First Horizon Reviews

Pros

Good benefits, wonderful people, meaningful work

Cons

Bank environment with controls in place

Advice to Senior Management

Did well considering how leveraged they were in Home loans when all of that went down. Good focus to go back to being the best in Tennessee....

Pros

First Horizon has unique and creative incentive programs. They also abide by a vacation policy that is considerate to employees.

Cons

Large companies naturally become bureaucratic, inefficient and illogical and First Horizon is no exception. Few large companies take the initiative to fight that nature.

Advice to Senior Management

Make First Horizon a more efficient place to work in all respects. From how you incentive your employees to keep the best workers, to reviewing mundane processes. This is a lot of work, but I believe there is no other way.

Pros

They gave me a wonderful severance package.
Employee First Culture is practiced in some areas.
There is a system to thank co-workers where both the sender and receiver are entered into a drawing.
They helped pay relocation from another city.
There are some fantastic people working at the check center near the airport.
You are allowed to work from home in the middle of the night while on call.

Cons

Was expected to work 50-60 hour work weeks, but told by management only to report 40 hours. On call is horrible in IT. Expect to be woken up every single night that you are on call. The work environment is horrible - mainly because of back stabbers, and liars. I worked all day, and then all that night. I was then expected to be on site that next morning after working 25 hours straight.

I was deceived as to what the work environment would be like. The lack of integrity from management is what bothers me the most about this company. My manager told me repeatedly that he owned me and all of the people that worked for him. We were to be at his beck and call 24/7/365. There was no work life balance there. It was work-work only.

I brought innovation to this company that saved hundreds of thousands of dollars. My reward? I was scaled for growth. I was highly discouraged from applying within the company for other positions. I was discouraged from training to learn new skills for the company.

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest. The deception is not fitting of you. Embrace First Power in all jobs. IT should be allowed to do more than read about First Power in action. Allow movement within the company. Let employees interested in other positions to explore them - even if it is part time in one, and part time in another.

Pros

Workplace flex-time regarding time off.

Cons

Incentive plan changes so rapidly.

Pros

The bank is performing reasonably well in a difficult environment.

Cons

Strong good ole boy network. Communication tends to be on a "need to know" basis.

Pros

Strong executive leadership and evidence of concern for employees.

Cons

Other senior management only so-so; not at the same caliber as CEO.

Advice to Senior Management

Quit living in silos and fighting last year's war.

Pros

Relationship with management is open door and comfortable. People work as teams. Management demonstrates that they care about you. Medical benefits are good. I even like my pay.

Cons

Not always able to grow in my field. Not many oppotunities. I've tried suggesting different areas I'd like to get experience, but I tend to get cornered into what I have been doing since I got this job. But I really can't complain becuase they do try to get me what I ask for, even when it doesn't materialise.

Advice to Senior Management

Anything you can do to help a person expand their skill set in their career is appreciated. But otherwise I couldn't ask for a better employer.

Pros

Their motto is "Employees First" and it is truly modeled within the organization. They treat their employees well and their employees in turn treat the customers well.

Cons

Regional company with limited opportunities since the sale of the mortgage company. Great place to work if you are going to be in Tennessee but limited opportunities elsewhere

Advice to Senior Management

Overall management does a great job. Remember to communicate regularly with employees and continue to offer growth opportunities for top performers

Pros

Exposure to the more complex financial markets and customers of a larger bank (First Tennessee, lead bank of First Horizon). Opportunities throughout Tennessee and parts of surrounding states. However, they have downsized considerably, after selling off their nationwide mortgage company, and only limited nationwide opportunities.

The benefits package was is still good. Like most companies, they have dropped their pension. However, they still have a good 401-K and insurance package, plus pay for work-related college courses.

Cons

Strong "every man for himself" competitiveness and environment that prevents the company from providing a cohesive and properly supported product to the customer. This philosopy carries over into having a number of different departments or groups competing to seize power (and sometimes customers) from each other. Tends to produce a staff where each is defensive of their own turf, and does not want to share skills or resources and develop or bring in others.

Can be a job opportunity for a highly competitive charger that can bring home the meat on a consistent basis. However, don't expect a lot of recognition or appreciation. Your opportunties for advancement will be limited to what cliques and power groups you associate with or can develop. The new employee is expected to "hit the ground running" and meet his or her targets from the very first day.

The bank has also been implementing a lot of IT systems. They have their own unique systems that are complex. Training for this is rushed and weak when your first come on. It takes months to get up to speed on all of the different reports and systems -- how to get to the information, how to input it all in the different places, how to get it to simply give you info that you need. There are a few people that might help you, but the general philosphy is sink or swim.

Training systems are strong for the lower level operational people (tellers, CSR's, clerks), mid-level and upper level employees are pretty much left to develop their skills on their own. (Similar to the comments on the IT systems above.) While a new employee can bring in a skill set with him or her, there are always new products and systems being offered and developed that require training.

Advice to Senior Management

Better define the job positions and what objectives you want the employee to meet. Then be sure that the employee receives the training and support to have the skills to acheive those goals -- particularly when dealing with new systems and products. Don't rely on local management to follow through with the development -- have some kind of objective testing to ensure skills are properly developed. As for the lack of team work and "every man for himself" -- that takes a change in corporate philosophy that I am not sure senior management is capable of. Maybe some training in teamwork?

Pros

Executive Management is supportive. Flexible work schedules.

Cons

Limited number of vacation days for folks with 20 years + experience, who previously got 5 weeks with former company

Advice to Senior Management

Allow negotiation on number of vacation days for 20 years + experienced project managers, when salary is not negotiable