Great Comp, but Avoid if You are Concerned with Laws or Regulatory Compliance - Anonymous employee Macquarie Group Employee Review

1.0
Apr 3, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Stunning office space, friendly people, great social events, typically get raises every year (even with average performance), firm continues to earn record-breaking profits every year, very positive future potential for a rapid-expanding business.

Cons

Horrific work-life-balance for US, as you'll need to work Sydney hours 3+ days a week, complete disregard for US regulatory environment (they are disregarding SEC, FINRA, and GLBA rules every day without concern), pre-Lehman risk management mindset ("We don't have to worry about XX, because XX has never happened to Macquarie"), out-dated end-user technology (no BYOD, you are required to carry a Macquarie laptop and Macquarie iPhone), too many lifers (they have only worked at Macquarie, so they don't know what established banks have done to solve problems), pretentious working environment ("Macquarie is special"), entirely disinterested in learning from mistakes of others ("it can never happen here, we're special"), complete inconsistency across different locations (no global standards), most decisions come handed down from Sydney (again, by people who haven't worked at other banks or haven't worked anywhere but other Australian retail banks), expects employees (of all levels) to fly economy class from New York to Sydney.

Explore other reviews about Macquarie Group

5.0
Jul 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really smart people who are genuinely interested in the work

Cons

I have a hard time coming up with any

1.0
Jul 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You are safe if you are Australian or a boot licking Manager/Director. Benefits are great. Free breakfast and lunch.

Cons

Extremely toxic culture especially in the Houston office. Trade compliance systems are a complete joke. They have no way of finding out of a trader is actually committing violations because systems are so bad and lag months back. Lots of image shining to hide the true picture behind closed doors. Do not trust the percentage of Bonus/Raise they pitch you. The bonus is 1% not 10-20% Lots of internal politics, local management keeps promoting each other every year while the rest of the hard workers watch. A little bit of a cult vibe when it comes to culture. Organization loves overstepping boundaries between personal and professional life. They want you to live and breathe Macquarie 24/7/365 Promotion process made extremely complicated for everyone EXCEPT the inner clicks. Annual performance reviews involve baiting each other by asking team members to score you.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All