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Principal Financial Group

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Everyone Is A Manager - Anonymous employee Principal Financial Group Employee Review

3.0
Aug 19, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Being one of Central Iowa's largest employers, working for Principal gave me a sense of accomplishment - that I was good enough to work for an organization that had been around as long as they have been.

Cons

They've addressed it since I was there, but working in Corporate One at the time was a dour affair. No amenities and a generally depressing environment. Aside from that, Principal is a big ship to steer and they don't make a move without countess meetings. I would characterize the culture as risk-averse and not very innovative. They're very focused on trying to keep everything on an even keel. But they've no qualms about putting profit before people.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good FTO policy good opportunity for career development flexible work arrangements

Cons

health insurance sucks - United annual reviews- everything's made up and the points don't matter more and more pressure to be in-office despite team members being remote

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.

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Principal Financial Group Response
1w
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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