A few great perks, but no moral & limited growth - Premier Banker Santander Employee Review

2.0
Jan 21, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As a Premier Banker, the incentive plan is by far one of the best I've had. I love that Santander allows an open forum from its employees to make Real Changes, every month! The recommendations for improvement are implemented within 1 year on average, but there is IMPROVEMENT! I also love that Santander rewards hard. You can expect high quarterly bonuses & annual merit raises up to 5%. The support team, Santander Assist, is great in helping employees with troubleshooting on the spot. Moreover, the Operations Managers are one of the few departments that have common sense. Not sure how this helps, but its nice to receive advisement from people who can articulate passed giving out a roll of quarters. Also, we recently implemented an escalation process called CARE that resolves clients service request quickly & efficiently. Again, this is already established in most banks, however a major leap for Santander. The salary is competitive if you're job grade 8+. Otherwise, you can not afford the products & services you sell to everyone else.

Cons

I have worked for Santander for 4 yrs now. I previously worked for PNC where moral, ethics, & career growth were structured. Those are three major things missing from Santander and they are well aware of it. We do team building events once a quarter but this hardly improves moral. Sadly, like most banks, Santander hires high school grads with little to no college or financial experience & expects them to make life changing recommendations for consumer's assets. Hell, most employees think the N.A. stands for North America. Most branch team members are on their phones all day texting instead of giving their best to the client experience. Client experience is measured, however not managed as closely as most retail banks. Its absurd to work with upper and direct management with no educational background. The blind leading the blind as they say. Additionally, managers who over delegate BKA complacency syndrome get upset when their employees receive a bonus, however they don't for lack of overall branch productivity. If you do your part, then you'd also reap in the harvest. There needs to be career-pathing for Premier Bankers. The most we can hope for is Select Banker & those positions are few & far between. Lastly, our systems constantly crash & there are network-wide emails that script how to properly apologize for the "crisis-of-the-day." Santander Consumer USA, who does the financing through dealerships are disrespectful & rude. It'd be nice to see these loans on our system so we can avoid calling SCUSA.

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5.0
Jul 7, 2026
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Pros

Work life balance, smart colleagues

Cons

Too top down, chaotic strategy, layoffs

4.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Of all the companies I have worked for, Santander has had the strongest training program. The training was comprehensive, well-structured, and especially valuable for employees who are new to the banking industry. Additionally, Santander's ONE software is by far the most intuitive and user friendly banking platform I have used, making it easy to learn and navigate while supporting efficient daily operations.

Cons

Like most retail banking roles, there is a strong sales component. With fewer customers visiting branches due to online banking and ATMs, much of the day is spent making outbound calls to existing clients, trying to set appointments, and push products and services. While I understand the importance of sales in the industry, I personally felt there was significant pressure to prioritize sales goals over relationship building and client service, which I was not comfortable with.

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