A sleepy and slow decision making giant - Vice President Northern Trust Employee Review

3.0
Aug 5, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance only applies to some depts as some managers are really slave drivers who dun advocate the work life balance policies. Good, collegial co-workers Average benefits cover for employees. Ideal place for someone who wants to be a mediocre worker to get by.

Cons

too much talk (bs) and not enough actions and commtiment. Lack of dynamic leadership who can truly walk the talk and be a good role model to the employees. Despite being finanically sound and strong, there is always budget cuts across the board which comprise on the quality of the resources. The amount of audit and compliance checks that NT conducts is good enough to stifle all the creativity and innovative thinking. Resources such as headcount across the globe are unevenly distributed, more jobs are moving to India where the work standard are way below standard. In other regions, where there is a genuine need to hire, the headcount is not being granted. So where is the work life balance? Merit and bonus plan are below market practice.

Explore other reviews about Northern Trust

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits and work environment

Cons

Nothing that’s too much of a con

2.0
Apr 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice people and a good environment. Benefits are good and the work is interesting. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate NT as a 7. But, it’s typical big corporate crap that hands out 2% raises and minimum bonuses during a good year yet spends $360 million this past quarter buying their stock back.

Cons

Constant reminders to do more with less and cut costs and belt tightening while the execs line their pockets and you maybe get a 2% raise. I could see such actions if the firm was doing bad financially, but they aren’t. Record this and record that for many quarters now. And they walk around patting each other on the back like they all did such a great job when in reality, the markets are up so the value of the assets we manage are up. I’m wondering what sort of actions will happen when the market goes south for several quarters. Oh. And the constant state of surveillance here is BS. Tracking to make sure you are here 3 days a week. Keyboard / mouse / PC tracking systems receding your activity. It’s like a 21st century high tech sweatshop in some ways.

2
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