Vanguard
Vanguard Employee Reviews
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Good steady company with wonderful benefits.
Administrative work (Former Employee) – Malvern, PA – February 17, 2019
From what I can remember it was a fast paced job environment. I enjoyed the work and the people there.
I filed, starting using the internet and found that very interesting, contacted clients per phone calls.
I filed, starting using the internet and found that very interesting, contacted clients per phone calls.
Pros
benefits
Cons
stress
Toxic Managerial and HR practices.
Network and Computer Systems Administrator (Former Employee) – Malvern, PA – December 14, 2018
Vanguard Business Crew were amazing to work with and in support of during my 17 years in the IT Department.
Managerial staff and Upper Management were so number driven that it mattered very little what you did well. If you compromised your integrity to benefit them in speaking out against others and complied with their cut throat agenda they had use for you. It is routine that Vanguard would promote those who "played the game" and terminate those who did not. They were very aggressive in this manner to ensure you did not make 20 years. It was expected that you adopt a robotic and unemotional demeanor.
Hardest part of the job - Navigating through the unscrupulous and vindictive managerial staff speaks far different than it acts.
Best part of the job - The business clients really could not be more of a contrast to Management. I truly enjoyed providing all that I could for them.
Managerial staff and Upper Management were so number driven that it mattered very little what you did well. If you compromised your integrity to benefit them in speaking out against others and complied with their cut throat agenda they had use for you. It is routine that Vanguard would promote those who "played the game" and terminate those who did not. They were very aggressive in this manner to ensure you did not make 20 years. It was expected that you adopt a robotic and unemotional demeanor.
Hardest part of the job - Navigating through the unscrupulous and vindictive managerial staff speaks far different than it acts.
Best part of the job - The business clients really could not be more of a contrast to Management. I truly enjoyed providing all that I could for them.
Pros
Good Benefits, Partnership, Bonuses, Crew Events, Community Involvment
Cons
Poor Pay, Toxic Management, Culture, Internal Promotion, Cut-Throat and abrasive IT Department.
Excellent Company to Start Career
Flagship Customer Service Specialist (Former Employee) – Valley Forge, PA – January 22, 2019
Vanguard offers excellent benefits, training, and career advancement. However, the long-term career potential felt lacking. While the total compensation package is quite generous, the actual take-home wages are relatively low. Currently, company management is driving major changes to the operational environment that I feel don't benefit the customers
Great place to work for a Company Person
Line Manager (Former Employee) – Scottsdale, AZ – January 8, 2019
If you're a company person; ie: you live to work, this is a great place to start your first or second career. You will have job security and professional development opportunities. You work in teams and Vg's clients come first. Vanguard has $4T in AUM and that's because it's a disciplined environment.
Pros
Strong company culture, Great Learning & Development Programs, Good Benefits (health / partnership paid annually), Great if you enjoy working in teams
Cons
No flexibility, very formal work environment, slow/never implement necessary changes
Not a Good place to work
Supervisor Institutional Investments (Former Employee) – Malvern, PA – January 10, 2019
This company is similar to a cult, no one speaks to you unless you speak first. Management only praises and promote employees they like. Very prejudice against minorities
Great place to start a career
Data Analyst (Current Employee) – Malvern, PA – December 17, 2018
Vanguard has great job security and is willing to train you. Great place to start your career but it will not keep up with the market compensation, especially if you started your career out of college.
Pros
Job security, safe culture
Cons
Does not compensate on experience or performance
Customer service role with a toe in financial waters
Brokerage Representative (Current Employee) – Scottsdale, AZ – November 4, 2018
The company itself and colleagues are great. However it is a call center job with some investment advice mixed in. Most people have no financial background when they start while some have a lot. While management is ok, the culture is very conservative. You aren't rewarded for better results making it very stagnant yet safe. Higher roles are few and far between if you want to leave the customer service side.
Pros
401k/Employee savings plan, healthcare, culture
Cons
Movement within the company is scare depending on the department you want to go into
Not a good place to work
Client Relationship Associate (Former Employee) – Charlotte, NC – January 25, 2019
If you're licensed I recommend you find a job that provides opportunity to learn and advance in the industry. The culture there is built around college graduates and not mature job seekers in the industry.
Pros
Benefits
Cons
Culture
Good place to start your career
Account Transition Specialist (Former Employee) – Malvern, PA – September 25, 2018
Good place to start your career. Hard to advance if you do not mesh with the culture. Good retirement plan and benefits but lower than average salaries.
