employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

Principal Financial Group

Engaged Employer

Good benefits but work environment involved a lot of red tape. - IT Applications Analyst Principal Financial Group Employee Review

3.0
May 10, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Competitive benefits package with lots of paid time off. Relationship building is more important than any three things combined, if you like to talk this is a good place to work.

Cons

Working with people that have been their a long time can be difficult. Senior titled employees have a cocky sense of entitlement that can be extremely difficult to work with. Must be in a "click" to succeed otherwise you run the risk of being an outcast. Too much bureaucracy and red tape. Change comes very slowly that leads to a lot of "downtime" which if not handled with care can lead to negative feedback. Work environment can become very stale and stagnate.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

good FTO policy good opportunity for career development flexible work arrangements

Cons

health insurance sucks - United annual reviews- everything's made up and the points don't matter more and more pressure to be in-office despite team members being remote

avatar
Principal Financial Group Response
3d
Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. Your input is valuable as we work to improve as an employer.
2.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent work life balance and benefits. Principal offers a pension which is unheard of in today’s age.

Cons

Pay is below average and Principal does not offer inflation raises. Once you hit the midpoint of your salary, you will get a 0% raise until you’re promoted, which will take multiple years regardless of performance. Performance reviews are vague and often used against employees to avoid promotions. At least in my department, I’ve yet to see any of the remote workers be promoted. This is starting to affect attrition and we’re already starting to see people leaving. It’s well known at this point that the best way to get promoted is to leave Principal and get rehired, which even leadership has stated publicly. This is a huge frustration and blow to morale, as it starts to feel like employees need to compete against their co-workers for raises.

1
avatar
Principal Financial Group Response
2w
We appreciate you sharing your feedback. As a leader in retirement solutions and employee benefits, we strive to provide our employees with a competitive benefits package. Our global pay philosophy is guided by market-driven principles. and we leverage third-party market data to ensure our base salary and incentives remain appropriately competitive.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All