Great, in theory - Anonymous employee Happy State Bank Employee Review

Where to begin? Pay isn't commensurate with education, experience, or value. It certainly isn't keeping up with industry or area average. Then there's the office politics. Everyone is competing for power or an officer title...probably because they think it might increase their pay, or maybe because officers are just treated better, like they matter more. There's an inner struggle to want to be named officer and also hating the construction of it all. There's a real lack of propriety amongst management. They behave as though it's gossip hour as opposed to behaving like actual leaders who fight for their people. Probably because they were given management positions without any actual leadership qualities or training. Managers aren't expected to keep up with their skills or industry. They fall behind and then people who have kept up or who are younger and have a fresher take on things get hired under them, and feel frustration with not being able to help things grow or change because, "this is how we've always done it." Pat, the CEO, says he doesn't say or believe this, but his people do. I believe Pat is open to change. Employees can email him anonymously to offer ideas or suggestions, but most are scared to. No one believes the emails are truly anonymous, and periodically, he will go on a rampage about an email that was sent and how it simply isn't true or whatever. So, people are too scared to really be honest. You definitely don't see any of this in the beginning. I know that when I started, I was overwhelmed with amazement for the company, and how they did things. However, the closer you get to management, or the longer you've been around, the more the politics come to light. It's really sad because it could be an incredibly amazing place to work.