Vanguard
Employment Coordinator (Former Employee) – Charlotte, NC – September 18, 2018
Vanguard had a very strict dress code at the time I worked there. The benefits were great but the monetary compensation was not competitive. Vanguard is a great place to start a career.
Good place to work
Contractor (Former Employee) – Scottsdale, AZ – January 8, 2019
Enjoyed working here and culture is very good for professionals looking for a good work-life balance and also to be challenged with the work that is to be done
Pros
Good culture
Cons
Not too aggressive
Don't Be Fooled
Retirement Plan Services Representative (Former Employee) – Scottsdale, AZ – September 18, 2018
I found Vanguard to be a bit of a 'wolf in sheep's clothing'.
It seemed like a reasonable place for someone my age. No pressure to get licensed if you have no interest (That has changed). Great benefits and supposedly, pay raises.
To start with the positive: If you can remain on the payroll there is a bonus earned in the calendar year, but not paid until June of the following year. However, although you may have 'earned' the bonus if you are not on payroll on June 30th of the following year, you don't get the bonus.
The health insurance and other benefits are good.
The 401(K) is generous, BUT the vesting period is 6-years.
Good luck advancing anywhere if you don't get your license. It is very difficult to advance at Vanguard if you don't. It is also very difficult to get an interview for posted positions if your numbers aren't perfect. There is a sense of nepotism.
The metrics are typical of a call center, but not easy to meet consistently and if you don't meet them consistently you can be placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).
Many requests for additional coaching and training went unanswered so, how can you improve your performance? Assimilation??
The initial training for what can be complicated financial tasks was inadequate and lacking in any real-time or hands-on experience. All follow-up training was lacking as well. No hand-outs, the trainers are not actual trainers, just co-workers and a.limited time allotted to training because everyone must get back to the phones. You are expected to memorize as much as you can and apply it to the best of more... your ability.
There are multiple VG locations, but the reach across from one location to another feels very much like "them against us". Co-workers do not treat each other with respect and certainly management does not seem to respect those in the trenches.
Overall, I felt like I took a lot of abuse from callers and co-workers and didn't get much support from management. Set-up to fail. less
It seemed like a reasonable place for someone my age. No pressure to get licensed if you have no interest (That has changed). Great benefits and supposedly, pay raises.
To start with the positive: If you can remain on the payroll there is a bonus earned in the calendar year, but not paid until June of the following year. However, although you may have 'earned' the bonus if you are not on payroll on June 30th of the following year, you don't get the bonus.
The health insurance and other benefits are good.
The 401(K) is generous, BUT the vesting period is 6-years.
Good luck advancing anywhere if you don't get your license. It is very difficult to advance at Vanguard if you don't. It is also very difficult to get an interview for posted positions if your numbers aren't perfect. There is a sense of nepotism.
The metrics are typical of a call center, but not easy to meet consistently and if you don't meet them consistently you can be placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).
Many requests for additional coaching and training went unanswered so, how can you improve your performance? Assimilation??
The initial training for what can be complicated financial tasks was inadequate and lacking in any real-time or hands-on experience. All follow-up training was lacking as well. No hand-outs, the trainers are not actual trainers, just co-workers and a.limited time allotted to training because everyone must get back to the phones. You are expected to memorize as much as you can and apply it to the best of more... your ability.
There are multiple VG locations, but the reach across from one location to another feels very much like "them against us". Co-workers do not treat each other with respect and certainly management does not seem to respect those in the trenches.
Overall, I felt like I took a lot of abuse from callers and co-workers and didn't get much support from management. Set-up to fail. less
Pros
Benefits
Cons
Pay, training, management, metrics
They make it all about you until you get in there...
Former Employee (Former Employee) – United States – September 17, 2018
I'm not going to lie, I loved this company. My blood, sweat and a lot of tears went to this company. But see, no matter how much they claim how it's so diverse and life at Vanguard is all about diversity, the truth is, if you don't get into one of their cliques, you are an outcast. All it takes is one person who doesn't like you, or differences in work ethics/personality, etc. If you are not in with management, consider yourself stuck. I have watched friends and other peers quit, get fired for reasons beyond my understanding. It is all about the outward appearance. If you don't fit their bill, you will go nowhere. And if you ever try to complain, they will dig up the tiniest things, no matter how small, and make you look like the worst employee.
Am I bitter? Not in the least. Heartbroken? Yeah. I'll do that. This company failed me. I pray they change one day. There are good people there.
Am I bitter? Not in the least. Heartbroken? Yeah. I'll do that. This company failed me. I pray they change one day. There are good people there.
