An aspirational project that is fast becoming third-tier
Pros
Good pay, even though Beijing is expensive for expats. Inspirational and enthusiastic colleagues who want to make a difference. Relatively small setup so you'll get to know many people if you are social enough. Fancy building with even fancier offices. Resource-rich so its easy to get funding for stuff.
Cons
High turnover rate for expats. Expats are leaving in doves. Those that stay are the locals and 'expats' who are former-Chinese nationals (but who have since taken up another citizenship). Consequently, the characteristics of the Bank is very Chinese, i.e. kowtowing and toeing the line. They don't like outspoken employees. Racism is rampant. This is despite a salary review 2 years back. They threw money at the problem which stemmed the exodus for a while, but since the pandemic, many expats just decided money wasn't enough to keep them. There are many reasons why the Bank fail to retain expats. With its oppressive pollution problems, general xenophobia among locals and high costs, Beijing is not an easy city to settle down in, especially for those bringing along family and kids. But chief of all is the attitude of the senior managers starting from the Bank President who consistently, in social gatherings and meetings, gleefully talk about firing employers. This may be acceptable when he was managing locals, but comes across as hokey and provincial as the head of an MDB. Bank HR policies are crafted with the assumption that employees just want to take advantage of the system. It is inherently distrustful of employees, for example, HR rules say that you can only take a non-certified sick day on a Friday or Monday for a maximum of two times in a year. In my many years working in different companies, this is the first time I've encountered HR rules so patriarchal and suspicious of employees' intents. HR is weak and they have gone through 3 HR Directors in the past 5 year. Consequently the HR role for long stretches at a time is relegated to an inexperienced local hire who knows nuts about international organizations but has pull with the higher-ups. What does it say about the organization if you can't even retain your own HR Director?
