Great Benefits, not much opportunity to advance - Anonymous employee Wellmark Employee Review

2.0
12 Dec 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company has a diverse and strong inclusion culture. The benefits are fantastic - however the medical insurance is not as affordable as you might expect. The educational benefits are wonderful - just do not anticipate promoting when you complete programs. New parent support program is wonderful. Bonus program is ethical and moral for the welfare of the members and the employees. On-site market and cafeteria are good options. Company pays well and expects the work to be at a high level. You will earn your pay.

Cons

Very difficult to advance. The company has a CEO of your career program that touts helping advancement but they are not that willing to promote from within, even if you use their education assistance program. This city has a lot of insurance companies and since Wellmark generally requires 4+ years for any exempt level position, it is very easy for them to find seasoned employees outside the company and therefore easier to hire externally than to grow their own employees. If you are looking for a place to grow and promote, this is not the place for you, go to another company to get the skills and experience and then apply here to move forward. Opportunities that are given tend to be more of "who you know" than "what you know or what you can do". "Work from home" is not an option. Some technology seems to be behind - the phone system is terrible. The building temperatures vary greatly from area to area, never know what to expect - always have layers available.

Explore other reviews about Wellmark

5.0
21 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This company lives by its mission. Truly working toward improving overall health of all Iowas and South Dakotans. Spearheading ongoing initiatives to reducing member burden, trying to fill in gaps where rural life creates access burdens, and being engaged with the community.

Cons

Slow change. Many processes created are not open to growth and evolution often being told, that’s how we set it up five years ago and it’s worked fine. Also, inclusive to an extent. There are times where if your beliefs do not align with the majority, specifically related to politics there are opportunities for improvement. As part of a diverse and value driven culture, it’s important to recognize not all beliefs are the same.

2.0
31 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

• Nice facility in the Des Moines office with a beautiful gym. • Strong mission and meaningful work that genuinely motivates many employees • Opportunities to work on complex, large-scale initiatives • Some leaders are supportive and open to collaboration

Cons

• Inconsistent people management and accountability across teams. • Repeated concerns raised by multiple employees are often minimized, which prevents issues from being addressed effectively • Limited follow-through when interpersonal or performance issues are escalated, impacting psychological safety. • SAFe has rollout faced significant challenges, and it created a lot of uncertainty. Many colleagues have expressed concerns about their job security. • Good old boys club on tech side of the house • Rigid RTO mandate has replaced flexibility with monitoring. Despite clear evidence that teams were productive remotely during COVID, time in office is now tracked and reported to execs, reinforcing optics over outcomes

3
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