https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Discover-RVW6746330.htm
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May 30, 2015
Worked like a dog
Anonymous Employee
Former Employee, more than 10 years
Chicago, IL
Recommend
CEO Approval
Business Outlook
Pros
Annual Bonus used to be really good & environment used to be friends at work with the right people getting promoted based on hard work. Work from home benefits.
Cons
A change in management brought down my 20 year career at Discover from being one of the highest recognized employee to a negative critical lack of direction team. The new manager wanted me out and was able to make up stories and falsify records.
Advice to Management
Recognize hard work rather than someone who can tell a good story. Get rid of the annual performance curve - forcing everyone to manage to the curve eliminates a high performing team to operate as a team. This creates a competitive environment where peers will sell out their coworker to self promote.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Discover-RVW49500778.htm
Demoralizing place to work with ineffective management
Administrative Assistant
Former Employee, more than 5 years
Riverwoods, IL
Recommend
CEO Approval
Business Outlook
Pros
Good benefits and generous time off
Cons
As with anywhere else, your manager's attitude and behavior towards you will greatly determine your job satisfaction. Unfortunately, if your manager isn't good, you will pay the price, get thrown under the bus and no one will have your back. The HR Dept. is awful for employees. Discover was a better company when I first started working there, but 6 years later it was not the same place. I've been away for several years, but I'm going to guess it hasn't improved and most likely has gotten worse.
Advice to Management
Stop ranking employees on a bell curve. Stop punishing employees who want to move on in the company by giving them bad performance reviews as it's very demoralizing and you will lose good employees. Don't promise advancement within your department and then not deliver. Don't tell your employees they are doing good work all year and then surprise them with a bad annual performance review out of nowhere just because you can.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Discover-RVW5550617.htm
- 0
Dec 16, 2014
Disco, good for a stint but there's better
Anonymous Employee
Former Employee, more than 10 years
Recommend
CEO Approval
Business Outlook
Pros
good paid time off for educated full timers that are working toward middle management (5 weeks and holidays)
headquarters extremely laid back in some areas and in a newer facility
on site fitness center
work from home
flat management structure
stable card receivables - 50mm members, roughly $1Bn income for about 5 yrs
assured that your salary increase will be about 2% per year indefinitely
Cons
roll the dice on leadership where some are good and some are clueless
really old guard in parts of the company, out of touch with reality and market; biding time until retirement
salary is average to low at best across the board comparatively - entry level to higher
salary administration is based on a bell curve with 90% at average pay, 5-7% at distinguished, 5-3% outstanding ratings.
base compensation, stock, and annual cash awards do not really differentiate performers from non-
HR has been brutal in recruiting and performance administration for years
if you can't work from home the headquarters location is in a far northern suburb
company doesn't know how to acquire business or develop new products. (reference Goldfish, Pulse, Diners Acquisitions)
Retail bank and lending products just aren't getting traction; network kind of lingers as a separate part of the company with failed Diner's Club and international agreements weighing down better options
vulnerable takeover target since its primarily credit card receivables- there's cash now but liquidity will be a problem soon
Advice to Management
better learn to understand new requirements of regulators really quick
pay market rates or above to get the skills that are needed
make sure you find ways to keep good employees and eliminate the baggage employees
analyze the trend - ask yourself why are you're losing employees that have succeeded and have spent decades with the organization, are taking new talent away, and solve it
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Discover-RVW42422175.htm
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Feb 12, 2021
10 years at company with no appreciation
Project Manager
Former Employee, more than 10 years
Chicago, IL
Recommend
CEO Approval
Business Outlook
Pros
Decent benefits. Work life balance was respected
Cons
Leadership was terrible. Everyone is out for themselves climbing the corporate ladder. People constantly took credit for my work. They make it seem like they care about their people but anytime you ask for something like a flexible work arrangement which is in the policy it gets rejected. My bonus was frequently cut due to others not fulfilling goals even if I exceeded mine. Management changes so often that you constantly have to build a new relationship and prove yourself. The people that are promoted are typically the “yes m’am” people. They just agree with everything leadership tells them with little innovation or individual thought. Interviewing internally was terrible. Very often no one would ever get back to you or give any feedback. The company really has gotten mush worse in the last few years. Many talented people are leaving and finding that Discover is no longet the great place it once was. There are pockets of good leadership and good departments but with the rotations you never know who you’ll get next. The worst thing would be that leadership would make major decisions without consulting with the front line employees or getting any feedback and make bad decisions. You just end up feeling like you don’t matter, the decision is out of your hands anyways. Also, you can do a hundred things right, and not hear about it since your leadership takes all credit for you but you make one mistake and you will see it in a review or PIP without any discussions. This place has become such a terrible dump. Run
Advice to Management
Start listening to employees and working collaboratively.
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