Aviva
Happiness score is 40 out of 100
3.8 out of 5 stars.
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Aviva Employee Reviews

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United Kingdom483 reviews

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3.8Work-life balance
3.7Pay & benefits
3.3Job security & advancement
3.4Management
3.6Culture

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Unpredictable work place

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Aviva can be a great place to work but very unpredictable. The pay & benefits you get from working here are amazing but I often think the job itself is not worth the stress. The calls you take are repetitive and there can be a lot of pressure when it gets busy. Management can be up and down but some senior managers are complete clowns and are so out of touch with the people who actually do the work. The saying “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” applies strongly here.

Pros

Excellent benefits

Cons

Unpredictable, depending on the department, you may have to work bank holidays, no free parking
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Good place to work

I have enjoyed my time at Aviva, they really looked after you during the transition of working in the office to working at home. Good pay, good pension and good work environment.

Pros

Pension, benefits, well-being

Cons

Hard to progress
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apalling managers . lost their way

left after a number of years there. Only thing anyone is interested in is how much work is outstanding. not interested in how much youve actually done or the quality of it. Audit is a joke so people can get away with poor work in order to remain up to date. try doing the job properly and its a slippery slope with Ops managers with zero technical knowledge hounding you about work outstanding. If you have any problems they refer you to employee assistance agency as the managers have had no training at all in management. most have got there by default. managers required to authorise EVERY decision. you have no authority on anything under their latest ridiculous working idea. however the managers are in meetings for 3/4 of the day. though goodness knows what they are discussing

Pros

working from home. if they stick to this

Cons

terrible managers. constant changing of work practices
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Okay if you fit the box

It takes ages to progress unless you get a decent team leader who sees the value in you. Otherwise calls are nitpicked with promises of a couple more months to reach the next level and on and on. Favouritism when opportunities arise. Sick pay for new staff has recently been removed and it’s been halved for long term staff. Staff are required to travel to the office at least 3 days a week, despite WFH during lockdowns and several of the larger sites being closed down, along with the free parking and bus travel, making it more expensive to work there. Staff are constantly monitored and berated for IT issues. Inadequate training. High turnover of new staff, plus more experienced staff leaving. Jump through hoops to get equipment and it’s frequently either wrong or doesn’t work properly. Jump through hoops to book holiday when you actually want it. Well-being team is unqualified and can exacerbate mental health issues. Employee Assistance Programme is good as far as it goes, but if you’re not “cured” and still unable to do *exactly* what they want you to do, they won’t make accommodations, even if there is work available that can be done and you’ve been a valuable employee previously.

Pros

The annual bonus, Employee Assistance Programme is good for what it is.

Cons

Angry customers, big brother and terrible well-being for mental health issues in my experience.
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Training ruined the whole job

The training does not prepare you for the job at hand I've been here a while now and I'm still awaiting referrals and telling customers to call back or I will call them back later as I have no authority to make my own decisions and if I make my own decisions I get told off! Was kept back in training with no specific reason why, spoke to some colleagues about my experience here and agreed I was being treated differently in training. The company seems like it's good to work for but some people in there treat you like dirt unfortunately to the point where I've now left

Pros

Discounts across Aviva products

Cons

Clunky systems, starting wage difficult to live with
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It's ok

If you are just looking for a job then it will be very good for you. The pay is a bit lower than other companies, however, there are sharesave schemes and a yearly bonus that is usually between £1000 and £1500 for entry level staff. So it ends up about equal. Career progression is extremely tough, areas of the business have 1000+ entry level staff so its a lot of people to compete with for 1 opportunity. There are many departments in aviva that do almost everything, from marketing, IT, data science etc... Its really exciting and you can talk to them and get involved sometimes, however, the chance of them taking on an internal staff member for promotion is almost 0. Fresh grads from university are favoured.

