Outdated, arrogant, non-existant leadership = Mass disorganization, no growth, stress, dissatisfaction
Pros
Good global office environments with a lot of energy. Pretty good benefits and compensation, just enough to keep you there. Great opportunities to work with philanthropic partners if that is high on your list. If you are either just starting out or at the tail-end of your career, it's good because you can either learn a lot as a junior role or sit comfortably in a more tenured role. Opportunities to travel (pre-covid anyway) and relocate depending on your department and position. If you want to join the mass machine and be a cog your whole career, definitely for you.
Cons
I don't know one person who isn't beyond frustrated day in and day out in their position, regardless of department. The mentality is to squeeze every last drop (and beyond) out of people regardless of impact. The ends justify the means and the means are not employee friendly. Everyone essentially works at the whim of whatever leadership want at any given moment, which changes day to day. Most people in the firm are trying to leave or left, and any good new talent coming in leaves very quickly. You know it's bad when most people's pros are 'amazing building' and 'free snacks'. Leadership - Leadership group is a joke among employees, virtually non-existant and totally out of touch with internal and external realities. - Management has no desire to change or hear what employees care about, and there is no mechanism or process for giving any type of meaningful feedback (they actually closed down the one internal forum we had to share ideas). - Senior leaders have all been there for life and have no idea how to really run an organization. They all just jostle for favor with the management team (Ie. Mike Bloomberg). Beyond micromanagement - Employees are treated like children, disempowered to do anything other than what they are told. You are pulled in a million different directions every week, and nobody really cares about anything other than the end result. If you want to work infinitely harder, not smarter, and typically get belittled along the way, this is the place for you. - Your time in and out of the office is monitored (you can see what time everyone gets in and out), and you can forget about flexible working. Even with COVID, there is a clear desperation to get everyone back in. Astoundingly political - One of the most political organizations I have been a part of. They will talk about a flat structure, which really means everyone at the top fighting for favor from a few key people. Moreover, leadership never communicates to the whole of the company and simply expect people to 'get the memo'. Result is chaotic environment where everyone is constantly pulled in 10 million directions. No growth if youre an experienced hire - There is very little opportunity to grow once you have reached a certain level, and they only have one definition of growth (becoming a Team Leader). They value only one style of people, typically those who make a lot of noise. - Evaluations are literally a joke internally, where managers get in a room and opine as to how people perform, rather than looking at real metrics and outcomes. It is also a requirement that some people be rated as low performers, so people will get picked just because a senior manager doesn't like them or see them enough. Long and short is, if you want to be micro-managed, pulled in 8 million different directions, worn down, and treated like a child who can't do anything, then it's definitely the right place for you.