Pros
Excellent benefits. Incentive bonuses (although, I'm not 100% convinced these bonuses are awarded on merit; I have a suspicion bonuses are doled out by popularity/likeability). FINRA seems to be moving towards creating a more diverse place to work (e.g., recently expanded employee resource groups, including the PRIDE Alliance for the LGBT community, as well as groups targeted toward other minorities). The CEO plays a *very* active role in driving this much- needed change.
Cons
FINRA is RED TAPE CENTRAL. You can't get the simplest tasks done without multiple approvals; it takes a long time to do anything because there is so much bureaucracy. The HR department is pathetic. I am greatly dissatisfied with the lack of encouragement and opportunity for advancement. HR does not have job descriptions readily available/easily accessible to employees. FINRA Technology is a joke. They are WAY behind and need to catch up with the rest of the world, especially when it comes to remote access, server/storage space, hardware refreshes, and staying current with software versions. They recently banned web mail for bogus reasons and block most social networking sites (which doesn't make sense to me since a lot of fraud and other valuable market info can be discovered/researched with these platforms). FINRA does not encourage alternative work schedules like telecommuting or flex days. They might pretend this sort of flexibility is existent but in reality, you have to jump through hoops to get permission. It would be easier to sneak into the White House.