Pros
American Express really values its employees. There are opportunities to grow and develop, especially if you seek them. American Express has strong core values and the leadership team live by them. Compensation is comparable to other companies. Maybe a little better...Benefits include medical, dental, vision insurance, 401K, profit sharing and a generous package of personal time off. Employees are even allowed to purchase a week of vacation! Telecomuting is an option in many areas of the company. Skill and style of leadership varies. But, generally, leadership is adequate. Senior company leaders are doing a good job leading the company through these hard economic times. Yes, there have been some layoffs. But, overall, they were handled with a high degree of sensitivity and the severance packages are better than some from other companies. Times are tough and so is American Express!
Cons
American Express has agressive goals (this is both good and bad). It is good as it challenges employees to grow. However, it makes work/life balance difficult if not impossible to acheive. Leaders talk about the importance of work/life balance. But, in practice, most people work 50 hours per week or more. Another, down side of American Express, is that many jobs are being moved out of the US. This may keep the company strong, but, it is difficult for employees. Every year, more and more people are let go in the US. The compensation package and benefits are also being scaled back. Each year, employees bear more of the cost for insurance. This year, due to the bad economy, the company is no longer matching employee contributions to the 401K. Times are tough and so is American Express!