Pros

Up to £80 free shares every month, yearly bonus, 6 months sick pay, relaxed atmosphere, no dress code, flexible hours, phisio therapy allowance, cancer treatment allowance, small recognition bonusus

Cons

Lower pay, there is almost absolutely 0 chance of career progression
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Norwich Call centre

Based on the call centre environment - Job is very mentally demanding but can sometimes be rewarding by means of feedback from customers, colleagues and internal points based rewards system. Fairly decent pension / bonuses and okay benefits. Have to jump through hoops in order to use your holiday hours though! Not enough flexibility and erratic shift patterns so work life balance isn't great. Experienced toxicity and cliques when in the office, unprofessional management and hypocrisy within the company. However, did meet some good people who are willing to go out of their way for you. Doing this job from home can be draining - constantly monitored and tracked. IT systems are janky and convoluted - takes up a lot of space at home as you need dual monitors because of all the systems you have to use. Massive company, so easy to get lost in, unoticed and undervalued - just another number. Can't speak for the other non-call centre roles within aviva, but they seem okay. You have to give a lot of yourself to this company to get anywhere. A lot of decisions are made by higher up people who are far removed from what actually goes on a day to day basis in the call centre, which often leads to confusion and things not working properly. Culture of competitiveness and non-teamwork between different management from different departments with lack of communication which means staff and customers get caught in the middle. Gained some good work experience but wouldn't recommend staying in the call centre long if you value your sanity.

Pros

Pension, benefits

Cons

Stressful. Inconsistent.
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Good management and team plus teamwork

Dealing with claims.Learnt to handle complex claims.People were good to work with and fun to be with.Hardest part of the job is to make customers happy when disputing car accidents.Enjoyable part of the job is making customers happy - made an elderly lady with a broken ankle happy when arranging for our motor engineer to visist her to inspect her damaged vehicle.

Pros

Free drinks, management were understanding and helpful
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Bad management

The job itself isn't too difficult however you are constantly watched and micromanaged. To progress anywhere you need to suck up to managers, resulting in people getting promoted just because of who they are friends with. Hours were okay but shift pattern not great. Don't really feel like a person but more just a number. Wellbeing team were great, and some good benefits like discounts at certain places, good amount of holiday too.

Pros

Good holiday, social events

Cons

Favouritism by managers
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If your face doesn't fit you out.

Can be a great place to work, sadly the people in management are not professional. If you kiss backsides with management you will be fine. There are some lovely people too but people come ago due to bad management sorry to say. No car parking unless you been there 20 years

Pros

Good canteen

Cons

Very disorganized
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anxiety, depression, stress. These issues came after joining aviva

treated like a number an unfeeling robot .Everything is calculated/watched even how long you spend away from your desk to go to the loo.what adds insult to injury is how Aviva will spend thousands on arguing the fact that they are the most inclusive most compassionate and caring employer out there which they are not . There is a never ending line of customers waiting to take their anger out on you and a never needing line of managers trying to come up with another reason as to why your job is in jeopardy if you do not bend to their will . Imagine going into a holiday break with the threat looming over your head of being forcibly moved to another department doing a job you would have never applied for . Then to wait months for something to happen and nothing comes of it . Looking back I think management were just manipulating us so we did complain about being open every bank holiday and having to work through complaint emails while taking calls from customers or taking multiple live chats at a time . It’s all very stressful and the culture is very suck up to management and you will do great here , have an opinion and be an outcast

Pros

Good wage

Cons

Work every bank holiday, depressing work
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Very stressful

You are a sitting target if anything goes wrong, the mangers in charge of the cleaning are excellent, But Aviva itself, only protects its office and higher staff, Not bad wages for cleaning which is a low paid sector anyway so living wage Is good, But as I said if anything goes wrong it’s our fault Which is very unfair, Your not part of anything really not valued as a person

Pros

Lovely cleaner mangers very understanding and caring

Cons

Great when nothing at all goes wrong, jobs always at risk
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Great environment

Worked for Aviva for only 6 mo this but I can assure you it was the best experience. First you get benefits and discounts from pretty much every shop. The training and the people are very nice and helpful. The managers are excellent, each manager ‘specialises’ on one thing: payroll, holidays, quality etc. Free coffee, and in house kitchen with staff

Pros

37.5 hours per week. Culture

Cons

Salary
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Wages are great but you’re just a number.

