Where ‘Culture’ Is a Slogan, Not a Reality - Anonymous employee Columbia Bank Employee Review

The problems here are systemic and start at the top of the organization. Leadership frequently talks about “culture,” “values,” and “putting employees first,” but the day-to-day reality for associates looks nothing like those messages. The culture is dictated from above rather than built through trust and respect, which makes most of the messaging feel performative rather than genuine. Planning and execution are chronically reactive. Projects are often rushed with little foresight or coordination, creating constant fire drills and unnecessary stress. Instead of strategic planning, many teams operate in a cycle of last-minute urgency that burns people out and leads to avoidable mistakes. Communication from senior leadership is inconsistent and often contradictory. Priorities shift frequently, and employees are left trying to interpret what direction the organization is actually moving in. There is also a strong perception of favoritism and uneven standards, where visibility and relationships matter more than performance. Compensation and benefits are disappointing given the scale and profitability of the institution. At the same time, employees regularly see resources spent on initiatives that appear designed more for optics than for improving the employee experience. The contrast between those priorities and the daily reality for associates is hard to ignore. For an organization that now operates at the scale of a $70B bank, many internal practices still resemble those of a much smaller institution—just with more layers of bureaucracy and politics. Growth in size has not been matched by growth in leadership maturity or organizational discipline. Recent integrations have also been difficult to watch. Many new colleagues joining the organization deserved a stronger, more stable culture than what currently exists.