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Principal Financial Group

Engaged employer

Great place to work if you can handle the jargon and red tape - Software Engineer II Principal Financial Group Employee Review

4.0
23 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Generally has a very good work culture, excellent benefits and perks, and people are mostly professional. Depending on where you're at, you might be able to do work that feels somewhat meaningful. Some of the perks include unlimited time off (that they actually encourage you to take), walkstations, and a gym/health-center. Compensation seems fairly average.

Cons

Lots of corporate jargon used, and some of the financial concepts can be tough to grasp depending on your field. A company this size also means that when you have an issue, you might have to find a few different people before you get to someone who can help, and you may have to submit tickets and wait on them in the process. You also likely have on-call duties if you're an engineer, which can vary widely depending on your team's applications. No overnight on-call though, they're 12-hour shifts.

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Principal Financial Group Response
6mo
Thank you for taking the time to write a thoughtful review! We appreciate hearing about your personal experience and are glad to learn that you enjoy working with your team members and our unique work perks. Please know your feedback is invaluable for us as we continue to learn, grow, and improve.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Three years in and still LOVE it. Great leadership. Work-like balance. Principal invests in their employees with training and professional development. It's very telling when literally thousands of employees have been there for 20-25-30+ years.

Cons

First time in a large company. Sometimes it is tricky to find the right internal partner to get the answer you need.

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Principal Financial Group Response
1d
We appreciate your feedback! Hearing that you felt supported reinforces what we're proud of—the strong community we've built together.
2.0
4 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent work life balance and benefits. Principal offers a pension which is unheard of in today’s age.

Cons

Pay is below average and Principal does not offer inflation raises. Once you hit the midpoint of your salary, you will get a 0% raise until you’re promoted, which will take multiple years regardless of performance. Performance reviews are vague and often used against employees to avoid promotions. At least in my department, I’ve yet to see any of the remote workers be promoted. This is starting to affect attrition and we’re already starting to see people leaving. It’s well known at this point that the best way to get promoted is to leave Principal and get rehired, which even leadership has stated publicly. This is a huge frustration and blow to morale, as it starts to feel like employees need to compete against their co-workers for raises.

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