instead of tail-spinning every 2 years to chase another fish. Just when the employees are pursuing and growing the focus, the focus changes. I think one of the comments Mike used a few years ago is that FFIC was a “burning platform”. Long time employees got the hint and started bailing on FFIC in droves. Nobody wants to stay on a sinking ship. In the 3 years I worked there, in my small office alone (35+ people), 5 people with 25 years experience or more jumped ship to a more stable insurance company (underwriters, claim adjuster, loss control and client services). I hope for my friends that still work there that Lori Fouche can help the company take a turn for the better but she didn’t instill very much confidence when I met her and she discussed her plans for Commercial.
I’m not surprised by the news, I’m sure the othe Safeco folks that Mike brought over are looking over their shoulders. Then again, I’m sure they have nice packages waiting for them if they get let go from FFIC.
Mike let his Safeco buds run the place and they cut so many people since he was appointed. I was one of the worker bees cut in 2010. Hey, no red tag sale for Mike for sure — he and his Safeco Team leading Sales and Marketing are over their heads.
Who’s next? can’t wait to see who gets tossed out next…I have my money on >>>>>>
I was one of Safeco’s worker bees that was cut in ’07…my job was sent to India…Tata Corporation. I wonder what company LaRocco is going to have a hand in selling out next?
Well, I’m not surprised either, but that’s the end of our agreement. “Over his head”, is very doubtful. The problem that he ran into, was a carrier that’s still stuck in the 1970’s. He was speaking a foreign language to these FF employees. Things like, change, technology, immediacy, competitiveness, ease of use, etc. I recently attended a company meeting, and I’ll give them an A+ for the “round table” discussions. Breaking us down into groups of 8-10 and having a conversation was a Superior idea. Unfortunately, when it came to discussing real situations, instead of the easy platitudes, they retracted and went into their “we’re better” and that’s all you need to know, philosophy. They became very confrontational with the agency force, and that’s not a recipe for continued success. There attitude of “this is just the way we do it” is why the general insurance industry is continuing to eat into their HNW’s. They are getting younger every day, and an increasing percentage of those HNW’s will expect their transactions to be different. Fireman’s Fund corporat does not get that, and it’s too bad.
I have to echo this.
I tried to work with Mike to help bring some badly needed STP with underwritten quotes technology to FF. They are using 1990 technology trying to compete in today’s market. There seemed to be too many ‘fiefdoms’. I think our project was shot down simply because current tech would replace 50 or so underwriting/tech folks and they scuttled it. How do you succeed when your own people are working against you?
The field understood Mike. It was the home office that did not have a clue and could not lead in new technology. I was a 15 year employee and FFIC always talked about “breaking down the silos” mainly HO hiding out in HO. That is the real problem. The same incompetent people in HO have driven the company to ruin. Regarding the new leader Lori, it took her 3 years to visit the largest FFIC office in Walnut Creek, less than an hour away from Novato. WHen she did come out she basically blamed all the ills on the underwriters!! Good leadership. The culture is dead there and soon the company will follow.
I’m proud to work for a company that promotes from within and gives the CEO position to an African American female. We are very focused on doing what it takes to meet our agents and customers needs. It’s a great time to be at Fireman’s Fund!
Interesting – Did they “give” the position to Ms.Fouche because she is an African American female or did she earn that honor through her own hard work, irrespective of her gender or ethnicity? I’m so tired of the sex/ethno nonsense.
That question wouldn’t cross anyone’s mind if the newly named CEO was a white male as they have been at FF for the past 104 years. A CEO’s race and gender has absolutely no bearing on their ability to do the job. It’s unfortunate that “sips” and 13 others who liked this comment feels it’s necessary to doubt someone’s qualifications due to their race or gender, neither of which will help the CEO successfully run a company. What “sex/ethno nonsense” are you referring to ? I’m so tired of people who primarily judge others based on their gender or race.
Well, then Current Employee should not have brought it up to begin with. I think that’s why people liked sips’ comment. Male, female, white, black, or rainbow should not matter. Ability and results are the qualification that should be focused upon, and anytime somebody brings up the other fluff, they should be called on it. Like it or not…
Wow! What a great comment. By pretending to be a Neanderthal, racist moron, you cleverly highlighted how stupid people appear when they make ignorant comments like that. Very insightful Sips!
That is BS. Promotes from within?? “It’s a great time to work at FFIC????? Please. The only people who get promoted at ffic are home office people and most do not have a clue what the u/w’s are doing or how to underwrite. Before I left the company (recently) I wrote a HUGE account that I had to bully the HO on as they were scared to write it. I spent over a week working on this account and when I wrote it I was repremanded for not changing my vm from the previous day. FFIC has been internalized for the last 5 years and only focuses on the negative. You must be in Novato because you are completely out of touch with the missery that the underwriters are going through as well as the comments the agents are saying, most will not place business with FFIC. PS I am not taking all the good accounts from FFIC…like taking candy from a baby :)
This company is in a tail spin and this just shows where it is ultimately headed.
