Pros
I was working just off the city centre of Bristol so very well located and close to transports. My manager was a person with lots of integrity who believes in "doing the right thing" as announced by HSBC internally to try and change behaviors and so they hope, to change the public's view of the institution. But people like that are always under fire and quickly moved aside so they don't "make waves".
Cons
Horrible, horrible, horrible place to work. The company itself is great with really good pension benefits but no career progression and the senior managers are horrible person to work for and to work with. Money isn't everything, especially if you go home crying and/or constantly stressed out because of the nasty working conditions. Senior management are absolutely unscrupulous and when challenged over the way people are treated, you are pushed aside to another team, below your skills in the hope you'd shut up and leave by yourself. Fake disciplinary actions are raised against staff members to pressure them to leave instead of having a "dismissal" on their records. Contractors work under a lot of pressure including verbal abuse by their Line Managers and constant threat of dismissal. They are hired as contractors (self-employed) but must oblige by the hours and conditions imposed by them, including mandatory holidays (if you're self-employed and hired as a contractor, isn't this unlawfully and therefore you should be classed as an employee?) They really give meaning to the expression "corporate world". If you don't have any integrity, if you don't care about other people's well being apart from yours, if you can deal with constant change in procedures because no one knows what their doing and no one takes responsibility for it but that impacts your wages, and a lack of professionalism, then this may be the right place for you. on the other hand, if you don't identify yourself with that description, you'll end up leaving with a little less faith in the human race.
