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Service dog gives Allstater a voice
Allstate recognizes the transition from military to civilian life is not always easy. Understanding and responding to the needs of military and veteran families and offering real protection is a company commitment.
Brandon Lewis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004. By the time he retired in 2015, he’d been deployed twice, seen combat and watched fellow servicemembers die. Living with the effects of a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, Brandon prepared to transition to civilian life. He realized the stresses of war would follow him home. He wasn’t alone. Brandon saw physicians weekly and took new medications that were supposed to help with his mental and physical challenges. But, after months, he felt no change.
“[With the medication], my family used to think of me as a person with no emotions,” Brandon said. “But the truth is, having no emotions isn’t fun. It’s not easy to have a conversation with people. You learn how to make everything numb. I knew I needed to get better.”
In 2017, he met his saving grace: Boothe, a 2-year-old black lab service dog. Boothe changed things for him. He experiences dizziness frequently as a result of his injuries, and Boothe stays with him at all times to keep him stable. Boothe also helps calm his anxiety and migraines, both symptoms of TBI and PTSD. Beyond that, Boothe is there to listen.
“A lot of vets are like me: They don’t want to talk,” Brandon said. “The dogs are there to help you open up. I can tell Boothe everything, and he won’t go and talk to anybody else.”
And in February 2018, Boothe became the first service dog to join the Lubbock Market Claim Office (MCO). “My sister told me that Allstate was hiring, so I decided to apply,” Brandon said. After accepting the job at Allstate, Brandon decided to come to the office prior to his first day to meet his team – and introduce Boothe to his new surroundings. “It was important to me to let everyone know about Boothe,” Brandon said. Today, Boothe is part of the team.
“I want people at Allstate – and any company – to know that if you are a vet with PTSD, you are not alone,” Brandon said. “Veterans are not ticking time bombs; they can truly help this business. I want to let veterans know if you speak up, you will be OK.”
The Allstate Veterans Engagement Team and Supporters (AVETS) employee resource group offers a network of resources, shares Joe Pennington, director of Allstate’s military program. From there, AVETS and Allstate will connect a veteran with local resources they need.
“When we have employees come to Allstate dealing with PTSD, we don’t zero in on that,” Joe said. “What’s important to Allstate is his or her talent, and to have that employee as part of the Allstate team.”
Brandon will soon be joining Joe’s team on a talent share to help support Allstate’s military program. He will also be featured along with Boothe in a new documentary, “To Be of Service”. Check out a clip here. Stream the full film on Netflix.
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Employee Spotlight: Boroumand, Key Management Engineer
After working in various countries, Boroumand found a new home at Allstate and is now working for Allstate Information Security (AIS).
Tell us about your Allstate story:
I joined Allstate as a Key Management Engineer in January of 2019 and currently work with high end cryptographic technology for storing, servicing and encrypting all the data for various Allstate platforms. Prior to Allstate I worked overseas (Malaysia and other Middle Eastern countries) with cryptography and Key Management systems, primarily in cybersecurity. I’ve made numerous friends in this short tenure who understand how critical it is to protect customer data.
What made you decide to join the company?
What really stood out to me was the new technology and high-end devices utilized in the role. I don’t like routine work and this role provides me endless possibilities of doing what I love because I’m able to challenge myself to come up with new designs and help protect Allstate data and customer information.
What’s different about Allstate?
This company is very vibrant and diverse with people of different cultural backgrounds working under the same roof. The environment is always friendly, especially with me coming from a different background and geographical location.
What work are you most proud of?
The everyday work I complete in our Key Management Systems (KMS). We help encrypt all our critical and customer related data to protect them from potential breaches. I think every day is just as important as the next since everything is connected.
I put together KMS industry best practices, standards and supporting documentation for our Enterprise. The proud and exciting part is that I get to develop this critical practice for a Fortune 100 company like Allstate.
What values are important to you at a job?
Freedom to do my own work and having a platform to showcase my talents and designs, while also being heard.
