Barclays Bank Reviews

Pros

Good organization to work for

Cons

You are just a number

Advice to Senior Management

Revise your salary and benefits

Pros

Barclays compensation package is good especially compared to available jobs in the area.
Opportunities to get involved in fund-raising and charity events.

Cons

This may be the particular location but there is a 'small town mentality'. Team leaders have an inflated sense of their own importance, and pick their favourites in a team.
Often people will be asked to 'act up' which basically means they get more work out of you than you are paid for - this is not rewarded with the promotions promised.
Team leaders pick their favourites and judge staff on how well they flatter them, not how competent they are at the job.
Bullies are not dealt with, despite numerous reports from many people.

Advice to Senior Management

Train the team leaders on how to assess team members. Ensure that team leaders understand how to see through flattery. If something is promised as an opportunity, follow through on it. The recognition and rewards system needs to be fairer, hard workers are not recognised.

Pros

Large MNC bank, with a good office in Mumbai.
Good team, mostly achievers and focused on work.

Cons

Very short term management focus.
Inconsistent directions from leadership.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on basics and get infrastructure sorted out

Pros

Salary, bonus, benefits. Canary Wharf location is great for those errands

Cons

Bullying culture that is not addressed. Traditional i.e. do not accept change or anyone different to someone that has "grown up" in Barclays. Its a man's world

Advice to Senior Management

Address employee issues. Get with the current times, and move on

Pros

Barclays have a good brand and a global reach. Holiday entiltlement is good, 27 days. Other benfits are useful, healthcare and share plans.

Cons

Very political atmosphere and always telling you to 'Raise your profile' - what does that really mean? It seems that once you are in a job, there is not path mapped out for progression and if you aren’t one of the favourites you don’t get much help. There is a minimum period in the role of 2 years. The RSM role is very difficult and very service focussed despite their attempts to tell you different. The wage structure for this role is poor and you have to do a lot more hours than you should for the wage you get paid. There is no way of getting from this role to Relationship Manager without taking a sideways move to either Credit or risk and then doing another 2 years there. I would NOT recommend this role.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide better support for employees who want to progress and also a way to move into a Relationship Manager type role.

Pros

If you want a relaxed place, where to learn things by yourself, then go for it.

Cons

Low recognition for hard work and bright people.
The compensation package is not competitive.
A bit of ageism: if you are young, you cannot earn that much, unless you have been sitting on that chair for at least 7 years.

Advice to Senior Management

Look for bright people, young, willing to work ahard nd reward them properly!

Pros

- good overall business strategy
- strong performance despite the financial crisis, so a positive atmosphere and pride to work for Barclays among employees
- better hours than other banks (good work-life balance)
- pay and benefits package is very good compared to other corporates

Cons

- still quite bureaucratic in many ways (culture of meetings, internal politics)
- limited flexibility to move across the business units except at senior levels
- level of performance management can be low / minimal feedback

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing the fantastic job you've done over last two turbulent years; keep the levels of communication up with the masses...

Pros

-Big firm
-friendly, approachable
-opportunities for professional growth
- nice building
- stable and secure institution
- assessment centre was quite easy in comparison to investment banks

Cons

- intern salary significantly lower than other banks

Advice to Senior Management

Perhaps establish a more rigourous intern assessment

Pros

IT Audit function covers entire bank portfolio, from payments to credit cards to retail and commercial banking, with locations centred in UK, Western Europe, and a growing hub in SE Asia. The investment banking arm (Barcap) is effectively a separate entity. Theoretically lots of opportunity for travel, and to get exposure across a number of business areas. IT Auditors often assigned to business areas outside their normal remit. Controls focus in operational areas is growing slowly.

Cons

Job areas are clearly demarcated, and it is difficult to move between, e.g. Barclaycard and Commercial Banking for structured development, and very hard to move to / from Barcap.
Management is very hierarchical, with little trust and interest in opinions and experience of staff in the 'rung below'. Progress and innovation noted by their absence. Takes inordinate amount of time to initiate improvements, and they are generally not valued by management. A large QA team do nothing to streamline work processes. For a regulated industry, the controls focus in operations is poor, and operational staff and junior management do not value Audit function. Audit management style very traditional, and struggle to embrace modern working practices (such as remote working!)

Advice to Senior Management

Audit management need to listen to, act on, and support the ideas and initiatives of their staff, trust them, and adopt and encourage modern working practices

Pros

Barclays pays its staff well and you do get some good worthwhile product discounts

Cons

Things change on almost a weekly basis with no thought as to how these will play out from the customer's or staff's point of view. There is very little communication down the ranks to convey the reason for the procedural changes they bring in. There is far too much red tape involved in simple procedures.

Advice to Senior Management

Put yourself in the customers shoes and try to do business with us. Dont make things more complicated than they have to be in our dealings with customers.