Pros
Great benefits, partnership, charitable events
Cons
They may be diverse in hiring, but that doesn't mean they will treat you nice. A lot of covering up of problematic behavior, pay needs to be better. Only work/home balance for management only.
Great Talent Destination Company
Supplier Performance Analyst (Former Employee) – Malvern, PA – February 14, 2019
I started at Vanguard 10 years within their Finance division. During my years there, I had 4 positions which I truly loved. I was not particularly fond of the company culture, but during my time there, strides had been made to improve employee conditions such as availability of resources and work-life balance.
Great Company
Vanguard Retirement Plan Representative (Current Employee) – Malvern, PA – July 21, 2018
You begin entry level at Vanguard, typically working in processing or on the phones in customer service. Personal Investor area has more room for growth as majority of money movement comes from retail division. Very hard to move departments without prior experience, degree specifications and/or large network. Even if you perform very well within department, there is a high possibility management will try to keep you within department on a completely different career path than your own. Most crew members leave and come back in order to work in position they like.
Pros
Great Culture, Benefits, work life balance.
Cons
Low Salary, Very Difficult to move within company
Exemplary
Senior Financial Analyst (Current Employee) – Malvern,PA – January 9, 2019
Vanguard's mission is to set up all investors for long-term success, and this mission permeates the entire company. Senior managers walk the walk and all employees benefit from the highly rotational culture that focuses on constantly providing employees with new challenges and opportunities.
HR will drive home the idea of "total compensation" while interviewing with Vanguard - salary, bonus, 401k package, and benefits. It may sound like marketing, but it's truly competitive.
HR will drive home the idea of "total compensation" while interviewing with Vanguard - salary, bonus, 401k package, and benefits. It may sound like marketing, but it's truly competitive.
Pros
Everything
Cons
Not ideal for short-term (<2 years) employees
Facade of Professional/Professional Development
Coordinator / Project Administrator (Former Employee) – Malvern, PA – August 30, 2018
I drank the cool-aid when I first arrived at Vanguard. Everyone seemed to love the culture, job security and benefits. My experience showed that there was a lot of emphasis across the enterprise of professional/personal development, however, the managers are so laden with meetings, that you rarely get that one-on-one time to truly develop.
Collaborative Environment
Financial Operations Associate (Current Employee) – Malvern, PA – January 2, 2019
Vanguard has taught me how to work efficiently in a team environment. I have had the benefit or working with amazing minds, and amazing mentors along my time at the firm.
Pros
Benefits
Cons
lack of advancement
Great Place to work
Analyst (Current Employee) – Scottsdale, AZ – December 19, 2018
Great people, leadership, work/life balance, and benefits. You won't get rich working at Vanguard, but you'll have a very healthy retirement savings. Amazing company that cares for their employees.
Join the Crew if you like degradation..
Institutional Investor Group (Current Employee) – Malvern, PA – December 11, 2018
At first I thought working at Vanguard would be a great experience, but soon to find out I had made a terrible mistake of accepting the offer. Unless you are immune to stress and degradation, if you're not in top mental health shape, it's going to be a life changing bad experience due to the poor treatment from managers. Vanguard has no shame when it comes to calling people out for their mistakes and great at making you feel like you're worthless on the job. Institutional Investor Group/ Client Services, CRA, Hardship, Trust Services -this is a job you have to be passionate about, keep your head down and do not attract attention, and never express any emotion to anyone, nor trust anyone as a confidant. The pay is so low in most departments it's not even worth it. Managers also treat contractors on our team without any respect and if you're Crew that used to be a contractor they take turns testing you and messing with you - like initiation to the company just because they, too, were treated poorly as contractors and act like a rite of passage. Only the strong survive.
Cons
Cut-throat, Vanguard is known for low-blows, old technology, bad benefits, very busy office environment, you feel guilty taking a break because you have to keep up your numbers, cafe food sucks, sneaky managers, and more.
Good Benefits
BUSINESS TECH ADMINISTRATOR (Former Employee) – Wayne, PA – November 21, 2018
Good working and retirement benefits. I wish they had a pension, but almost nobody wants to do that anymore.
My day at my last job had become tedious and stressful.
My day at my last job had become tedious and stressful.
Pros
Good benefits
Cons
Advancement was difficult
Overall rating
Based on 785 reviews
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Diversity score
Comparably
Diversity Score
Diversity Score
TOP10%
In the Top 10% of similar size companies
The Comparably Diversity Score tracks how positively diverse employees rate their experience at Vanguard.
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