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Principal Financial Group

Engaged employer

Failing culture and leadership - Software Engineer Principal Financial Group Employee Review

1.0
3 Jun 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Used to be family culture. Used to have work life. Now their are no pros.

Cons

Below average pay (well below). Leadership is horrible and leaders seem to come from other areas and know whats best. Leaders DO NOT listen to employees and do not care about their employees. I was there almost 10 years and saw no promotion from within. Majority of Senior developers and leaders came form other companies and jump right into management roles. Work life is a joke! What used to be a great place changed and it is such a shame.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
24 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good FTO policy good opportunity for career development flexible work arrangements

Cons

health insurance sucks - United annual reviews- everything's made up and the points don't matter more and more pressure to be in-office despite team members being remote

2.0
4 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent work life balance and benefits. Principal offers a pension which is unheard of in today’s age.

Cons

Pay is below average and Principal does not offer inflation raises. Once you hit the midpoint of your salary, you will get a 0% raise until you’re promoted, which will take multiple years regardless of performance. Performance reviews are vague and often used against employees to avoid promotions. At least in my department, I’ve yet to see any of the remote workers be promoted. This is starting to affect attrition and we’re already starting to see people leaving. It’s well known at this point that the best way to get promoted is to leave Principal and get rehired, which even leadership has stated publicly. This is a huge frustration and blow to morale, as it starts to feel like employees need to compete against their co-workers for raises.

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Principal Financial Group Response
1w
We appreciate you sharing your feedback. As a leader in retirement solutions and employee benefits, we strive to provide our employees with a competitive benefits package. Our global pay philosophy is guided by market-driven principles. and we leverage third-party market data to ensure our base salary and incentives remain appropriately competitive.
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