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Principal Financial Group

Engaged Employer

Medium size company. The employees are mostly dedicated people but most management are bad - IT Programmer/Analyst Principal Financial Group Employee Review

1.0
Jan 11, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working from home, flexibility, modern buildings and work spaces, the worker bees, locations and ability to work remotely. Employees are very dedicated.

Cons

Low pay, team politics, old boys network, nepotism(It’s very common for upper management have family working here, and they do get preferential treatment), some people don’t get promotions regardless of the experience and dedication, some managers don’t even make eye contact with the regular Joe unless you play golf. They make you believe this is the best place to work(always on top 100 best places to work not sure how). Some departments are better than others. Do your home work before you apply here). Some of the benefits offered like the dental insurance is really the worst out there. No employee should have to pay for a plan that pays for no claims. On the outside, the place looks phenomenal (state of the art buildings), but inside it stinks rotten because of the bad culture. You have to be blind or build a tough skin to make it here. Lots of people with Assistant Directors, Directors and Vice Presidents titles but they don’t deserve it.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Three years in and still LOVE it. Great leadership. Work-like balance. Principal invests in their employees with training and professional development. It's very telling when literally thousands of employees have been there for 20-25-30+ years.

Cons

First time in a large company. Sometimes it is tricky to find the right internal partner to get the answer you need.

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Principal Financial Group Response
2d
We appreciate your feedback! Hearing that you felt supported reinforces what we're proud of—the strong community we've built together.
2.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent work life balance and benefits. Principal offers a pension which is unheard of in today’s age.

Cons

Pay is below average and Principal does not offer inflation raises. Once you hit the midpoint of your salary, you will get a 0% raise until you’re promoted, which will take multiple years regardless of performance. Performance reviews are vague and often used against employees to avoid promotions. At least in my department, I’ve yet to see any of the remote workers be promoted. This is starting to affect attrition and we’re already starting to see people leaving. It’s well known at this point that the best way to get promoted is to leave Principal and get rehired, which even leadership has stated publicly. This is a huge frustration and blow to morale, as it starts to feel like employees need to compete against their co-workers for raises.

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