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Principal Financial Group

Engaged employer

Some of the worst days of my life… - Manager Principal Financial Group Employee Review

1.0
30 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice gym Free Parking Downtown campus

Cons

HUGE culture shift started in ~2018. If you worked in defined benefit, you were easily (and quickly) promoted if you met the following criteria: Young, Female, Attractive, and little to no experience in the business or defined benefit. If you met that criteria, the older male managers and male “leaders” loved you. If you were anything else…best of luck to you. HR was a joke, especially if you make a complaint about your leader that you were unfairly being retaliated against. The company and leaders make you believe that there is NO better place to work in Des Moines….however after leaving Principal and working for a company that honestly values me, it’s like I left a cult. This company and leaders will not value you, unless you are part of the cool kids club and meet the criteria noted above.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Three years in and still LOVE it. Great leadership. Work-like balance. Principal invests in their employees with training and professional development. It's very telling when literally thousands of employees have been there for 20-25-30+ years.

Cons

First time in a large company. Sometimes it is tricky to find the right internal partner to get the answer you need.

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Principal Financial Group Response
4d
We appreciate your feedback! Hearing that you felt supported reinforces what we're proud of—the strong community we've built together.
2.0
4 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent work life balance and benefits. Principal offers a pension which is unheard of in today’s age.

Cons

Pay is below average and Principal does not offer inflation raises. Once you hit the midpoint of your salary, you will get a 0% raise until you’re promoted, which will take multiple years regardless of performance. Performance reviews are vague and often used against employees to avoid promotions. At least in my department, I’ve yet to see any of the remote workers be promoted. This is starting to affect attrition and we’re already starting to see people leaving. It’s well known at this point that the best way to get promoted is to leave Principal and get rehired, which even leadership has stated publicly. This is a huge frustration and blow to morale, as it starts to feel like employees need to compete against their co-workers for raises.

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