Vanguard Problem Resolution Associate reviews

The pay is awful. The majority of employees work in a C level role (non-exempt) and make in the low to mid 40's. These employees typically have a Series 7 and a Series 63. Go anywhere else and make at least $10,000.00 more. In order to keep costs low, management chooses to enact ridiculous programs like the VADP (Vanguard Accelerated Development Program), where they take a 21 year old college graduate, take them through a 16 month rotating program, and make them a supervisor of a group of employees at the age of 23. Not only does this cause resentment among older employees that are required to "report" to this person, but this newly minted "supervisor" has no idea on the responsibilities of the role of his/her subordinates, and inevitably leads to the subordinates coaching their supervisor on the role, as well as Vanguard's systems. Vanguard's diversity endeavors seem to be a parade against white people. They have specific programs for gay people, African-Americans, people of Asian descent, and women. Vanguard recognizes diversity as only diversity of physical appearance, and not diversity of thought. But senior management has fallen so deeply into the trap of groupthink, that this will not change, and management will continue to promote people who are not white over a more qualified white person. Raises are awful as well. There are certain performance ratings that will be given to you at the end of the year (Distinguished - up to 10% raise, fully successful - up to 8% raise, on track, needs improvement). If you are fully successful, you can expect a 2-3% raise. Distinguished, maybe 5 % if you are lucky. Once you are locked in at a salary, you are pretty much stuck with mediocre raises that don't keep up with cost of living increases, unless you go to another company.

Vanguard is not the lead ship, but a siren leading your personal ship to the rocks. I implore you not to let this happen to you. They have all kinds of postings for Problem Resolution Associates because we desperately need more, but I beg of you DO NOT DO IT. The entire department (all of Operations, really) is so poorly managed that employees are on the verge of mutiny. Resolution Services in particular is quite hostile. Our management in PA has been made WELL aware of how much distrust, disengagement, and outright resentment there is amongst our department. Upper management has made it clear they do not care, openly laughing and joking about our departments low approval and engagement scores to our faces. As an associate who has been with the company for a number of years now, I recently came to learn that I make a full $6,000 less than brand new hires to Vanguard. This is unique to Resolution Services, as other departments have been given raises for the same licensing that we are now required to get, but our department has decided not to provide us those same raises. They have told us for over a year now that they would reevaluate the pay scale, but I think I am more likely to see a dinosaur than a re-scaling of pay.To their credit, our direct supervisors are miserable too. They seem to understand how much we hate our jobs, but their bosses are so inept and self-important that no change can ever be made. This department is the Hotel California. Don't pull over.