Long timer, been through a lots of stuff, and a bunch of stories.
HR/Recruiting is pathetic, references picked up rarely and circulate through vendors and get picked up. People managers are on a rarefied top, with entry only for no-brain non-techies who can mostly kiss-axx or talk through their way. No standard process, mostly through vendors on the basis of highest possible compensation which comes with it’s own set of problems.
Lateral hires get competitive compensation, which makes this a great place if you have someone who can give you a push-up at init. It’s a no brainer though for anyone who’s already inside this company and watched it for long enough. Yawn.
Working population is low, making it a stressful experience for real workers. It’s all drudgery, but performance evaluations sounds like grudge matches. WFH helped the organization survive, but now they would probably expect everyone to come back to offices. The scullion ranks are the ones which are really impacted at all times, with turnover increasing in recent times. Executive and supervisory roles have little to no change in composition. They cut an entire layer earlier, only to be replaced by a layer with higher compensation filling up for the same roles. Most survivors of the purge are the smart ones, while the ethical folks just packed-up silently.
Opaque at all levels, and executives are without exception useless except to forward mails and throwing deadlines without any knowledge what so ever. Executive compensation is so very good, and a rare good officer shuts-up once they understand how the entire place works. Executives add up for layers of padding, with pretty low participation, since most of them are too scared to rock their boats too much. A thorough cleansing of the flabby middle, is what this organization needs, but no one wants to bell the cat. Zero attrition at that level, with good guys moving out once they reach realization.
No parity at work, performance mostly evaluated at managers discretion, and generally the easiest guys are targeted. Working folks have minimal say, pretty much no evaluation of managers, and layers of layers make it a huge bureaucracy, making it pretty much impossible to cut through the red-tape.
Shared services are a drag, there’s no real responsibility attached, nor evaluation, making it a government office like atmosphere. You can’t move anything there.
Pathetic tools, even applying for PTOs is a chore. Less said about the compensation tools the better. Nightmarish layers of bureaucracy and the leaders take little ownership of any problems, since these are way below their status. Never saw a leader really opening up to the employees unless it’s pre-staged.
Don’t think anyone here would try to moonlight even if they are given a choice. Lazy lazy lazy. Silos. Inefficient.
Most technology teams are low in efficiency with exceptions of some teams being driven by superior leadership, but with little visibility the entire limelight is on the presentation rather than actuals.
Add the hilarious diversity equation, and it’s a nightmare. Just being a woman could be at times better qualification than anything else. My boss once told me, I should probably become a woman(my pun). Pretty ladies add sound bites on improving diversity and the head dumbos nod to make up their diversity numbers, which is a super way of saying we are reverse biased towards diversity. Qualifications are probably glib talk and making into the good books of whoever is responsible.
Oh. yeah, they have plans called strategy but no one know what the strategy is, because it’s all hush hush and only for the Ooo Ooo’s eyes only. Most people just stay on, it’s simply too much work to move. Employees are mostly 2nd class, nobody listens, just sermons and commandments being passed from the top, which get altered in intent by the time it reaches ground.
Internal job postings are tailored to allow specific people making the cut. No horizontal or cross-training even if possible. Vertical moves are for folks who stayed too long and impossible to ignore anymore or for favorites. Long standing smart guys happily laugh through the charade and game the entire process too. There are people who continuously get rewarded for serving someones whims or being friends. Pretty good if you are someone who gave up on the tortuous intensity of technology and just want to relax.
Agile for banking applications with a push towards engineering, going on from two years and expected to go on for another two years which would probably extend another couple of years. There’s committees and councils which will take care of everything that needs thinking strategy which would fall apart because there’s no sensible way to execute and that realization would come too late and by then it’s a totally different world already.
All downhill with cuts expected, and pretty much impossible to suggest anybody passionate about work to join here if you have their well being on your mind.
For the folks struck at Wells Fargo unknowingly, buckle up and get out before you become completely irrelevant. For the folks who know what they want and happy with it.
Wish you a happy retirement!