BB&T Reviews

Pros

The benefits are absolutely phenomenal! There is a heavy concentration on culture, professionalism, and ethics. The competitive differentiator for the company is keeping the small bank feel while expanding nationally.
The LDP program is 10 months in Winston-Salem, which is a beautiful city with a lot of history. Surprisingly, the cost of living is also relatively low. One of the program's primary intentions is embedding the culture into the associates so that we can reinforce them in all areas of the company.
There are frequent opportunities to meet Executive Managers, including the CEO.

Cons

The Leadership Development Program has been highly expanded over the past decade, and facilitators are frequently changing, adding, and updating the program for greater efficiency. The downside is that you won't have a precise schedule for more than a few months in advance, although you are aware of what to expect on a macro level.

Advice to Senior Management

BB&T's leadership program is one of the best in the country, let's keep it that way!

Pros

They give you alot of sick/annual leave! I was part time and they gave me 30+ days a year.

Cons

I was a college student at the time and they eventually changed the original scheduled that was agreed upon when I was hired. I was unable to take classes and work for them so I had to quit.

Advice to Senior Management

Consider your college students!!! When they get their degree they will be an assett to the company!

Pros

Stable organization to work for, positive environment, benefits. Large enough to provide opportunity if you dont mind relocating to another city.

Cons

Pay is below average for simular positions at other banks, if you dont drink the Koolaid your lost. Sale sale sale sale sale. Seems to be losing the values that made them such a great bank to work for. To many chiefs and not enough indians to run day to day operations at branch level. Management sometimes seems dissconnected, only worrying about the numbers and not leading by example. The bigger they become the worse things get.

Advice to Senior Management

It is ok to grow, but do not forget how you got here in the first place. Practice what you preach, and beleive that you are truly doing the right thing for the client and not your bottom line.

Pros

Great Pension, Healthcare plan, 401k matching, good orientation, great training for the first two years to get you up and running.

Cons

terrible human resources, no safe place to ask questions about HR policies and procedures, inexperienced management run regional sales and service operations. After five years, the bank does not know how to reward and motivate employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on profitable, loyal employees who can offer more than just training the high turn-over staff.

Pros

Great benefits, chances for growth

Cons

Horrible pay, unfairly treated, have to wait 1.5 years before applying for anything else

Advice to Senior Management

Managers should know how to do their job

Pros

The opportunity to advance in positions.

Cons

The balance between work and life.

Advice to Senior Management

Always let each individual employee know how appreciated they are.

Pros

Perks of working for a bank (loans, accounts, etc). Location was good. Fellow employees / peers we're competent and pleasurable to work with.

Cons

Very poor upper and mid management. Little respect for employees, little advancement and most of all little appreciation for internet business strategies vs. brick and mortar.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay attention to what employees are saying amongst themselves and in private, deemphasize opinions of middle management as most are just long timers that are stoic and stagnate in their understandings of ecommerce.

Pros

I enjoyed most of my time with BB&T. The Sr. Management folks are well versed in their fields, BB&T will not loan funds for projects where eminent domain was used to grab the land, they have a strong conservative philosophy that has positioned BB&T to weather the current economy virtually unscathed, and are positioned to continue growth in what is a tight market. In short, from a business and investment perspective, BB&T may not make one a large return, but BB&T is also going to be around where others will fail.

Cons

There seems to be a large disconnect between the operational aspect of BB&T and the IT groups. While the business end of BB&T has mechanisms in place for recognition and reward, there are little to none of these mechanisms in place for IT. When this is mentioned, it is quickly swept under the rug. Another con is no room for advancement. When management is queried about this, one gets answers pointing at positions like "Distinguished Technologist," what is not pointed out is there is only one such position and it is filled. Further, IT at BB&T is based on a culture of blame-storming. While I agree that one must take account of ones actions, BB&T seemed to stress the negative side of the equation instead of realizing the equation should balance. In short, it was always get it right or you're fired instead of any good job or thank you's. I cannot recommend BB&T as a place to work in IT. There are some real bright spots and tremendous managers, but from this writer's experience they are the exception and not the norm.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay greater attention to the middle managers and how their groups are performing, retention and turnover.

Pros

The customers holding up the bank are over 65 and have strong traditions. The branches are in the southeast, and they will remain in the southeast.

Cons

The customers holding up the bank will be dead most likely in about 20 years.
In IT Engineering, everybody was left to themselves which led things to go from bad to worse. Managers were let loose in supporting disciples they clearly didn't understand such as the content of the work at hand, teamwork and more importantly good leadership. The senior managers were driving change in too many directions. The person I reported to administratively was an associate manager who acted like he was the manager of the place who tried to intimidate you, he harissed people, and he enjoyed dropping project bombs on you with unthinkable deliverables, no intros and no project representation. The probability of achieving project goals there became an inverse ratio to its desirability. Getting goals accomplished was not practical because very few could work through the processes successfully, and you could ask but could not get direction from management on how to work through them. To get anything done there, you first had to prove that you didn't really need to get it done and then at about the time you make the ends meet, somebody goes and moves the ends! There were plenty of smiles usually when things went wrong and that was only because the smiling people had somebody in mind to blame. Overall my experience left me with a solid impression that you really can blame the blamers and management for everything.

Advice to Senior Management

GET OUT

Pros

Strong community values, job security, opprutinity to move up- they are easy to work with as far as time off

Cons

pay is not excellent at all and the insurance is very expensive it is hard to move up in this company-

Advice to Senior Management

Job evaluations need to be scrutined more carefully when pay is being considered. Keep encouraging employees for their good work and efforts. Make sure all departments are treated fairly.