Sedgwick CMS: Good Pay, Great Benefits for Work At Home

Sedgwick is a claims management service that has begun to offer work at home positions for telephone based work.  What sets Sedgwick apart from a lot of other virtual call centers is their excellent benefits package.  Most home-based opportunities offer very few benefits past a paycheck and an infinite number of casual Fridays, however Sedgwick has received several awards, including an employer's choice award, for offering things like medical insurance on the first day you begin working.

What is it like at Sedgwick?

As far as I know all home-based positions at Sedgwick are phone related.  As a customer service agent you'll be processing claims for a variety of customers after a fast-paced two week training course.  You'll also be an employee, not an independent contractor (with all the headaches attached to that), so they are already ahead of several similar employers.  I have not personally had the pleasure of working with Sedgwick, and I believe there is an NDA in effect for their employees, but the pay has been confirmed to start above $10 an hour.

You said benefits?

Yup.  And great benefits indeed for a home-based position.  Some high points include:

• Health Insurance - Day 1! (awesome).  I don't have the specifics but it includes medical, vision, and dental, and others I have spoken to claim the costs are competitive with similar policies.
• 401k with employer match.
• Short and long term disabiliy.
• And the cherry on top, they actually reimburse you $75 a month towards phone and internet costs.

I have also seen some discussion of life insurance and educational assistance.  Honestly, the benefits they are offering home-based employees rival the benefits I received while working as a general manager for a casual dining restaurant.

What's required to work their?

A high speed internet connection and dedicated phone line of course.  In addition they require a high school diploma or GED and at least one year of customer service or clerical work.  Great communication skills are something they look for in the interview.

What's the catch?

In short, growing pains.  Some reports from employees suggest that there are still some kinks to be worked out with chain of command, IT, and home-based managers.  All of this is anecdotal of course, and for anyone who has worked in customer service knows the folks with the most incentive to complain are the ones who are disappointed, however the people that I have spoken to who still work their are quick to apologize on behalf of the company and stress what a great group of people they are even after telling me about poor experiences.

The other downside is the stiff competition for positions.  A lot of folks stuck at home would love to secure a Sedgwick position, so there are no shortage of applicants.   If you have your sights set on Sedgwick you had better apply, apply again, and follow up.

Finally, if you are looking for a flexible schedule this may not be the place for you.  As an employee you will apply for a specific schedule and are locked into it.  I have heard that you can bid on different schedules every six months but I don't have any information on that process. 

How do I apply?

1. Visit Sedgwick's Career Center.
2. Select "Customer Service / Call Center" from the "Areas of Interest" menu.
3. Leave everything else blank and click "Search"
4. Look for positions labelled “Service Center Assistant- Work at home”.

These positions can go fast, so come back often if you don't see any.

More Information

Visit Glassdoor for some candid reviews from former employees and please feel free to post comments below if you have experience with the company.