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Principal Financial Group

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Going Downhill Fast - Senior Engineer Principal Financial Group Employee Review

2.0
Sep 19, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Time off is nice, people I work directly with are like family. But other than that I'm running out of positive things to say about this company.

Cons

Return to office mandate was just another example in a long line of taking away or making benefits worse. I've been here over 10 years and there's not a single benefit that has gotten better. Only worse. The return to office is completely arbitrary and has killed any and all trust I had in senior leadership. They talk about being committed to flexibility, as long as it means you're in the office 3 days per week. It's insulting to tell me people on my team outside 30 miles from the office can do their job effectively from home, but I can't. They're even monitoring badge scans and sending reports to leaders. This is a level of micromanagement I've never even imagined here. A true 180 from the Principapl I've known the last 10 years. Management is in a constant race to "average" with every single benefit they offer and refuse to try to stand out at anything. Pay has always been below industry average at best. They attracted and retained people because of the other benefits (especially flexibility), but now that they're taking that away, I would not bother applying here if you're looking.

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
1d
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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