Is Principal Financial Group a good company to work for?

Principal Financial Group has an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on over 3,081 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 72% of employees would recommend working at Principal Financial Group to a friend and 69% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Principal Financial Group have been left by employees working as Software Engineer Intern , Intern and Relationship Manager .

Does Principal Financial Group pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Principal Financial Group employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Principal Financial Group. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Principal Financial Group?

72% of Principal Financial Group employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Principal Financial Group 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Principal Financial Group?

Software Engineer (159) , Analyst (103) , Financial Advisor (53) , Data Engineer (46) , Senior Software Engineer (45) , Retirement Specialist (44) , Software Developer (42) , Intern (38) , Business Analyst (31) , Process Specialist (28) , Software Engineer(Internship) (25) , Associate Consultant (24) , Financial Analyst (24) , Client Service Associate (23) , Senior Analyst (22)

What are the pros of working at Principal Financial Group according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefits and the company overall is working to have the employees to be more antonymous." ((in 239 reviews)); "Very fulfilling work with great people" ((in 149 reviews)); "pay can be good for some position" ((in 105 reviews)); "Good work culture and processes" ((in 90 reviews)); "providing jobs and good salaries" ((in 64 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Principal Financial Group according to real employee reviews?

"Management is poor at highest and mid levels" ((in 107 reviews)); "There is no training and you are literally thrown into the fire and nobody helps you." ((in 42 reviews)); "Most managers have next to no idea what an employee is doing and rely very heavily on surveys given to each team." ((in 42 reviews)); "management has gotten weaker and weaker, while upper management has become more focused on moving the stock price." ((in 11 reviews)); "Senior management is not the brightest by any stretch of the imagination, and junior expressing any ambition to contribute beyond their role is immediatley squashed." ((in 11 reviews))

What are employees saying about Principal Financial Group layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Principal Financial Group layoffs and their outlook for job security at Principal Financial Group in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Principal Financial Group locations?

Des Moines , Charlotte , Minneapolis , New York , Raleigh , Grand Island , Chicago , Atlanta , Cedar Falls , Denver , Mason City , West Des Moines , Tampa , Dallas , San Diego , Downers Grove , Grand Rapids , Houston , Indianapolis , Roseville , Iowa City , Phoenix , Nashville , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Roseville , Salt Lake City , Kansas City , Appleton , Sioux Falls

Principal Financial Group reviews

3.8

72% would recommend to a friend

(2,590 total reviews)

Deanna Strable

81% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (2,590 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Principal Financial Group has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,590 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Principal Financial Group employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Financial Services industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews

3.0

Jan 21, 2026

Good benefits

New business processor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits Inclusive environment Good people to work with

Cons

Low pay Very corporate attitude instead of employee focused

Principal Financial Group Response

5mo

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, meaning we align total compensation with the external labor markets where we compete for talent. We leverage third-party market data to ensure our base salary and incentives remain appropriately competitive.

4.0

Jan 2, 2026

Limited Growth

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A variety of benefits, some RTO flexibility, and limited reduction in force.

Cons

Pay isn't in line with market, RTO expectations are varied, and no plan communicated to address pay discrepancies.

Principal Financial Group Response

5mo

Thank you for sharing your perspective. We're happy to hear you enjoy the benefit offerings at Principal. As a leading provider of retirement solutions and employee benefits, we offer our employees a competitive benefits package. One of the guiding principles of our global pay philosophy is to be market-driven. This means that total pay is set and administered in alignment with the external labor markets in which we compete for talent. We utilize third-party market data to help ensure that base salaries and incentives are appropriately aligned.

4.0

Nov 30, 2025

It's Fine - You Could Do Way Worse

Client service manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Strong work-life balance Great in office support Hybrid Work environments Good mentorship and development opportunities Fantastic health and retirement benefits

Cons

Multiple outdated work systems Increasing workloads with now room to hire more for relief Pushing for AI with no clear understanding of how it will make work more efficient

Principal Financial Group Response

6mo

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re pleased to hear you appreciate our work culture, learning opportunities, and benefit offerings. Your feedback on work systems, workloads, and AI is an important part of our growth as an employer.

Viewing 262 - 264 of 2,590 Reviews

Jobs at Principal Financial Group

Assistant Director-Compliance (Risk Assessment, Testing and Monitoring)

Assistant Director-Compliance (Retirement, Securities Product Underwriting & Securities Wholesale Distribution)

Short Term Disability Claim Analyst 2

Customer Experience Specialist 1 - Group Administration