Antiquated - Senior Consultant-HR Northern Trust Employee Review

2.0
Jan 14, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Depending on your department, people can be really nice. If you're coming in new, they will pay market average if you ask for it. There is the perk of having a fortune 500 on your resume. They allow underperformers to stay on forever, so if you do bare minimum you will have job security.

Cons

Antiquated practices. If you are under 40, you will not enjoy the culture here. Very old school, hierarchal, finger-pointing and toxic. Essentially they have not evolved since the 80s and that includes everything bad about employers from the 80s...good old boys club, don't speak unless you are spoken to, "we have always done it this way", be a yes man, don't make noise. Benefits are not good. Bonuses are insulting. Many employees here are lifers who have never once stepped foot in another company in the last 30 years so this culture is deeply engrained in everything they do, and the ones that do see an issue with it are silenced into not speaking up out of fear. If you like innovation and creativity, don't work here. Poor performers are tolerated, and if you go above and beyond you will not be rewarded, just expected to pick up others slack. No work life balance...everything is a "fire drill" at this company and if you do not set boundaries they will cross them. The company at its core (HR) is extremely unorganized. Work here for a year for the resume build and get out.

Explore other reviews about Northern Trust

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits and work environment

Cons

Nothing that’s too much of a con

2.0
Apr 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice people and a good environment. Benefits are good and the work is interesting. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate NT as a 7. But, it’s typical big corporate crap that hands out 2% raises and minimum bonuses during a good year yet spends $360 million this past quarter buying their stock back.

Cons

Constant reminders to do more with less and cut costs and belt tightening while the execs line their pockets and you maybe get a 2% raise. I could see such actions if the firm was doing bad financially, but they aren’t. Record this and record that for many quarters now. And they walk around patting each other on the back like they all did such a great job when in reality, the markets are up so the value of the assets we manage are up. I’m wondering what sort of actions will happen when the market goes south for several quarters. Oh. And the constant state of surveillance here is BS. Tracking to make sure you are here 3 days a week. Keyboard / mouse / PC tracking systems receding your activity. It’s like a 21st century high tech sweatshop in some ways.

2
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