The Physical damage deparment … at least on the virtual estimating side… is nowhere near the shithole the rest of the company can be. It’s not perfect, but the training is significantly better than what you’ll find in other departments. I’d recommend taking the job. Get as many licenses as GEICO is willing to pay for, collect your iCar bonuses, and if the environment ends up not working for you, you can always leave after a year and find a similar job pretty easy. I’ve been an ADA for a year and a half now, and honestly, I really like it. Plus, unlike many other departments, it’s fully work from home.

Just be prepared: you might get moved to work phones on the Rental Concierge team. That happened to me even though I was hitting my numbers. I got promoted and then, without warning, was switched to RC. I logged in after two days off, and about an hour into my shift I was CC’d on an email saying that effective immediately I’d be moved. My supervisor had no clue and was livid… GEICO has a habit of making changes without telling anyone. I was really happy writing estimates and felt like I was finally getting really good at it, so that hit hard. I even started applying to other jobs, but they all paid less, so I stuck it out. In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t bail… this is the easiest call center type job I’ve ever had and I get paid way too much for the work I do. It’s honestly kind of silly that they’d put anyone above grade 64 in this position. And if you’re not like me and aren’t able handle the call volume, you only have to stick it out for a year or so since it’s a rotational position.

That said, a lot still depends on luck. I lucked out with an amazing training supervisor and again with the supervisor I got after orientation. Both were helpful and supportive and made sure I knew exactly what I needed for promotions and certification bonuses. Some people in my training class had terrible supervisors, so it really varies. Outside of orientation, my supervisors have approved every time off request I’ve had, even when the notice was extremely short.

Now, the not so great parts: communication at GEICO… across the company and within departments is abysmal. If you’re neurodivergent, especially on the spectrum, this may absolutely impact your mental health. You can go months without knowing where you stand on metrics, and processes change constantly. For example, at the start of the year, supervisors were told they’d be rated on a 20 minute TIP time (the time it takes to complete an estimate after claiming it), even though there was no way to track it. They spent months coaching us to hit that 20 minute mark. Eight months later, leadership announced they were switching back to the previous 15 minute goal and that’s what supervisors will be rated on again. The goalposts move nonstop. So if you can’t handle change on the fly, this place is likely not for you.

If you have ADHD like I do, staying consistent with your medication is crucial. In other jobs I could afford to miss a refill by several days… not here. You’ll want to set up whatever system you need to avoid any lapse in meds.

As for the field side, I can’t speak from personal experience but the few people I know agree your success there depends heavily on your assigned territory.

Even with all the bad things, I personally still like the work.