The wages are fantastic for Norwich, even at entry level (phone workers) it’s really monotonous work which is HIGHLY scripted though, you don’t have conversations you just read things. The ‘leaders’ there don’t have any real management skills or actual leadership training they are just people who’s face fit or typical yes people. They don’t rock the boat and just do as their told by the senior leadership team. Means your support and development just comes down to if the big boss likes you or not. The senior leaders where I worked have been there decades, they have no real inclination to change anything or progress. As a result their is little movement or change , they use the right language but it’s just a ‘do your job’ undertone. They used to be really flexible hours wise to support parents but recently it was deemed bad for business so now you have to do a minimum of 22 hours a week and include a lot of evenings or weekends (so not really flexible anymore) If you don’t want to progress and happy to be a number in exchange for great pay and some truely great benefits (pension discounts and others) then it’s a great job. If you want more sense of achievement then I’d avoid.

Pros

Pay. Discounts. Pension.

Cons

Lacks ambition to change. Top down. Leaders lack skills or training.
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Run for the hills

They sell the job to you as not your usual call centre, no call time targets etc. It’s a lie. Everything you do is scrutinised. Very poor when an emergency or childcare situation crops up. The expectation is that someone else deals with your child or emergency, anything as long as your bum is in the seat. Put the fear of god into staff calling in sick. Absence is managed by the rule book and not by the circumstances of the staff member. Currently trying to enforce the attitude that their staff are key workers, should send children to school so they don’t have to make allowances for people struggling to juggle in the current environment. Spend all day wiping the customers back side. It appears that nothing is the responsibility of Aviva’s customer anymore. They aren’t even expected to actually call to make a claim. Constant complaints from entitled people who feel everything is your job. Aviva have permitted this ethos by not backing up staff. You are expected to be available to take new calls and pander to other customers every need. You are unable to successfully do both and are penalised for it.

Pros

Pay

Cons

No flexibility, bums on seats mentality
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Good company with some cons

Don’t get me wrong Aviva are good. Their benefits are outstanding and the pay is good, but there’s something missing, their turning very target driven and they are a bit messy.

Pros

Pension scheme, benefits, flexible working, free stuff

Cons

Stressful, not understanding
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Challenging and Rewarding

The processes constantly change so you have to be willing to adapt and swiftly retain new information. The management is a mixed bag - I never had a bad manager myself, and there are many good, efficient and helpful souls there, along with plenty of dreck. The quality of your workday will largely depend on which manager you are working under. You will be responsible for Co-ordinating roadside assistance and liaising with garages regarding repairs, and you'll also be called on to make liability judgements and vehicle valuations. You'll need an even temperament, patience, assertiveness and the ability to have confidence in your decision making. The best part of the day is being able to help out a customer or colleague in need and make their day better. The worst part is trying to explain to stubborn people why they are at fault for an accident. There are experts there to help with regards to liability and vehicle valuation, but it is not always easy to get ahold of them. The progression system is firm but fair, scheduling are usually quite helpful if you need to move shifts around.

Pros

Good team spirit, quiet areas for lunchtime reading/watching movies on headphones.

Cons

Progression is relentless, office politics enter the mix at management level
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Amazing to work for

The management are wonderful, I had a small breakdown while I was there due to family matters, they looked after me and was always there when I needed them.
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na

i have no comments the place is okay to work but they make you work with less wages .the environment is good in regards to your teamthey do not understand when your on sick leave they get into action to dismiss you .management do not understand your needs

Pros

na

Cons

they need to help their staff if on sick leave not dismiss them with stupid excue
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Stressful and very demanding

When first joined aviva really enjoyed my role, this then changed to a very demanding role, which progressed to yet another role within same department. Latterly the role proved that you were just a number. Only interested in your productivity not your wellbeing. Not the place for everyone, not an easy role, constantly answering calls which were monitored, expected to take so many in an hour ...if you didn't.....questions were asked !

Pros

None

Cons

Stressful, shifts, weekend working
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Good Company to work for

There are lots of opportunities for advancement They support a good work/life balanceNo matter this office you are based in it is a good working environmentThey have good benefits for working with them

Pros

Share savers scheme

Cons

Went through lots of restructures
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Overall rating

3.8

Based on 1,205 reviews
5
405
4
405
3
258
2
72
1
65

Ratings by category

3.8Work/Life Balance
3.7Salary/Benefits
3.3Job security/advancement
3.4Management
3.6Culture

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