How do you experience those values here?
Ever since my first day, my manager (Ganapathy) and team have helped me understand the culture and life at Allstate. With English not being my native language, it was hard to catch on at first, but they have really helped me along the way. Everyone within the organization has given me an opportunity to share my ideas & designs.
My manager is also extremely understanding and flexible with my work. I can work on my own, at my own pace, giving me the opportunity to accomplish my work in a reasonable amount of time.
What are your favorite parts about your team?
Our team has a sense of trust where we are always willing to help each other when needed and can confidently express ideas to create new and creative solutions. The ability to work from home is also great!
What qualities do people need to be successful here?
In a world where technology is constantly changing, you must have the ability to communicate well, be hungry and curious to learn, foster new ideas, and take constructive feedback.
Outside of work you can be found doing?
I spend a lot of time with my (Japanese Akita) dog-son named Leo and setting up my new house.
Fun fact: I love travelling and exploring new places.
Interested in joining Allstate Technology and Strategic Ventures? Search open roles today.
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Employee Spotlight: Prema, Application Security Engineer
Meet Prema, one of the superheroes at Allstate that helps secure our application vulnerabilities as an Application Security Engineer.
Tell us about your Allstate story:
I joined Allstate an Application Security Engineer in the Tempe, AZ office in July. Prior to joining the company, I worked in a similar role in the hospitality industry. The role of an Application Security Engineer (Pen Tester) is to perform security analysis or penetration testing on application(s) for various technology teams. We verify if there are any security vulnerabilities that are exposed and can be breached. If we find vulnerabilities that are exposed, we document our findings and send them back to the team, so they can retrace our steps and reproduce the process to take the appropriate steps to fix the vulnerabilities and mitigate the risk.
What made you decide to join the company and what is different about Allstate?
I decided to move away from the hospitality industry and apply for different positions when I received a call from an Allstate recruiter. As we were speaking, what appealed to me was the work life balance, flexibility and the tools given for career growth. I’ve already experienced how Allstate supports the employees’ wellbeing and professional development through education and training.
Equal opportunity is something that is important with our culture considering we are very diverse. The managers and leaders really support their employees whether they are looking to go into a different role or just want additional training. There are so many opportunities to choose from. Allstate even has offices in my hometown of Pune, India. If I ever go home to visit, I can work from that office.
What work are you most proud of?
I’m proud of how I’ve learned to use new technology, such as open-source intelligent tools, to gather the information needed to complete my work on a day-to-day basis. Working on a remote team was new to me so I’m happy at how I’ve become accustomed to collaborating and communicating with people who are in different locations.
What values are important to you at a job and how do you experience them at Allstate?
Autonomy, freedom to do what you want and how you want. I want to be able to work at my own pace because everyone’s style and way of doing things can be different. I believe professional development is important in any job and there should be opportunities for an employee to learn and grow in their career. Last, but not least, I should be able to voice my ideas and be heard.
At Allstate, I’m given the freedom to choose the tools used to complete my tasks, set my pace and deadlines, without being micromanaged and successfully finish them. The company invests in my professional growth by providing me with training and online courses. If I don’t fully understand something or if I’ve new idea to pitch in, I know I can go to my team for support without hesitation
What are your biggest motivators at work?
My Pen Test team because they are amazingly talented in the work they do, they’re kind and extremely helpful. The Tempe office colleagues are warm and welcoming, which helped me settle in quickly.
The overall all work that we do also drives me because pen testing is about security and protecting Allstate from outside attacks and breaches, so I feel like we are all superheroes in our team. We motivate and help each other to make our applications as secure as possible.
What are your favorite parts about your job, the team, and the workspace?
I enjoy the fact that we all learn from each other as a team and can always count on each other for guidance. The team has been so great to me; welcoming me in with open arms from day one. My manager helped me settle into my new role, mentored me through training and continues to reach out to make sure I’m ok. The work life balance is also great because I have the flexibility to work from home or anywhere else if needed
What qualities do people need to be successful here?
