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Principal Financial Group

Engaged Employer

In-group out-group mentality - Anonymous employee Principal Financial Group Employee Review

3.0
Dec 3, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Job requirements are not taxing and decent benefits (medical, retirement).

Cons

Management has a closed door policy and leadership style is bottom up rather than top down. They are great at running reports but have no people skills necessary for interacting with team members. Training is insufficient for new hires. In addition, leadership manages office with a high school attitude in which cliques are created with those favored more than others.

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5.0
Jul 2, 2026
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Pros

Great worklife balance and flexible hours

Cons

Not top end in pay within the industry

2.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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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.

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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.
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