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Principal Financial Group

Engaged employer

Average/Good company overall; be aware of what dept you work in, make a huge difference(stay away from RIS) - Marketing Specialist Principal Financial Group Employee Review

3.0
Mar 7, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Salary is competitive in most roles (compared to large markets) -PTO and general benefits are great, best I've seen or had -Plenty of non work functions; cheap tickets, socials, etc -Several gyms and locker rooms(very outdated though but are about to remodel), Upper Mgmt is proactive with health -dining options

Cons

-Each dept is run COMPLETELY different -Numerous people in roles they are not qualified for or have 0 experience in -promotions and salary are based on time at PFG, not your skill set or performance; hard to get a fair look when wanting to change areas, pigeon holed to same area for long time unless VP/C level. A lot of people in same role/area for 10+ yrs. get title promotions is all! -people can just hide behind monitor or not be at desk and float by -Mgmt makes up meetings so they don't have to work, pass off tasks to those below, Mgmt does very little, just talk about things and do nothing -people are ask to meetings they have no business being in; politics and kissing! -culture is promoted but it is not the best; a lot of talk but no walk -Downtown traffic and not much for attractions -Remodel is going to take a long time and cause a lot of headaches -dining is expensive

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
May 28, 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
1w
We appreciate your feedback! Hearing that you felt supported reinforces what we're proud of—the strong community we've built together.
2.0
Jun 4, 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
3d
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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