Worst place I've ever worked in my life - Senior Vice President Northern Trust Employee Review

1.0
Jun 18, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If all you want to do is dress up nice and brown-nose, you can probably cruise for years here. Could be a decent start for a young grad for a couple years.

Cons

Where do I start... passive-aggressive culture, in-bred, rewards conformance, not performance. In 26 years of banking, working at a number of large institutions, I have never experienced such a horrible culture like that at Northern Trust. At senior levels, it is brutally political, usually for no good reason. Northern Trust = Hunger Games

Explore other reviews about Northern Trust

5.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good benefits and a lot of time off

Cons

Hours are not the best in my department

2.0
Apr 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice people and a good environment. Benefits are good and the work is interesting. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate NT as a 7. But, it’s typical big corporate crap that hands out 2% raises and minimum bonuses during a good year yet spends $360 million this past quarter buying their stock back.

Cons

Constant reminders to do more with less and cut costs and belt tightening while the execs line their pockets and you maybe get a 2% raise. I could see such actions if the firm was doing bad financially, but they aren’t. Record this and record that for many quarters now. And they walk around patting each other on the back like they all did such a great job when in reality, the markets are up so the value of the assets we manage are up. I’m wondering what sort of actions will happen when the market goes south for several quarters. Oh. And the constant state of surveillance here is BS. Tracking to make sure you are here 3 days a week. Keyboard / mouse / PC tracking systems receding your activity. It’s like a 21st century high tech sweatshop in some ways.

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