Pros
- Overall, the vast majority of people are great to work with. - Great name to put on your resume - it really opens doors externally. Funny enough, it also gives you something to talk about socially as everyone has an opinion about credit cards :) - Lots of basic training available - Forces you to learn new skills to do your job.
Cons
- Performance review process punishes risk takers or those who push for multi-year transformational projects. Those with minimal risk or small projects that are implemented in less than a year receive favorable ratings. - Everyone is graded on a curve - which does not work well when you are on a top performing team being compared against middle performing groups. A person rated at 50% in a top 5% team will not receive recognition (or very very minimal) different than someone who is rated at 50% at a 50% performing team. It does not make sense to go above and beyond at American Express and expect corresponding recognition/compensation. - What once was a very collaborative and engaging company is rallying around silos, personal projects, and avoids risks. Too much finger pointing happens from long entrenched middle management who are able to manage through the basics. - Blue Work program, while highly regarded by the HR department, has forced many employees into situations that have negatively impacted ability to perform. - Innovation is talked about frequently, but strict adherence to quarterly results drives funding for new programs. Great ideas that align with long term market/industry trends get cut all the time if they don't deliver within a very short timeframe. All technical development of new assets is handled by 3rd party firms that staff with low cost resources - almost always with offshore teams that lack the qualifications needed. It is no surprise when the products are of mediocre quality at best. - Everyone is scared. With layoffs, inconsistent ratings, and constant budget cuts, it is hard to predict what comes next. The Execs are fighting over who will be the next CEO which has a downstream impact over their organizations. - Ken Chenault yet again had a 24% pay increase to $28 million dollars last year. Many employees made less this year than last (lower bonus), due to “tougher company performance” which included an artificial restructuring charge so they could lay off 5500 people. How can someone trust their company after seeing that behavior?