Too many chiefs, not enough indians - Assistant Vice President Barclays Employee Review

2.0
14 Feb 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Huge investment in Equities, chance to participate in building a business from scratch.

Cons

Over 2009, many people were brought from Lehman and UBS with inflated titles, salaries and guaranteed bonuses. This shrank the bonus pool and left no space for internal promotions. Moreover, many of the said people are making decisions which they are not equipped to make as they lack the experience and context, but they need to prove themselves. This leads to very tense political environment, where each requirement is rushed to implementation, then proclaimed buggy and reworked (again without proper analysis) ad nauseam. In the end, capable people on lower levels are withdrawing from decision making and not providing feedback as they tend to become scapegoats. And yes, the hours are pointlessly long (but we do receive praise and free beers every now and then).

Explore other reviews about Barclays

5.0
25 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good work life balance, good learning

Cons

a lot of maintenance work

4.0
22 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work Life balance, 5 weeks vacation, unlimited sick days, friendly atmosphere, Great campus and facilities,

Cons

Pay and Bonus can be higher and on par with competitors. High loyalty tax. Low merit increases and bonus. Competitive but Loyal Long-term employees get demotivated and tend to quite quit.

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