Pros
The culture and competence maintained by the employees working on the "floor" of PayEx are outstanding. Against all odds, really, since the leadership is continually doing its best to make working conditions in PayEx as difficult, corporate, and inhospitable as possible. The location in central Oslo is the best I've seen in my professional life. The restaurant is fantastic and you are compensated so much for lunch that unless you eat your every lunch there, you have lunch money to spare every month. If you want to work in a place where you learn from and laugh with your coworkers every day, and consider many of them to be your friends, PayEx may be right for you.
Cons
PayEx' leadership is amazingly incompetent. The culture of fright and intimidation paired with an extremely conservative mindset is a poisonous mix that repels every employee who tries to stand out and make a constructive, positive change outside of their team. Every little change affecting more than your very nearest colleagues has to be fought with the willpower of Leonidas and his 300 warriors. And even then, it's not certain that you'll win. Many in the upper management are petty and would rather win arguments than do what's right for the employees, and as such, the company. Employees are viewed as resources, not human beings with feelings and individual qualities. Although upper management likes to believe that the company delves in innovation, failure is not and have never been an option in the company. Everyone who knows how to be innovative, also know that innovation requires the complete embracement of failure as a modus operandi. However, failure is both punished and frowned upon. If PayEx removed almost the entirety of its upper management, it would become a much better and more profitable company overnight. Sadly, those who have managed to crawl their way to the top are both conniving and sly, rubbing elbows with each other and taking credit for all victories while placing the blame on failures on people below them. While the above descriptions don't apply to all top-level leaders in PayEx – there are a few noteworthy exceptions – they unfortunately apply to most, and they are so well protected in their positions that it's nigh impossible to get rid of them. If making positive, constructive change and being valued as an innovative contributor is something you want in your professional life, PayEx is not the right place for you. Steer away!