Pros
I worked for USAA for several years pre-pandemic and at that time, benefits were extremely competitive. The company boasted about their robust network of remote employees, and that structure enabled them to continue operations with relatively few hiccups when the pandemic hit. There was transparency in communication from executive leadership, employees felt empowered and trusted, and during COVID, employees were given options to fit their comfort. do you want to be keyed as a permanent Work From Home employee, or would you like to be Hybrid and cone into the office at your leisure? Many employees were hired during this time as fully remote employees and were told they would never need to come into the office pandemic or otherwise. Many more longtime employees, delighted to be given permanent freedom to work from home, followed appropriate channels to gain USAA's blessing to relocate. Many employees moved out of state or 60+ miles away from the office and continued to perform admirably, productivity increasing in many cases (not unlike national trends).
Cons
The CEO has announced that all employees living within 60 miles of an office will be required to work 3 days per week in office starting in September. That will increase to 4 days in January. He has patted himself on the back for the "flexibility" he's offering, when in fact this mandate is rigid and damaging to morale. This impacts employees who worked remote long before the pandemic. Furthermore, those employees who live more than 60 miles away will be stuck in their current positions. The CEO has stated that future job postings will be Hybrid, and Remote options will be extremely rare (bordering on non-existent). There is a lack of transparency surrounding this business decision, and employees are being told that this is to support our "culture." Meanwhile, the Culture department has been laid off, along with roughly 1000 other employees this year. 2022 was the first time in company history that USAA lost money. Simultaneously, the CEO enjoyed a 150% raise. This company was a wonderful place to work, but I'm afraid it's joined the ranks of typical "corporate America" now. If you're considering employment, know that you're joining in a turbulent time and things are likely to get worse before they get better.