Toxic and Petty - Underwriter Berkley One Employee Review

Berkley One is a high-performing environment with really strong talent across the organization. A lot of people come here because of the opportunity. If you want to make an impact, you can. You are not a cog in the wheel. In my experience, you almost have to trip over yourself not to get opportunity here. There is a real entrepreneurial mindset, and people’s opinions genuinely matter, regardless of level. That shows up in how teams work together and how decisions get made. One thing that stands out to me is the culture. There is not a sense of cliques, managing up, or a boy's club. People are recognized for what they contribute and how they show up, not for playing politics, which matters. From a leadership perspective, my experience has been very different than what is sometimes described. Expectations are high, but they are clear, and there is accountability across the board. There is a genuine focus on building a strong, sustainable business and doing things the right way. One of the biggest reasons I joined and continue to stay is our President. It is rare in this industry to have a female leader at that level who is both incredibly strong from a business perspective and genuinely cares about people. She knows her team, not just what you do, but your family, your life, what matters to you. That is not common in larger organizations, and it creates a culture where people actually feel seen and valued. When you find leadership like that, you do not leave it. We are also unapologetically an in-person company (with 1 flex day at home each week), and I believe that is a big part of why the culture is as strong as it is. There is a level of collaboration that comes from being side by side that is hard to replicate. Flexibility and how we work best is still an ongoing conversation, but in practice I have seen a lot of teams find ways to balance performance and what people need, with a strong focus on being accountable to each other. There continues to be a real investment in talent. The company is willing to hire experienced people and train new, pay competitively, and continue building out the organization in a thoughtful way.

As Berkley One continues to grow at a rapid pace, there are times where attracting and onboarding the right talent struggles to keep up with that growth, which can create pressure on teams. The culture is very relationship-driven, which is a strength, but it can also feel almost too familial at times. People care deeply about the business and each other, and that level of investment can sometimes blur lines or make it harder to step back and recharge.

There are really experienced people here. Many experienced people come here because it's "plug and play". And in order to get people, they have to pay pretty decent salaries. I consider many of the people here my friends.

All of those experienced people are overworked, stressed, tired, and just SAD. There is a shockingly high attrition rate, and even when the company does well you are left to feel under appreciated and almost "punished". If you come here, be prepared to sacrifice your family life--most people who succeed don't have kids, work long hours, and don't care about the lack of flexibility, so they get promoted. Senior management runs the show like dictators, but pretend to be positive. They sent an email last year stating you were "not allowed" to work from home if your child was also home, you were expected to take the day off as PTO or sick--which in many cases is not practical (considering how many days the school system has off, plus time you OR a child could be sick, you wouldn't have any time for an ACTUAL vacation). Some managers will be quiet and try to allow the flexibility but it's at the risk of their own career. We are all forced to be in an office 4 days a week, everyone is worried it'll become 5. They monitor badges, anytime someone leaves all of a sudden senior leadership shows up to sniff out the "culture" and make sure everyone stays in line. A shocking amount of people have left this company. People retire early because they just can't take it anymore, management can't manage, and no matter the incentives they can't get people to come here. Every single week, it seems a good person is gone. We are all so used to it, it's like "who will it be this week??". There are also no development opportunities. They talk about it all the time, and seem to want to create it, but who has the time? Everyone does the job of 5 people and change is slow. They want to be just like Chubb, but they took the worst of what that company was.