TIAA reviews

* HR here is a nightmare and that seems to be a fact of life. They are constantly requiring managers to jump through hoops for very basic things, getting new staff on board is a real challenge when you have to work through their bureaucratic processes,there is constant pressure to rein in bonuses and salaries and HR seems obtuse to the realities of the market (and if I am forced to reduce salaries/bonuses to meet revenue targets I will lose some fantastic employees to our competitors). And HR seems completely dense to what the market really would reward, especially in corporate functions * The bureaucracy here for employees can be really grating. Not sure if anyone is trying to cut through the red tape but it's everywhere and enormously frustrating, slows me down all the time in my job. * For the largest owner of commercial real estate in the US, the office space is not attractive. It's embarrassing actually, HQ looks like a government office building (ugly carpets and furniture), not a Fortune 100 financial services company. And they are always pushing people to work from home (getting a desk in NY is a huge challenge for instance).

A lot depends on your manager and his/her manager, which can lead to wide disparity. There are no true metrics for career advancement and salary information is especially secretive, leading to the ability to maintain said disparity. The good managers often have their hands tied and the bad ones are so busy looking for ways to look better that they take what's good out of you. It's an endless cycle. Those who desire career advancement have to hope that someone will eventually give them a chance. HR practices have enough holes to rival Swiss cheese. Advancement opportunities seem to be relegated to those from the outside and "friends" of those currently in management. Middle and upper management are out of touch with those actually in the trenches.