Pros
The company is on a positive trajectory. Its business is growing and it communicates its successes consistently and effectively. It is involved in "green" initiatives and volunteer work, and given that its footprint is Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, this is commendable. It's a very international place. My team included an Australian boss and team members from Singapore (2), Malaysia (1), Nigeria (1), USA (1), India (1) and the UK (1). During the economic crisis it continued to give very generous bonuses, which are based in individual performance, and there were few signs of cutting corners. Training and travel were mostly supported. It is not a place for finger-pointing and there is an acknowledgement that you are doing your best and you are allowed to experiment with different methods and work solutions. It has grown on my to the point where I look at it mostly positively.
Cons
When you look at best practices in world-class companies, you can see the bank is striving but does not reach this level. It has a lot of silo departments and entrenched practices, and the way of holding meetings or making presentations dates to the stone age - death by PowerPoint, rigid style, non-productive meetings. I am in training and development, where you'd expect some dynamism in ways of doing things, but it's hide-bound and traditional. No one really has a clue as to bring the place up to a new level. Incrementalism is the order of the day - and no rocking the boat, please. Promotions seem to be based on personal ties, and if you've got a myopic boss then forget objective reality and facts. Decisions are still top-down, with the man or woman at the top allowed to assess the situation and prescribe the solutions. People who have come from other organizations say it can be slow and old-fashioned. If you stick to your guns, stick to the knitting, you do get things done, but inspirational, visionary leaders are few and far between. Managers say salaries are pegged to the market, but many of us feel we're at below-market salaries.