Slow, inefficient, political. - Anonymous employee HSBC Employee Review

Promoting from within based on relationships has put unqualitied people at the helm of many groups. This leads to slow, inefficient pockets of non-professionals. The resulting chaos and flailing about towards goals is inevitable. There is a cover-your-vulnerability culture, where the biggest concern is to avoid blame. This mind-set is so entrenched that managers are reluctant to hold other groups accountable when their processes or products are faulty. When you combine everyone's desire to avoid being blamed and their consequential aversion to blaming anyone, you end up with no accountability. Systems crash, processes fail and pesonnel exhibit incompatence without resulting in any communication, awareness of the event or change. Both System deficiencies and network issues that cause burdens to end users are simply endured. It seems like any improvements or added functionality is at the whim of the departent supporting it. There is another cultural anomaly that was particulrly difficult to becoem accustomed to, and which is more difficult to accept. You will hear the words, "I'm sorry, I was multitasking. What did you need?", at least once in every conference call. It is culturally acceptible to just listen for your name and tune out the rest. There is a deplorable lack of interest in efficient and effective communicaion. Senior managers have good intentions and an earnest desire to meet their goals and objectives, but without a framework for cross-departmental accountability, without the leadership of policy makers, with a tendency to call for consensus rather than lead a group, they are left flailing toward their objectives, waiting for someone on the team to step up and make it happen, practically on their own. It seems like there are key individuals at al levels within the organization who have a reputation for dependability and professionaism, and these people are called upon in every project because they are responsive and dependable and competent. But there is burn out, and their personalities show it. Over-all, this is a good place for someone who just wants to get along, unnoticed by most, and collect a pensionfrom a reliable banking business. This is also a god place for the politically minded, who enjoy developing relationships within management without producint anything or being productive within the business itself. However, if you are motivated, if you pursue excellence, if you value professionalism and have high expectations from yourself as well as others, this place will drive you crazy and turn your demeanor into a pessemistic, grumpy critic of all those around you and the company itself. After one to two years, you will be looking for a way out.