Vault’s Verdict

Running the gamut

The firm culture “varies by location,” says one insider.  “First Data has purchased so many companies and has not done a very good job of blending the cultures.”  Another says, “Because of the poor job of combining their many ‘companies’ into a cohesive ‘team,’ many employees feel neglected, not treated with equal respect and pressured to work long hours and to not take their paid-time-off days.”

Yet another says, “The job is extremely stressful due to the nature of our business of credit and debit card processing.  If one of the merchants is down and cannot process, we have a time-critical situation on our hands.”  One contact gives kudos to the culture, however, calling it a “flexible and corporate” one that “cares about employee satisfaction.”

The “wonderful benefits,” “competitive compensation” and “lax” dress code all get high marks.  But insiders have a beef with the “limited advancement opportunities.”  One insider expounds, saying there's “not much opportunity for advancement,” but “lots of opportunities to learn.”  The hours, however, are long.  An insider who works from home reports working “at least 12-hour days.”  Others say there are “lots of over 40-hour weeks for all levels,” and “overtime for exempt salaried employees is expected without question.”  And one insider notes that staffers are “frequently assigned to new positions without consultation.”  Diversity efforts could also stand a little work, associates say.  Although one insider reports that there's a “diverse workforce,” another calls the culture “male-dominated.”