Royal Bank of Scotland Reviews in London, UK Area

Pros

- Good Work Life Balance
- Open communication and nice friendly atmosphere

Cons

- Lack of clear strategic direction

Pros

Work Life balance is excellent

Cons

Compensation is significantly below market rates.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to invest in systems and infrastructure which still lag a long way behind.

Pros

Undergoing a period of transformation
Can only get better
Benefit package
Immediate line manager great
Exposure to other areas of the business

Cons

Senior management dont always lead by example
Alot of forms/paperwork to complete to get anything agreed
Bureaucracy
Limited by being part of a large organisation

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate openly and honestly with staff at all levels
Be visible - this increases morale in the team
Be a part of the team!

Pros

Nice offices to work in.
Colleagues very nice, created a very nice environment to work in.

Cons

Management incapable of managing people;
Not a lot of training provided so you were thrown in the deep pan.

Advice to Senior Management

Train management to manage people.

Pros

Incredible work-life balance (NB no idea about investment bank); definitely 'in the eye of the storm' - fascinating to see how the firm / industry will restructure over time given the crisis and the now-mostly-competent senior management team. Mostly extremely friendly 'nice' people

Cons

Lack of work. Very poor quality of people in terms of intellectual firepower (at the top in particular). Massive politics. Bureaucratic (inevitable in such a large firm). Complete lack of personal development / feedback culture so no way of actually improving as a professional, only politiking your way to your next position

Advice to Senior Management

Sort out talent management. I'm not the only person who left after a short time because despite interesting issues, the place was too frustrating to stay.

Pros

Not as competitive as American banks, much more relaxed atmosphere with many ex-goldmans employees moving here, although pay reflects this. Good team working atmosphere. Good resources if you wish to pursue your own projects e.g. meeting training costs. Most graduates suitably rewarded in their first few years.

Cons

Not a flat management structure at all (although it has changed since). Will pat you on the back for a job well done but leave you high and dry if things go wrong. Goals of individuals dont necessarily reflect that of the team, which dont always reflect that of senior management. Not enough mentoring as a grad who started out there. Pay not as great as American counterparts.

Advice to Senior Management

Flatter and more transparent management required.

Pros

Plenty of challenge during a period of change.
Evolving business and multi year plan.
Good career development opportunities.

Cons

Evolving culture has led to traditional values being lost.
Erosion of staff benefits.

Advice to Senior Management

Ensure that staff feel valued and are motivated in innovative ways.

Pros

Treated as adults within financial services. Left to run your own division, without interference or excessive reporting whilst above targets.Very friendly and open place to work.

Cons

Plenty of procedures to follow for advisors when giving advice. Limited autonomy froman advisor point of view when selecting most suitable products, although the research function determining suitable products is competed for you..

Advice to Senior Management

Listern to people that know the business rather than implementing change from above without considering impacts that sometimes are to the detriment of profitable parts of the business

Pros

work in the Global banking and markets division, relatively better working hours, relatively nice people, good location? training is all right

Cons

lower bonus, less projects, less opportunities to learn, always pitch, no mandate, poor benefits, less attention from management, bad reputation...

Advice to Senior Management

have to do something to keep good bankers stay, and need to show respect to employees especially the juniors ones

Pros

good pay, good benefits program available, decent hours and its located close to the tube station so i dont get wet when its raining

Cons

no one knows whats going on in non core, the accounting systems dont talk to each other, everyone is working on their own, not in unison, the people are unfriendly, uptight and cranky

Advice to Senior Management

get the it infrastructure behind everything properly staffed and working correctly so that employees can do their jobs and so that IT is not a hinderance