Zurich Insurance reviews

Zurich is a big, matrix company and decision-making and change comes slowly. Frequently, too many people have to approve or comment on initiatives before they can more forward. While awareness is good, it really slows down getting things done quickly. IT services are fair; many software applications which we must use are outdated (e.g., Office 2002, Microsoft Content Management System, Notes 6.5), thus leading to inefficiency. Getting the latest software to do your job well can be a challenge. Work-life balance can difficult. An employee really has to take charge and manage the situation, because your supervisor is frequently under pressure that gets passed on to you..

The matrix organization is overly complex and reporting lines are often unclear. This is due in part to the ongoing shift from a organization based on independent country units to one trending towards global functions. Also, much of ZFS management comes from accounting or consulting backgrounds and thus have recreated a sort of academic partnership-style of leading which does not emphasize individual accountability. Due largely to continuing organizational changes and poor communication between reporting units, McKinseys permeate the place both as consultants and as internal hires (ZFS is one of their largest global contracts.) Given the tradition of employing masses of consultants, management has been coddled to the point that decision-making is viewed largely as commissioning another set of slides. Major initiatives rarely get pushed through to completion given the lack of management ownership. Data is also fairly poorly coordinated / unavailable on most levels.