I see the opinions are varied, but I believe this change should be received to signify a change in prior direction at FFIC. Fouche’s expertise is commercial and high niche markets, which is FFIC’s traditional strength. I believe you will see additional attention given to the opinion of our agents as the focus is applied to our traditional business. I cannot comment on the new ceo from an ‘earned it or not’ point of view. I can comment that those who work with her have consistently found her engaged and in control. Not every company needs to be a player in general market; it’s not this company’s forte at this point. There are some real strengths; those should be focused on going forward. Number one will be repairing relationships with agents who have been disappointed.
i have been told the fund is closing san francisco and east bay offices as well as about six others. true?
Those who work with her are all home office yes men and women, who for years have been hiding out down in Novato. Trust me when I say, the underwriters dislike her with a passion. The company has internalized and forgotten about the agent. She has no idea how to work with the everyday worker (underwriter). IF she did, they would not all be so unhappy and trying to leave.
yes, that is not the “main HQ” but a smaller office I suppose; 6 others, some will take thru the end of 2012 to close due to leases; I don’t recall all locations but Lisle, Illinois, Denver, and KC are 3 I recall in addition to the SF office.
The Fund closing those offices for a reason. They are all small offices with very large real estate costs associated with them. It makes no sense to keep an office open with only 12 employees when the exact same work is done out of one of the service centers with over 500 employees. The jobs are not being “lost”, they are being relocated. Paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for brick and mortar when it isn’t necessary is foolish. This change should have been made 5 years ago when their service centers were starting.
The change at the top will prove to be what FFIC needs. It is time the AGENTS came first and I believe Lori will be the person to make that happen. LaRocco made a lot of promises, but anyone within the organization will tell you his leadership ability was questioned from day one and his approval ratings by the employees dropped on a quarterly basis. Lori commands respect and she doesn’t pull any punches. This is the best thing that could have happened to Fireman’s Fund since Allianz purchased them.
What you say is interesting. I understand, however, that over 200 people that did not take early retirement are being cut. Call it what you will but “relocation” will result in people out of work. The Fund leaving SF has particular interest given their history. Amex started the problem by selling the real estate on California St. and moving to Novato. Insular location where everyone in the big fancy building can tell each other how well they are doing with no real input from the marketplace. I do hope for the best in the future but if you think a service center with 500 employees will have a better result than offices where agents are located then this represents a paradigm shift. Call it Esurance.
this is not a new concept, it more of a move to efficiency. the 500 count in STL has been present since approx oct 2009; and prior to that, it’s been 300 plus since 2006 in another, smaller location.
operating small offices cost more dollars; many of those closures are being offered the oppo to work from home. The actual reduction is small, and many will have the opp to apply for other roles. But there is a reduction. FFIC has operated with a large central claims office concept since 2003 or so for pd losses.
also, that 500 headcount includes employees from Allianz Marine group and AZ service.
Speaking as a former Safeco leader who worked with LaRocco, this isn’t surprising. I think there was some partying when he left Safeco for FF. He lacked leadership then & he actually didn’t take “Safeco” people to FF, he took the previously Geico folks he brought to Safeco with him then, to FF. True blue Safeco leadership didn’t operate with that style.
I had a chance to meet Mike while I worked at FFIC and he seemed very personable, engaging and I genuinely liked him and his philosophy. I also had a chance to meet Lori Fouche and she was nice – ALOT more hands-off than Mike was. The problem FFIC has is they change their “focus” every 2 years. A couple years ago, the emphasis was middle market. Push, push, push middle market. Then it changed to small business. Grow ABC policies. Push, push, push…forget middle market. Due to the size of FFIC and it’s presence in the US – they really need to find and stay in their “niche market” instead of tail-spinning every 2 years to chase another fish. Just when the employees are pursuing and growing the focus, the focus changes. I think one of the comments Mike used a few years ago is that FFIC was a “burning platform”. Long time employees got the hint and started bailing on FFIC in droves. Nobody wants to stay on a sinking ship. In the 3 years I worked there, in my small office alone (35+ people), 5 people with 25 years experience or more jumped ship to a more stable insurance company (underwriters, claim adjuster, loss control and client services). I hope for my friends that still work there that Lori Fouche can help the company take a turn for the better but she didn’t instill very much confidence when I met her and she discussed her plans for Commercial.