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Principal Financial Group

Engaged employer

Comfortable work environment, lower end of average pay - Software Engineer Principal Financial Group Employee Review

4.0
23 Dec 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Relaxed work environment, despite PFG looking like a bog-standard white collar corporate job, it's shockingly personable. There is a general respect for the process on projects with minimal crunch time. There is a healthy work/life balance on teams throughout the company; it's very common for the DSM campus to be emptying out by 4:30 on any given day, and by 3 on Fridays.

Cons

Pay is on the lower end across the board, especially for engineering. While not egregiously low, much of the other corporate institutions in the DSM area are offering higher salaries (though often at the expense of quality of life).

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
2 July 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great worklife balance and flexible hours

Cons

Not top end in pay within the industry

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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Principal Financial Group Response
2w
We appreciate you sharing your feedback. As a leader in retirement solutions and employee benefits, we strive to provide our employees with a competitive benefits package. Our global pay philosophy is guided by market-driven principles. and we leverage third-party market data to ensure our base salary and incentives remain appropriately competitive.
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