Pros
Great benefits, generous Christmas bonus, paid vacation and sick leave, and in my position there is no end to the interesting, complex work. The company continues to evolve and grow, advance technologically, and even during the economic downturn it was adding a lot of new customers. There's a very strong work ethic and customer service focus at the company. The supervisors and managers I've worked with have all been helpful and knowledgeable leaders. The president and VPs work closely with the managers of the departments and there's good teamwork between the department I'm in with others. There isn't any goofing around; it's a serious place, but it is satisfying and challenging work. There are generally opportunities for promotion for people who've demonstrated good business acumen and leadership skills.
Cons
The dress code is as expected for the financial industry and is what I experienced as typical on the east coast. For men it is pretty simple - tie, dress shirt, slacks. Most women at the company dress business casual but must wear hosiery. I've worked here several years and it hasn't been a bother or big expense, but sure seems to be a sensitive topic to Seattle natives who are usually casual in their style of dress. Since so many people are negative about it, it seems like the company could make some modest changes. In the past few years, outside hires were made for a couple upper management positions and as time has gone by it seems like the company would have been better served by promoting from within as these hires don't seem to have caught on to the work, or haven't been able to accept the challenges and changing realities of what is expected and needed of management in today's business world. It's hard to see that co-workers who were loyal, hard working, and smart employees were overlooked in these positions.
