employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

PENFED Credit Union

Engaged Employer

Steep decline of what could be a cool place to work - Anonymous employee PENFED Credit Union Employee Review

3.0
Feb 4, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Supervisory employees can earn a very competitive wage and the benefits are satisfactory. The company employs lots of eager, energetic and talented people.

Cons

Many of the company's high-potential people (those eager, energetic and talented types) get ground down, beat up and so disgusted by the way they are treated that they quickly leave the company. Inappropriate comments/actions pertaining to gender, sexual orientation and race are sometimes made by senior employees in the organization. There were two choices for those in my department. One could either stand up to a bullying executive, or put on an air of sycophancy in their presence. The cost of standing up was heavy. Being marginalized to the point of inability to do your job; questioning and doubting your own qualifications; thinking that you're just not good enough to be part of the team and dealing with the uncertainty of where you stand day to day were all part of the price. It was extremely draining, but I consciously decided that I would not fall into the traps of self-defeat and self-pity. I totally looked on the bright side. The lack of inclusion actually afforded me ample time and the opportunity to carefully plan my next move and exit with my self-respect and dignity intact. The "reward" for sucking up to a bullying executive is access to their glorious inner circle where they metaphorically hug and kiss you one day and take a metaphorical baseball bat to the back of your head the next--Google "batter up untouchables" if you are not sure what I mean. Instead of addressing the chronically high turnover rates head on as a leadership issue, this obvious "smoking gun" gets ignored. In the meantime, the directors of the board remain seemingly blind to the shenanigans and convinced that everything is great. Some holding leadership roles in the organization are masterful when it comes to their ability to paint rosy pictures for those to whom they report while simultaneously creating nightmares for nearly everyone who reports to them.

Explore other reviews about PENFED Credit Union

5.0
Mar 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Awesome place and people - complex and large finance operation and balance sheet yet still small enough to make an impact and build up solutions from the ground floor - creative place!

Cons

Sometimes can be stretched for more resources

2.0
Mar 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great staff and middle management. Good benefits and facilities.

Cons

Upper Management - same tune as all the other reviews. This place is full of great people who don't know they are great. It's also full of bad leaders who think they are great. Unfortunately, the best performers are often rewarded with carrying the burden of underperformers and non-contributing leaders. In certain teams there is very limited in upward mobility. They are slow to weed out low performers and ineffective managers. All in, strong performers and high achievers might find this place frustrating. This is a place for those who like to coast through.

3
avatar
PENFED Credit Union Response
3mo
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We appreciate your recognition of our people and benefits, and we value input that helps inform us of our ongoing improvement efforts. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All