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Principal Financial Group

Engaged employer

Good place to start a career but advancement opportunities end quickly. - IT Analyst Senior Principal Financial Group Employee Review

3.0
24 Jun 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible work schedules for non call center employees. Flat organizational structure in IT gives everyone a voice. Benefits have been recently cut but would still rate them as slightly above average. The people you work with are generally smart, nice, and fun to work with. On site fitness centers.

Cons

Flat organizational structure in IT limits advancement opportunities at a point just below management level. At that point, your career becomes a job. Heavy process in some IT units limits productivity. In some areas a lot of red tape needs to be cut to get things done. There are priority committees for the priority committees that then need to talk to priority committees at the organization level. Salary is below average in the Des Moines market. Company tries to make up for it wih flexible schedules and offerring a good work/life balance . However, if you spend your time working on dashboard projects you may find it hard to maintain a work/life blance.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Three years in and still LOVE it. Great leadership. Work-like balance. Principal invests in their employees with training and professional development. It's very telling when literally thousands of employees have been there for 20-25-30+ years.

Cons

First time in a large company. Sometimes it is tricky to find the right internal partner to get the answer you need.

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Principal Financial Group Response
3d
We appreciate your feedback! Hearing that you felt supported reinforces what we're proud of—the strong community we've built together.
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.

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