A Pit of Vipers - Manager FHLBank Chicago Employee Review

1.0
Aug 26, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. The benefits package 2. The Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) lives the values of the bank and strives to ensure those values make it into greater bank staff 3. The bank’s staff and some of the management are some of the nicest people I’ve worked with.

Cons

1. Losers in the C-suite: The Executive team aside from the CDO gives off total insecure loser energy. With every decision, they choose personal vendetta & political score-settling amongst themselves over mission accomplishment and professional excellence for their teams & programs. This destroys morale throughout the bank. 2. Career Mismanagement: Once you join the bank, your career is no longer your own to guide. The Executive team is your puppet master and they will make sure you know it. They often promote from within their inner circle so that friendly comrades take on roles they are totally unqualified for. Meanwhile, demonstrated accomplishment will be given a pat on the head and told they are to be seen and not heard. I’ve seen the Executive team stunt individual’s growth paths so severely that those individuals can only work at the bank in their current role without undergoing substantial re-training to become market-ready again. They purposely block individual growth and advancement to create staff dependency on the bank because they will be uncompetitive back out in the open labor market.

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FHLBank Chicago Response
2y
We agree that our benefits, values, and commitment to DEI make FHLBank Chicago a great place to work. But our greatest assets are the talented employees who bring their whole selves to work each day to support our organization, our members and their communities. We invest in many areas for career growth – leadership training, DEI learning opportunities, our comprehensive performance management review process, evaluation and feedback from managers, team goals, bank-wide goals and professional development. Our staff and senior management adhere to a code of conduct and ethics policy. Additionally, there are various avenues for employees to provide feedback, including designated HR Business Partners assigned to each business group, employee resource groups, working groups, or during team meetings. There will always be room for improvement at any organization but we strive to be honest, respectful and treat one another fairly, it takes employees at all levels to provide input and identify areas for improvement.

Explore other reviews about FHLBank Chicago

5.0
Feb 20, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I enjoy my job, work with wonderful people, and feel valued at work. The office is nice. Happy with the benefits and events at work.

Cons

My experience has differed from many recent negative reviews - the company is pretty siloed, and culture seems to vary significantly across departments. I agree with the previous reviews about HR being hostile.

2
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FHLBank Chicago Response
4mo
We are proud to provide a collaborative and supportive workplace for employees. Our competitive benefits, ample learning opportunities, and inclusive culture ensure employees feel valued in their roles. We recognize that consistency across departments is important and continue to focus on strengthening collaboration and alignment across the organization. We always encourage employees to share their perspectives through our internal channels for any concerns they have so we can continue to evolve our ways of working with each other and in support of our mission.
3.0
May 15, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice office space at the OPO

Cons

Miss the 2 days at home option.

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