What's the company culture at Aetna?

Every business has it's own style. What is the office environment and culture like at Aetna?

Are people dressed in business casual, jeans and t-shirts, or full-on suits? Do folks get together for Friday happy hours and friendly get-togethers?

What is a typical day in the life of an employee at Aetna?

AETNA is a good company to work for if you can toe the line.

Higher level thinkers need not apply; mgt sees you as a cog in their financial wheel!

If you are creative, START YOUR OWN BUSINESS

You have GOT to see what their benefits package is...really bottom of the barrel stuff. More like the old basic/major medical "bare bones" plans! Check it out: www.aetna.com/working/assets/2007_benefits_and_rates_at_glance.pdf

I am a current employee at aetna and actually on here looking for another job. First of all you should not think for yourself. Free thinking is not allowed, and if you are intellegent and show it you will be basically thrown aside. They are looking for poeple whom keep their mouth shut, do not come up with ideas, and agree with everything that is said.

You say one negative thing to the wrong person and its all over the place. The Minnetonka location is run by a clique of people.. when you are in you are in but once you get out watch out. management does not respond to emial, half the time you cannot find your manager if you need them.. not even sure what management does. if you are quiet, softspoken and meek you will get far in this company.. but as the first poster said if you have any sort of brain you wont make it.

The company is run on "AETNA VALUES" which dont apply to anything. The insurance benifits are horrible, chances for advancement slim to none. This is how the Minnesota location is ran i cant say anything about the other locations but from what i see its pretty much the same.

my supervisor was great... he deserves better! :)

I work for the Plantation office and can tell you that Aetna is not the place to work. As the other's have stated, the insurance is horrible! How do you work for the "top" insurance company in the world and have the crappiest health insurance??? We have people actually going into debt and collect agencies after us because the pay is so low and the insurance we have to pay out of pocket doesn't equal to what we make.

As far as advancement, forget it. It's all about who you know or who you clique with and I agree...the more quiet you are, the further your go because they do like people thinking for themselves. I am trying so hard to get out of there!

unknown in Minneapolis, Minnesota said: I am a current employee at aetna and actually on here looking for another job. First of all you should not think for yourself. Free thinking is not allowed, and if you are intellegent and show it you will be basically thrown aside. They are looking for poeple whom keep their mouth shut, do not come up with ideas, and agree with everything that is said.

You say one negative thing to the wrong person and its all over the place. The Minnetonka location is run by a clique of people.. when you are in you are in but once you get out watch out. management does not respond to emial, half the time you cannot find your manager if you need them.. not even sure what management does. if you are quiet, softspoken and meek you will get far in this company.. but as the first poster said if you have any sort of brain you wont make it.

The company is run on "AETNA VALUES" which dont apply to anything. The insurance benifits are horrible, chances for advancement slim to none. This is how the Minnesota location is ran i cant say anything about the other locations but from what i see its pretty much the same.

I would like to see Michael Moore do a take on AETNA employees.. ex AETNA employees...in fact the entire insurance industy's employees.

AETNA needs inovation, new blood...investors that are interested in the employees who enhance the company and are truly rewarded for it.
When I worked there, I had a lot of great clients who were very appreciative of my candor and honesty as well as my tenacity in getting them what they needed. As well, I had no problem identifying how AETNA was not meeting the needs of the members. I also had solutions! However, when I really needed them to back me and help me..due to a health issue,it wasnt in the budget. I was able to turn many situations into good ones.. you would think that that mattered?
Good companies are hard to find! Profit and non-profit organizations are only concerned with the bottom line. Employee retention is at the BOTTOM of the priority list. We live in a sad state of affairs... and big money.. like AETNA could do a lot for the moral, welfare and positive attitutes in the public sector as well as their employee group. It would trickle down and make the businesses sweeter and a better place to work. However, this was not the case and will take an ingenious CEO and CFO and Board of Directors to truly present honesty and integrity...not just in their words, 'THE AETNA WAY'., but in the actions as well.

Host said: Every business has it's own style. What is the office environment and culture like at Aetna?

Are people dressed in business casual, jeans and t-shirts, or full-on suits? Do folks get together for Friday happy hours and friendly get-togethers?

What is a typical day in the life of an employee at Aetna?

The typical day in the life of an Aetna employee is survival of the fitest. You need to wear shark repellant clothes Monday thru Friday. It's business casual Monday thru Thursday, Friday looks like everyone goes to the beach. No Friday Happy hours or get togethers, just wondering if the job will be there on Monday, and happy that you didn't get eaten alive by the corporate Aetna sharks!!!!

Shhh..Can't tell in Fort Lauderdale, Florida said: I work for the Plantation office and can tell you that Aetna is not the place to work. As the other's have stated, the insurance is horrible! How do you work for the "top" insurance company in the world and have the crappiest health insurance??? We have people actually going into debt and collect agencies after us because the pay is so low and the insurance we have to pay out of pocket doesn't equal to what we make.

As far as advancement, forget it. It's all about who you know or who you clique with and I agree...the more quiet you are, the further your go because they do like people thinking for themselves. I am trying so hard to get out of there!

Can I ask what you do for their company? If thats not to much, because I'm actually interested in their company and I've heard good news until today but their is always two sides to a story and I haven't heard the other side so is it worth apply for the company or what????

