Boston Financial Reviews

Pros

Benefits are good. People in the company are good to work with, although under appreciated.

Cons

They are quietly laying off people and using different terms for the process.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on quality, the customer, and your employees verses kissing the board of directors asses and you might get back the company that once was great.

Pros

Fun atmosphere to work in

Cons

Small salary, not a full time job

Pros

Financial Industry near Boston- many Mutual Funds and 529 clients- many clients- project work and inhouse training- tuition reimbursement

Cons

Constant reorgs and numerous layoffs starting in 2001 and throughout the decade- stress levels were high with all the uncertainty- no structured career paths though there were job levels. HR should have been more involved with putting a structured career path in place for those with Bachelor's and work towards Advanced Degree's including MBAs, experience, and certifications- and structed Management training path leading to possible Executive Management. There was plenty of talent left on the bench and discarded.

Advice to Senior Management

More transparancy- the Win-Win meetings were informative during the mid 2000s but later stopped- be more upfront with the business health and the real potential for repetitive layoffs

Pros

There are some good things to working at BFDS. In the Midwest for example, if attenting college, BFDS has many decent entry-level positions available (don't expect to go any further than that, though). Their benefits for a single person are amazing--for having dependants it's not too bad either. Tuition reimbursement is available for full-time employees, though if you keep reading you'll see why this might seem ironic to me. There are other little perks here and there--a handful of catered meals and some prize give-aways from time to time. The Lawrence, KS, office offers free parking.

Co-workers, in my experiences, have been great, their office setting is pretty nice in Kansas City, and the front-line managers are very supportive. Any higher than that and I start struggling for positives to say.

Cons

If you come in at an entry-level position while attending college, don't plan on advancing! Once you finish your degree BFDS pats you on the back and tells you to "get back to work". There are no programs internally to help newly graduated associates find a job within the company (BFDS falls underneath the DST Systems family of companies with around 9,000 employees--should be lots of room to move around). Once you get your paper start grinding on finding a new job, one where you can use your education and it'll be appreciated (not to mention that you should get the pay you deserve).

Also, in the rare occasion where somebody does advance, their selection process is baffling; consider the following example: an individual with no college education and less industry experience is promoted over another with a bachelor's in business administration and two extra years of industry experience to boot. It is thought by some that applicants' brown-nosing skills are considered when applying for promotions internally as well as their "bubbliness", whatever that might be.

There are rarely challenging projects to be placed on; most of the work is mundane and repetative, not to menion mind-numbing. For those of us in the KCMO offices, we have to pay on average $50/mo for parking--if you live downtown this isn't much of an issue, but for those who have to drive to work, it's a hassle.

Advice to Senior Management

If somebody works full-time, goes to school full-time, and has been bending over backwards to advance in the company, why don't you pay attention to that? Consider your employees' educational backgrounds, leadership skills, and untapped talent. Don't throw people under the bus when they've been doing something for years, then cut them off because you "decided that training is needed"--it's not needed if you've been doing a great job of it for years. Recognize your employees' dedication and breakthroughs...a simple email explaining how something helped out the company is compliment enough; don't ignore accomplishments or let others take credit.

Pull out the stick and lighten up!

Pros

The pay is great for a part-time job, and it's really relatively easy work. I am a finance major, so I have actually learned a lot from this job. The management is great, everyone is so nice and so helpful. They are very flexible with time off, etc. and hard work is rewarded with gift cards, and KU basketball ticket.

Cons

The work is pretty monotonous, and the management is somewhat unorganized. It's pretty hard to move up from what I've observed.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be nice if all of the manager had the same answers to questions, there is often discrepancy. Also, the city of Lawrence NEEDS to fix Bluffs Drive!!

Pros

Good benefits, training and people. Overall the work environment was professional.

Cons

Jobs are low paying will little opportunities for advancement.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop micromanaging, get more competent managers who know how to treat employees and improve morale.

Pros

Great people, Good Hours, Good commute, Great location

Cons

Low pay, uneducated management, uneducated co-workers, Terrible commute

Advice to Senior Management

Try to minimize turnover and hire people who have more of a finance background.

Pros

great benefits package, including 401k with employer match, Tufts Health Insurance, Delta Dental, Davis Vision, Hartford Life Insurance, flexible spending account.

Cons

Lots of politics
No standards across organization
Poor ethics and bad moral
no repect from management: You should be happy to have a job mentality
low compensation

Advice to Senior Management

Put competent people in leadership, train them well and hold them accountable. Provide more consistency across the organization. Learn that your staff is the backbone of the organization.

Pros

consistant work once understood, attractive work place

Cons

little flex, harsh if make mistake

Advice to Senior Management

be more flexable with work/life, moreopportunity allocated for professional improvements

Pros

Building, Facilities, Benefits, People, Work

Cons

Numerous Layoffs, Stress, Lack of Growth Options

Advice to Senior Management

Better career path options needed. Challenging environment due to due numerous layoffs, lack of growth options for many associates. Suggest utilizing HR more- less of a "silo" approach regarding growth opportunities. More job rotation and job enrichment options suggested. Make HR more interactive with Functional Managers- Offer a structed management training program instead of mainly just a posting system. Re-enact the Win "Town Hall Type" Meetings of the early 2000's to listen to employees. Should be more pro-active with keeping valued employees, particularly those who have exceeded requirements for numerous years. More Functional Manager Training to how to manage in this difficult market down turn. More growth opportunities needed for those with Bachelor degrees or hire, and those attaining certifications.