HSBC reviews

3.8

72% would recommend to a friend

(28,308 total reviews)
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Georges Elhedery

69% approve of CEO

65% positive business outlook

HSBC has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 28,308 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The HSBC employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Finanzas industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

28K reviews
4.0
Jan 11, 2017

Many problems, huge company, great experience

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The work-life balance was superb, the team were great, the work was interesting and the stakeholders were demanding but fair. Overall the culture is strong - perhaps too strong at times, being inflexible in places - and, despite it being extremely challenging at times, it was an experience I will remember fondly for years to come.

Cons

The pressure on the business (not in the Communications world) was overwhelming for many and the regulatory strain is evident in some people's behaviour. The company is quite restricted (in terms of being able to grow at the rate it plans to) by the regulations in place and the DPA it operates under, and, while I was there, the turnover of employees in key roles made it difficult to have any kind of continuity to drive some of the large programmes. All of that said, if you want a good challenge, are willing to work hard to reap the rewards and have resilience, all of this will pale into insignificance.

3.0
Dec 31, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very generous time off. Above-average medical, 401k. Great group of colleagues from all over the world. Some flexibility for remote work.

Cons

Most of the actual work is done by a small cadre of employees at the lower and middle levels. I am referring to the type of work that is foundational and encourages success for the business. These are the people in office working and/or online constantly. The other type of employee can be at lower, middle or upper level of the business. They orbit around the ones who do the work. Especially at upper levels, they make desultory comments on what is put in front of them (this unwillingness to understand means even good ideas are executed badly), and spend their days co-opting the work on meetings and business trips. You may get glowing performance reviews, but it is often a relatively inexpensive way to keep you where management needs you, because their lifestyle depends on it. You soon realize your career involves subsidizing other peoples' careers. A true shame if you actually love what you do and are good at it.

1.0
Dec 28, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits and good opportunities if you either live in London or are willing to relocate. Some really good people too.

Cons

Horrible pressure and expectation. A tendency to throw people under the bus when things go wrong and scapegoating a major problem. Employees seen as disposable and a massive problem with turnover, leading to more of the same negative stuff and survival mentality for many employees.

Viewing 478 - 480 of 28,308 Reviews

Glassdoor has 36,731 HSBC reviews submitted anonymously by HSBC employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if HSBC is right for you.