Anyone looking to work at Allstate needs to have the ability to work independently and, on a team, be a self-starter, have perseverance, and be passionate about their work. You need to have good communication skills and have an open mind, as the teams you are work with can be located anywhere in the world within the company that come from different backgrounds.
Any advice for someone who is considering working at Allstate?
If you are thinking about working at Allstate, just do it, and take the chance because there are numerous opportunities to choose from in the company. You can grow in your current career path and keep learning or change your domains to a different career path. The company, its leaders and the team will give you their complete support, regardless of what you want to do. The company will provide education and training in any career field you choose.
Outside of work you can be found doing?
I love hiking and exploring the beautiful canyons in and around Arizona and taking road trips to national parks- Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion, Moab and others. If I’m not on the road you can catch me at home playing board games with friends, watching anime or gardening.
Fun fact: Right now, I am planning my next trip to South America. Oh, and I own over 300 pairs of shoes!
Interested in joining Allstate Technology and Strategic Ventures? Search open roles today.
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Allstate Named #1 Military Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs
Allstate has recently been named as the #1 Military Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs. It’s a great honor to move into the #1 position as we continue living into our commitment to employ veterans.
Recently, we sat down with Allstate’s Military and Veterans program team to discuss the efforts going on across the enterprise to achieve this honor.
Allstate’s Military and Veterans Program really focuses on three pillars: recruiting, retention and community outreach.
The first focus is recruiting. Allstate strives to have an all-inclusive program that fits vets as they’re ending their service, no matter what career level or position. We also want to make sure that just because a hiring manager isn’t on the military team, everyone can have a stake in hiring a military employee.
After recruiting, we focus heavily on retention. The Military and Veterans Program team has introduced new programs to help change the culture for military employees. One new opportunity we offer is a mentorship program for new employees. In its first year, there were 20 veteran mentees and 20 veteran mentors. For 2020, the team is partnering with American Corporate Partners, to expand the program to all new and existing Veteran and spouse employees. The program was created to ease a person’s transition into a corporate environment and connect a new employee to someone they can turn to when they have questions.
At Allstate, it’s important to show up in the communities we live and work in. So, the Military and Veteran Program team has also partnered with many local nonprofits, such as organizations dedicated to supporting active members of our military and organizations dedicated to serving veterans.
“It is always exciting to be recognized because we know this program is bigger than a score or an award. The program has been around for three years and to know we’ve made an impact in people’s lives is very rewarding,” shared Joseph, director of Military Programs.
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Allstaters Support Domestic Violence Awareness Month Through The Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse Program
It’s an important time of the year that Allstaters come together to raise awareness of a critical issue impacting one in four women.
Allstate offices across the country are hosting Purple Purse activities throughout the month of October to support Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Kristy is a Claims Strategic Research Consultant currently on a talent share on the The Allstate Foundation Purple Purse team. Talent shares are short-term development opportunities designed to provide Allstaters access to short-term projects and experiences outside of their current roles.
As part of her six-week talent share, she’s helping coordinate the Northbrook, IL supply drive to support three local domestic violence nonprofits during the month of October. Employees can donate toiletries at one of the supply drive boxes located throughout the Northbrook campus or purchase an item from an Amazon Wishlist for easy ordering.
Outside of Northbrook, Allstate offices across the country are hosting Purple Purse activities as well. This year, there are 140 Purple Purse coordinators across 65 Allstate offices. A Purple Purse coordinator is an Allstate employee who has raised their hand to lead domestic violence and financial abuse awareness events or volunteer projects for their team, department or office in October. They host an event of their choice, plan and run it, while Kristy provides support to them along the way.
“It is great to see the passion that the coordinators have and the stories that come out of it. One woman spoke to me about how she wanted to do more, and it shows how much Allstaters truly care,” she shares. As she is wrapping up her talent share, she’s confident that she will be taking communication skills back to her role.
The Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse program is dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence through financial empowerment. Visit https://www.purplepurse.com/ to learn more.
