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Bank Independent

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Bank Independent Reviews

4.2

75% would recommend to a friend

(120 total reviews)
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Rick Wardlaw

94% approve of CEO

80% positive business outlook

Bank Independent has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 120 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Bank Independent employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Finance industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

120 reviews
2.0
29 Dec 2021

Poor Pay, Okay Environment, High Workload

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The benefits are decent, but nothing to particularly write home about. Health insurance is good. PTO is good as well

Cons

Absolutely abysmal pay. Unless you’re a college student working in the Sales Office or providing a second income, the pay will have you scraping by most of the time. You will probably be over worked. This largely depends on which department you work for. Those who have a direct hand in making the bank money seem to fare better. Those that don’t, good luck. Without specifically naming the department I’m in, one of the biggest problems is job classification. When I was hired I was given a very generic title, but was immediately transitioned to a highly specific job. Of course, my generic title has a significantly lower pay average than that of my actual function. I have little to no hope for the future if I continue my career here. I’d have to spend 10 years in this professional level position just to MAYBE break a $50k salary. Benefits, while decent, will be held over your head. Requests for salary adjustments are stonewalled. I’ve even been told “You’d be better of working somewhere else” and “The only way to make money in banking is to move to another bank”. Work culture is okay and largely dependent on your coworkers. Personally, my coworkers are the only thing that keep me here. Bank Independent itself falls into the stereotypical “we’re all family here” where hard work is met with a pizza party or gift bags. Back office environment is traditional as well. My personal opinion is that the dress code should be far more relaxed, but I’m not docking points for that. I will say that the pay makes buying new clothes harder to rationalize. All in all, your experience here is going to be hit or miss. If you’re an external hire for a professional level position, you’ll probably be okay. If you’re hiring in a low level position, prepare for a long and depressing grind to stay above the poverty line.

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Bank Independent Response
4y
We appreciate your honest feedback. We’re always disappointed to hear a team member is dissatisfied with their career path. We have lots of resources available to help team members who feel this way. We encourage you to talk to your manager, Team Member Care, HR or Learning & Development about your frustrations and what resources are available. We aim to create an engaging work environment with opportunities for growth and advancement, and we would love the opportunity to make a positive difference for you. As you mentioned in your review, we pride ourselves on providing benefits to our team members that are second-to-none. Our entry-level positions start out with a competitive pay rate above many local employers with room for advancement. Added to a strong starting pay, Bank Independent offers company-paid individual benefits and heavily subsidized family coverage. Additionally, team members can participate in our employer-matched 401K savings plan and even qualify for a pension plan after a year of service. Bank Independent offers paid vacation and personal time, paid holidays, sick days and paid volunteer time off. We strive to train and promote talented team members to take on development opportunities. We have a strong record or promoting team members along their career path, with many team members celebrating 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years with the organization. We hope you will be one of those team members one day!
2.0
24 Mar 2016

Beware

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good hours, decent pay, nice facilities

Cons

Does not live up to their "Values". Terrible environment because some senior management does not fit in to the culture and upper management looks the other way. Talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.

2.0
11 Oct 2017

Relationship Banker

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most of the managers are very understanding. There is really an opportunity to advance in the bank, but it does take patience and hard work (for most people). The work environment is generally good at all the branches I had the opportunity to work at. Health care benefits are easily available for anyone that works at the bank. Being a relationship banker allows you to have a chance to prove yourself in dealing with customers.

Cons

The most pressing issue that I have with my position is the pay. A relationship banker can fill in as a teller, input loans for loan officers, and open accounts. The amount of work that is put on relationship bankers is not reflected or rewarded from the pay (ranging from $12 to $13 an hour). The current entry level tellers make $11.50 an hour and tellers that have been here longer are not compensated accordingly. While health benefits are good, health benefits do not pay bills and living expenses. In fact, relationship bankers here at Bank Independent are paid under national averages. Another issue that we have at the bank seems to be unnecessary spending involving marketing materials. Products and promotional items are geared to customers without getting proper feedback from customer facing employees. Spending does not seem to be an issue with this department. In the last few years, it feels like the vision of the bank has moved from the bank itself to focusing on another entity owned by the bank.

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Bank Independent Response
8y
Thank you for taking the time to review Bank Independent. We value the insights gained from Glassdoor reviews and we appreciate your open and honest feedback. We thoughtfully consider all employee feedback as we strive to ensure Bank Independent is the employer of choice in north Alabama!
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