Not a bad place, especially in today's economy. Seems to have potential in the long run.
Pros
The bank is conservative and seems to be pretty stable even these days. There is no layoffs or even talk about layoffs which is great. The atmosphere is pretty friendly and encourages cooperation between departments and cities. Management generally informs employees about the situation, there are company wide phone conferences. Workplace is very comfortable as far as casual atmosphere and work hours. It seems that when the job is done correctly and on-time, you can have some flexibility with work hours. Also, an unwritten rule allows people to work remotely at times. It comes handy when you live far away, bad weather strikes or emergencies strike. Giving time off to perform some community work is a very nice touch and not only gives a lot of satisfaction, but also encourages teamwork.
Cons
Bureaucracy, like in any big institution, sometimes drives me crazy. Requirements for documentation kill productivity although I understand that they serve a purpose. The IT department in particular is slow to respond to market needs. To reach with an initiative across departments is very hard and discouraging, which somehow limits one's opportunities. One thing that bugs me is bonus calculations. It seems that even after a great year the bank never gives 100% of targeted bonus, yet when tough times are on the horizon, raises are cut even before trouble starts. Maybe, this is very common, but it rubs me in a bad way just like the requirement to have a checking account with the bank in order to have automatic deposits (those little things).
