- The attraction to working at Principal due to flexible working arrangements is gone. Higher ups and CEO have made it clear that they are striving to have everyone in the office as much as possible. Remote work is basically gone (don't plan on working remote if you get hired -- it'll be at least 3 days a week in the office). Management has addressed this but haven't actually given any sort of hard statistics or strong reasoning for in-office work other than saying that it helps company "culture" and that there's something special about working in person.
- Low pay (after receiving new offers I realized I could've been making 50% more at many other places)
- Salary adjustments only occur if you're really at the top of performers. If you're not consistently a high performer (i.e., a very hard worker who is willing to give up some amount of personal time), your salary will probably stagnate. For reference, I've received above average reviews for the past two years, and my salary hasn't increased at all over that period of time (yes, 0%).
- You don't really matter as an employee. This is probably true for many larger companies, but it's apparent. There are surveys asking for feedback (and many people will leave scathing comments regarding in-office policies, pay, etc.), but nothing seems to be done to fix these issues. Management will address them but nothing will ever come from it.
- The way your performance is rated is pretty silly. Most managers have next to no idea what an employee is doing and rely very heavily on surveys given to each team. So your teammates determine how well your performance is interpreted. If you are a quiet worker, don't go out of your way to collaborate much, or like to focus intensely on your work, this would mostly impact you. You either need to (a) work well and consistently highlight the work you've done, (b) don't work as much but make friends on your team, or (c) don't work as much but make it seem like you've been working hard.
- Advancements are pretty rare. I appreciate that Principal says that they don't give out promotions based on the time you've been at the company but rather give promotions to those who perform well, but it's also an easy way to keep employees at the level they're currently at. If you want a promotion you really need to finesse your way into one by making yourself seem so productive that your manager can't help but consistently rate your performance highly. If you're a hard worker but aren't good at demonstrating it to everyone, you'll have a hard time.
