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Principal Financial Group

Engaged employer

Great place to earn your wings, not so good once you have them. - IT Applications Analyst Senior Principal Financial Group Employee Review

4.0
12 Sept 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work Life balance is good in most areas. Retirement benefits are great, you get 401K and a pension. Onsite fitness center. Other benefits are OK. The people you work with are generally top notch, teams have a family feel. Some employees can work from home or remote.

Cons

If you work in a SCBU you'll have to deal with political infighting among the various business units. Once you reach a "senior" level in your position opportunities for advancement are slim to non existent if you don't have direct reports. Its not uncommon for senior staff level employees to retire having spent the previous 20 years with the same job title. At times work-life balance can tilt heavily towards work. Salary is on the high side of mediocre, other companies will pay more but Principal tries to make up for it with a flexible work environment. Another drawback is that during the remodeling some employees will get crammed into building with very little amenities.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
24 Jun 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

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Principal Financial Group Response
1d
Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. Your input is valuable as we work to improve as an employer.
2.0
4 Jun 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
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Principal Financial Group Response
1w
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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