Barclays Reviews

Pros

Better capitalised than many and still independent of Government. Flexible working practices and premises mainly of good quality. Credit function becoming more enlightened despite difficult economic conditions

Cons

Role scope creep with no discussion of improved remuneration is typical. Change of approach many years ago means that development of internal talent seems a secondary priority to hiring so called "top talent" from other banks. Some of these "hires" clearly knwo how to play the "Top Grading" game.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide clearer career paths for internal candidates and reward talent better. Stop calling performance related pay a discretionary bonus - retail/corporate bankers will never earn the bonuses of the investment banking community and it is like comparing apples and oranges.

Pros

Some good work and projects in hand

Cons

Senior Managment needs to wake up and work hard

Advice to Senior Management

Wake up

Pros

Good work-life balance. Possibility to work from home every now and then. That's pretty much it.

Cons

Culture of unbearable oppression, bullying thrives and is actually encouraged. "Nice people" are penalised for not becoming sharks. A lot of backstabbing from bitchy colleagues. Career progression is achieved through "licking" the right person and "blindly complying"and is completely unrelated to the quality of the work done. They make people redundant very easily, especially now with the very unpopular new CEO. No fun, no company events, they save money on everything, we even have to bring our own stationery! Non-English are discriminated and in general treated poorly, but you cannot mention this as it is one of the many tabus. Salaries below average. Huge turnover and yet they say that employees love working there.
I don't think so!

Advice to Senior Management

Don't turn a blind eye on the constant bullying and the unfair treatment employees are subject to.
Profit is not everything.

Pros

work life balance is good

Cons

too many office politics and favouritism

Advice to Senior Management

senior manager needs to engage to her employees

Pros

strategy decisions and changes impact

Cons

strategy decisions and changes impact thus having issues from the employees

Pros

Good work/life balance
Good senior managers

Cons

Large and bureaucratic organisation
Support functions not too useful

Advice to Senior Management

barcorp is not a lean organisation

Pros

- Great flexibility
 - easy options available to move internally within the organization. People do change often.
 - Awesome leave policies. One of the best in the industry
 - Got into some good policies for the employees they had to lay off giving them a good monetory support
- decent paymasters

Cons

- very much dependent on an individuals relations with their managers. Opportunities likely to come if you share a good professional bond.
 - not a good performance appraisal system

Advice to Senior Management

- please be more involved with the ground level staff. They have some best ideas to share. Most of your line managers enjoy unnecessary privileges thus molding the communication while flowing on their way-up.

Pros

Great Brand. Robust Process. Strong on Risk and Governance. Responsibility given and then you are left to do it.

Cons

Zero tolerance for error and no elbow room to innovate and try out new ideas.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in People. Nurture Talent. Get away from consequence based leadership style.

Pros

Work from home option if needed
Good work life balance
nobody cares if you come late or leave early if you are completing the work in time

Cons

Lot of things will depend on your relationship with Manager
Some people will get all the good opportunities
No Onsite

Advice to Senior Management

Please give the feedback to employees on time
Please start onsite
there are some people who get all recognition without doing any work.

Pros

International environment, if you get the chance to work at regional level.

Cons

No carreer development support from neither senior management nor human resource.
Very poor internal communication.
Not enough focus on lean processes and technology.

Advice to Senior Management

Plase take an honest loot at your local senior management and deal with it.