1. CSA’s are treated like workhorses, if you show that you’re great at your job, you’re not rewarded, you’re just handed more work and more planners. Which is probably why there are so many CSA job openings all the time, no one wants to be one.
2. There are no promotions available for CSA’s. There was long ago a CSA II position that meant you were a great CSA with slightly better pay, but the company has been “considering” new positions within Client Service for years...so pretty much they just want to hire CSA’s to churn out as much work as possible while treating them without respect, with little pay and no promotions. Also, there’s no downtime to try and learn any new skills to work towards another position in the company. Before the company stopped holding FINRA licenses, you were only able to study for a license that was needed for your position, if you wanted to study for another license , you were told “sorry that license isn’t needed for your position, so we won’t sponsor your test or materials.” AKA you will forever be a CSA because they don’t care about your educational growth that could actually benefit their company in the long run.
3. Planners run the company. Every time leadership speaks out they always mention “the planners”, no one else is mentioned or cared for. Because of this almost all planners have it in their heads that they are the best, they should be given everything they want and if not treated in that way then they throw a hissy fit. Planners are given far too much leeway when it comes to their work time. Many stroll in around 10 or 11 and leave at about 3 or 4 leaving their CSA’s to cover their calls for them. They “work from home” far too often. It’s sad the way the company just feeds their egos and their work style, while the rest of us are given no freedom.
4. Only part of the company gets unlimited PTO, the rest get a reasonable amount of earned PTO, but be warned, you can only use what you earn. There’s no borrowing from future PTO like at many other companies, and god forbid you ask to work from home for a day like many others are able to.
5. Technology is horrible, outdated and their choices of “improved technology” are painful. There are no laptops in sight, strictly desktops that have more problems than storage space. This company is far behind other financial firms with technology which makes being a CSA quite frustrating. Also, when the company asks you to work remotely from home (only during bad weather) you have to log in through a system on your home computer, this system only allows a certain number of people to work from it at a time, so you’re constantly kicked off while to work, another view of their great technology.
6. Communication is selective. The executives pick and choose what they’d like you know and hear, but they tell the planners everything. So a CSA may not know about a change in policy for weeks, while their planner has know all along and doesn’t tell you.
7. Management of CSA’s has changed drastically since the company merger. Before CSA’s were able to speak with their manager and get help from them, they’d have bi-weekly CSA meetings so that you’d be up to date and aware of changes/news that would affect your job. Now, you’re lucky if your manager emails you back within 4 days, and CSA meetings no longer exist. The last CSA meeting that was held was back in August of 2018, and there have MANY changes in procedures that we were not told about, not to mention a new technology system was rolled out and we were told to rely upon a terrible PowerPoint presentation for questions. But don’t worry, A Planner Newsletter is sent out every Friday with updates, changes and news that effect them.
