Creepy, Orwellian bank that doesn't respect its employees. - Anonymous employee Florida Community Bank Employee Review

Where to start? The negative reviews on here have focused on the many dysfunctional aspects of Florida Community Bank. But due to the unbelievably bad working atmosphere, I feel the need to give my input. The atmosphere is so toxic and anxiety levels are so high, that turnover is through the roof. Within the local banking community, Florida Community Bank and CEO Kent Ellert have a very poor reputation. Thus, working here can be a real career stopper. One district manager likes to talk about "rock stars" but FCB has a very difficult time recruiting and retaining quality people. Many of the really talented employees leave fast. In addition, if you try to leave, there is the very real chance that the bank will blacklist you. As I stated in my review title, FCB is a very creepy, Orwellian place to work. Kent Ellert is referred to reverently as Our Leader and the senior management is referred to as Your Leaders (ALWAYS capitalized). FCB uses propaganda (and I don't use this word lightly) very reminiscent of North Korea (Dear Leader), and Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm." And the controversies and scandals that erupt at the higher levels of the bank are worthy of the Byzantine Court intrigues of the Middle Ages. The term Byzantinism accurately describes FCB. And as part of Byzantinism, the bank is a bureaucratic nightmare. Good luck trying to get a correct answer, something done quickly and efficiently or someone to take ownership of an issue. You would have better luck trying to have a pleasant experience while dealing with the IRS. Working at the corporate office in Weston, you see this dysfunctional bureaucracy on a daily basis. Interestingly, while employees are micromanaged to the nth degree (the amount of reporting paperwork is utter lunacy), there is a total lack of leadership and communication (everything at FCB seems to be a state secret). Those that can, lead. Those that can't, micromanage. The lack of business education and savvy by senior management is stunning and the treatment of lower level employees, who are regularly berated publicly, is unconscionable. This lack of business acumen is demonstrated in the bank's lack of a marketing strategy and it's net loss in checking accounts and bad loan portfolio. Do not let the 5 star rating fool you, this bank is very unsound. They cannot even get their own employees to open accounts. As a last measure, they resorted to REQUIRING employees to have their pay direct deposited into an FCB account, have a check mailed to them (days later), or pay $30 to have their pay direct deposited into an account at another institution. Pitiful. Maybe employees do not want to bank at FCB because they see the way the bank monitors customers. By using various methods, the bank builds a database that pres into the lives of its customers. To conclude, I would advise potential employees to stay well away from Florida Community Bank.