Fifth Third Reviews

Pros

Very good benefits and good stock option benefits. Lots of training.

Cons

Very sales oriented and sales goal are constantly increased

Pros

Easy access to work and affordable parking

Cons

Long hours and lack of communication between workers.

Advice to Senior Management

none

Pros

Pay is ok, incentives are a ok but not the greatest, benefits are really good.

Cons

This bank wants you to sell sell sell!
I feel it takes away from giving customers a pleasant visit. They make it harder and harder to achieve goals which would mean more turnover.

Advice to Senior Management

They need to realize that selling isn't everything. Customers want to come in and be to do business without being harassed as soon as they come in. I think goals should be by branch and their traffic rather than have all banking centers be the same. When you live in a smaller community its harder to get referrals.

Pros

One of the best places to work around the gallop employee engagement survey time. Great team members and great co-workers.

Cons

Leadership; They are still stuck in the old ways in Western Michigan Affiliate. Currently we check in twice a day to report checking production. Our CEO comes out with a message of our vision and we refuse to listen; we just are forced to product push. Market managers are puppets of retail exec, regionals are puppets of Market managers and then branch managers are puppets of the regional. If you want to feel like you are garbage and that you are good at nothing apply here. To give a little information about me I am an over performer who has a performance management rating of exceeds goals the last two years.

Advice to Senior Management

Please align your vision with the way you manage. You put people in place that you think will succeed, give them a chance. Do not make threats about if you are not at this outragous goal than you will have to work every Saturday. Make goals attainable, does it make sense for a branch to have a goal of 150 savings accounts.....Are we pushing products or listening to customers needs? Please wake up and bring your management style into the 21st century.

Pros

Benefits are great and their motto seems great on paper and in theory! Have not worked there that long and I am new to the industry, so I do not really know what is really fair for salary.

Cons

There is too much arguing at this particular branch! There are employees that argue about who is boss and has attitude problems not addressed.

Advice to Senior Management

There are employees that say one thing and do another and act differently when the branch manager is there and differently when she is not there. I went into this company thinking that this company would be great to work for and thrilled that I was chosen for the job, but going into this particular branch, there has been way too much drama and personal issues to come in that influence attitudes in the most negative way. I am not so proud to work here, but I am eating up the drama and doing my best to push through.

Pros

Health and dental benefits and salary.

Cons

They will change your commission structure if you are hitting your goals.

Advice to Senior Management

Build customer relationship instead of selling every possible product to the customer.

Pros

The opportunity to meet and work with clients on a daily basis and assist them with their financial needs. Lots of holidays.

Cons

Horrible work enviornment. Upper and mid management are completely clueless in running the north carolina affiliate. Product and sales driven to the point of exhaustion. Your just a number there and very expendable. Do not trust anyone there because they will run and talk behind your back to save themselves.

Advice to Senior Management

My advice would be to learn how to treat your employees better so your turn over rate isnt so high and people would actually be proud to work for this company. If they only realized how many people hate there jobs there and would do anything to get out because they hate the way they are treated. If I was in charge I would fire that whole leadership staff from the top down and start all over.

Pros

Compensation is decent with many branches to transfer if closer to home.

Cons

Fifth Third creates a hostile environment in the branches. Points are harder to get, year after year. It becomes a hostile competition among coworkers, and a fight for points. Tellers are salespeople. They are expected to sell, and most of the time seal the deal. They do exactly what the personal bankers do, minus the pay and actually inputting it into the system. Branch Managers are very competitive, and will do whatever it takes to be number one (even if it means throw you under a bus) Too much paperwork and meetings about how you're going to do something. Its all about numbers! If you want a promotion, you better be PERFECT and EXCEEDING in sales goals, and customer service scores. The hiring process takes entirely too long. The only thing that is good about working for Fifth Third, is the pay. So if you can handle all the bad (sell your soul) for the pay, you will love it. Otherwise, it will make you hate banking altogether.

Advice to Senior Management

It's not all about numbers on paper, it literally is doing the right thing for employees, AND customers. Stop making such a hostile environment in the banking centers, and promote employee engagement with each other. One that collaborates ideas to reach the common goal. The expectations of position changes as you are there, and at different banking centers. A bank that encourages candor is an awesome way of thinking. With Fifth Third, if you speak up or encourage new ideas or concerns, it usually always comes back to bite you. You have to have a updated resume at all times, because you never know when Management will cut you.

Pros

- Decent benefits package (health/life insurance, 401K, and 2 weeks vacation w/ the option to purchase extra vacation).
- Name Recognition, Fifth Third is a very respected name in the banking industry.
- Decent Employee Banking discounts (on loans/mortgages)
- Decent Investment Revenue comp plan for "i" designated bankers.
- Positive changes have been made over the last few months in the Chicago market with new blood at the top which is a good thing because they seem to actually care about the employees/customers as opposed to the old regime that wore plastic smiles 24/7.

Cons

- Like it or not you will be micro-managed (on a daily basis) even if you are hitting your goals.
- Goals and changes to the compensation plan are never communicated by the beginning of the new year, thus you will be working under last year's structure until March/April when they implement the new plan which makes things VERY frustrating.
- Unrealistic goals with too many focuses, let your sales people focus on what they are good at as opposed to doing other jobs (why should licensed employees have to set up bank at work seminars when they should be driving investment revenue?)
- Too much bureaucracy when it comes to referrals, you may or may not get credit points while other branch personnel end up getting a cash pay out for the same thing.
- Poor retail comp. plan for the past few years, hopefully it improves in 2012.
- Low salaries if you work your way up, you have to negotiate the best deal possible as a new hire.

Advice to Senior Management

It has been a bumpy ride through the financial crisis and the company is back on track which is a great thing. Please continue to make the positive changes in Chicago that you have done over the past 6 mos. and shy away from being product pushers and more of a customer focused bank that appreciates your employees. It would be nice if loyalty bonuses or bumps up in base pay were given to those who stuck with the organization when they could have gone to a competitor for more money, since they helped turned the ship around and make the company profitable again.

Pros

For the past few years that I have been employed at fifth third bank I have been pretty happy. I really enjoy my coworkers and managers. I have always received the coaching for the position I desired along with clear goals I needed to achieve them. I do feel that the company promotes from within.

Cons

Management emphasis sales over any other aspect of our job. If you want a promotion you must be a proficient salesman at least on the retail side. I have felt that management has forgotten that we are Customer Service Representative and Customer Experience is just as important to retaining customers as gaining new ones.