I have worked for 6 different insurance companies and am shocked to read the comments stated. I am not an Aetna employee but am in the process of attempting to find a position with the company. The treatment I have received has been professional, sensitive and helpful. The interviews I have had to date have been thorough and educational. In the 6 carriers I have worked for you will always find issues - and no place is perfect. Being in between jobs is very demanding, stressful, tough and unfair to many but it makes you appreciate the importance of discipline, sacrifice and the need to be at times painfully tough and honest in running a successful business. Perhaps there is something I am missing, but the Aetna representatives I have encountered have been just as honest, knowledgeable and fair as any of the others I have experienced. Competition for jobs is tough and sometimes I think that we are spoiled. There are likely many (several better qualified and many less costly) for any job opening that you are leaving. There is no nirvana and I would have you temper your comments by walking a mile in an unemployed or underemployed persons shoes before you condemn Aetna and American industry (still the most productive in the world)for being less than perfect.

It is refreshing and nice to read a positive note about Aetna, not sure if it is this site or not! But seems as though a lot of people are bored with their lives which happen to contain Aetna in them. I am considering returning to the insurance world and relocating. So happens that Aetna is hiring for my old position in the city I am moving to - I looking forward to an interview if they still find me appealing...curious to know what other health care companies you have worked for an why you left?

Hi Lawrence, how is your job search? Did you start working for Aetna? I've worked for and interviewed with other health insurance companies and of course a red flag would be if their front people (HR, Recruiters, etc) were NOT courteous and professional. It's what happens once you get the job and are past training; that is where the comments about a company are most useful. It's like a first date, most people will be on their P&Q's to make a good first impression, but it's after they've relaxed and gotten used to you that you see the real deal about the environment and conditions.

So if you have gotten the job, how is it going now. What area of Aetna do you work?

Lawrence,
How has it worked out with Aetna, any updates? Anyone have a link to the 2008 benefits pdf, there was one from 2007.

Lawrence Ragland in Lawrence, Massachusetts said: I have worked for 6 different insurance companies and am shocked to read the comments stated. I am not an Aetna employee but am in the process of attempting to find a position with the company. The treatment I have received has been professional, sensitive and helpful. The interviews I have had to date have been thorough and educational. In the 6 carriers I have worked for you will always find issues - and no place is perfect. Being in between jobs is very demanding, stressful, tough and unfair to many but it makes you appreciate the importance of discipline, sacrifice and the need to be at times painfully tough and honest in running a successful business. Perhaps there is something I am missing, but the Aetna representatives I have encountered have been just as honest, knowledgeable and fair as any of the others I have experienced. Competition for jobs is tough and sometimes I think that we are spoiled. There are likely many (several better qualified and many less costly) for any job opening that you are leaving. There is no nirvana and I would have you temper your comments by walking a mile in an unemployed or underemployed persons shoes before you condemn Aetna and American industry (still the most productive in the world)for being less than perfect.

unknown in Minneapolis, Minnesota said: I am a current employee at aetna and actually on here looking for another job. First of all you should not think for yourself. Free thinking is not allowed, and if you are intellegent and show it you will be basically thrown aside. They are looking for poeple whom keep their mouth shut, do not come up with ideas, and agree with everything that is said.

You say one negative thing to the wrong person and its all over the place. The Minnetonka location is run by a clique of people.. when you are in you are in but once you get out watch out. management does not respond to emial, half the time you cannot find your manager if you need them.. not even sure what management does. if you are quiet, softspoken and meek you will get far in this company.. but as the first poster said if you have any sort of brain you wont make it.

The company is run on "AETNA VALUES" which dont apply to anything. The insurance benifits are horrible, chances for advancement slim to none. This is how the Minnesota location is ran i cant say anything about the other locations but from what i see its pretty much the same.

I also Worked at aetna and these are true statements.

I worked at Aetna for a little over 3 years and was a part of the December 2008 layoffs. I have now had a chance to think about the situation and cool down. Here is the deal. If you are hired on to Aetna, it may not be a bad place to work; however, if you are a part of an acquisition or a buyout and are mid level or higher, beware, Aetna is a bad place to work. The corporate people know more than you and they are out to get you removed, as they are very insecure about themselves and their jobs. There is poor communication, and everyone has secrets and will stab you in the back. It really does not matter how good you are at your job, or how happy your direct reports are, as you still stand a chance to be the victim of the bean counters of this for profit public company, what is best for the business/policy holders really does not matter, it is all about what is best for the short term stock holders. This will be proven if and when Aetna sells its PBM unit. If Aetna really cared about health outcomes and saving member/patient money, the best thing they could do would be to keep this business unit, as it saves the members dollars by controlling the costs of medications, both on the medical side (via Specialty Pharmacy), and the Pharmacy side (via the mail order business). It is a short term smart move to dump this business unit, as the revenue is outstanding and they can demand high dollars; however, if you are concerned about the long term, this business unit really saves costs and saves the members/plans/customers a great deal of money which can lead to driving premiums down (isn’t that what consumers want? Lower healthcare premiums?) If Ron Williams (the president) would have forgone ¼ of his 2008 bonus, Aetna could saved the jobs of its 1000 employees that it laid off…..Aetna does not care about its employees, they are just numbers….Aetna laid off 1000 human beings in the worst economy we have seen in years…..how is that for caring? Did I say that it ha